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"The Lord is my shepherd" (Psalm 23:1a).
How many times have we heard these beautiful words before? A few years ago, Bible Gateway crunched the numbers to determine the most read chapter of the Bible. They found that the passage accessed most frequently is 1 Corinthians 13, but following in a close second place is the beautiful poem penned by David, Psalm 23. So, as I stared at this opening phrase to write this devotion, I wasn’t sure where to start. What is there to say about these words that we know so well?
As I read them over and over, it occurred to me that the words could be flipped around and that doing so brought a flurry of new thoughts into my mind. What if, instead of focusing on the fact that the Lord is our shepherd, we spent some time considering that this shepherd is our Lord?
Truly recognizing God as Lord can be both awe-inspiring and humbling. Our Lord is the Creator of all things, from the tiniest particle to the greatest star in the cosmos. There is no corner of the universe that is out of His reach and no thought of man that He doesn’t know. It’s impossible to hide from Him, and no being, natural or supernatural, has any power over Him. His reign is eternal; there was never a time when He didn’t exist, and He will rule forever. Depending on a person’s perspective, these words can bring peace and comfort, or they can strike terror in the heart. What does it mean for us, weak and helpless as sheep, that this shepherd is our Lord?
In C.S. Lewis’ masterpiece, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the children have a conversation with Mr. Beaver as they try to understand who Aslan is. As they work to wrap their minds around this powerful lion, Lucy and Susan ask, “Is he safe?” In response, Mr. Beaver explains, “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.”
The same is true for our Lord. If it weren’t for His love and mercy, He wouldn’t be safe for us at all. Romans 5:10 tells us that we were once enemies of God, and He certainly isn’t safe in regards to His enemies. Nothing unholy can be in the presence of this Holy Lord. What a scary thought. Praise be to God that our Lord is also good.
Our shepherd is so good that, instead of punishing his sheep, He turned the wrath we deserve against His only Son, the Lamb of God. By His death and resurrection, He crushed the head of the serpent and conquered the unholy trinity of sin, death, and Satan. What a good shepherd our Lord is!
For the next twelve weeks, we will journey as a congregation through Psalm 23, guided by the book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller. As we meditate on this familiar passage together, let’s look at it with fresh eyes and wonder at both the power and the goodness of our Lord, who has done everything to keep us safe and close to Him forever.
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