The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still
waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s
sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: thou anointest
my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell
in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalms 23 is one of the most well-known chapters in the Old Testament and
arguably the most well-loved of all the Psalms of David. For good reason. It
speaks comfort, hope, and joy directly to our souls, as it reveals the very
character of Christ. Let’s look at it together.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In Biblical times, a shepherd, oftentimes even a child, was tasked with tending
the sheep, which were valuable resources for the family. So important were these
sheep, that the shepherd would stay with them day and night to make sure they
were properly fed, watered, and protected from harm. The image of the Savior as
a shepherd is lovely, indeed! He is our caretaker, our helper, our protector, and
the One to provide never-ending spiritual nourishment.
Because of Him, we may rest, knowing that our spiritual needs can and will be
met. Of course, that doesn’t mean for a second that we won’t ever struggle.
When the Lord told us in 2 Nephi 2:11 “For it must needs be, that there is an
opposition in all things,” he clearly wasn’t kidding! We will experience
illness, both physical and mental. We will face job stress, unemployment, and
financial challenges. We will lose those we love too soon, and it’s always too
soon. But whatever mortality throws at us, because of Him, we may feel comfort
and grace. Revelation 20:13 tells us that “He is the alpha and the omega, the
beginning and the end,” and that right there promises us a brightness of hope.
Remember how President Hinckley always used to say, “It will all work out in the
end. And if it hasn’t worked out yet, that’s because it’s not the end yet.”
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
The image of lying down in lush, green pastures reminds me of my hometown of
Portland, Oregon, where I would go for long walks in the beautiful rain that falls
so frequently, and creates miles and miles of lush green. The color green often
symbolizes life, and Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that He is “the way, the truth, and
the life.” As we imagine ourselves lying in lush green pastures, we are reminded
that through our covenants, we have life in Him.
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
Mortality is tumultuous, but Jesus, sometimes literally but always metaphorically,
leads us beside still waters. The song lyricist says it best: “When there’s no
peace on earth, there is peace in Christ.”
He restoreth my soul
The word “restore” means to bring back something to its original state, and that’s
exactly what Jesus does for us. Our original state is beloved daughters and sons
of God. And while that never actually ceases to be true, sometimes we can be
distracted along this mortal journey. We can forget our roots. We can forget our
worth! In the turmoil that is often our circumstances, Jesus reminds us of who we
are, what our divine potential is, and just how fully we are loved.
....and this next line demonstrates one very practical way He does that:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his
name’s sake.
When we are baptized, we covenant to take upon us His name. Here David tells
us that for the sake of that name, His holy name, we respond in righteousness in
covenant living. But we don’t have to find those righteous paths all on our own.
The Lord promises in this verse that when we turn to Him, he will lead us in those
righteous paths.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil: for “thou” art with me; “thy” rod and “thy” staff they comfort
me.
The “shadow of death” image, whether literal or figurative, is foreboding. But the
reassuring words of the psalmist promise that we have no need to fear, for two
important reasons:
1. “For thou art with me.” Jesus promises to be with us, and He does not
break promises!
2. “thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”
The second reason we don’t have to fear the valleys of life is that we are
constantly comforted by God’s rod and staff. For me this is such fabulous
imagery, especially because sometimes we think of a rod as an instrument of
violence, something with which to inflict pain.The Proverb “Spare the rod, spoil
the child” interpreted to represent pain. But no. The Savior’s rod and staff are
sources of comfort, instruments of loving mentoring and guidance.
...which of course leads me to think of the Iron Rod in Lehi’s dream. This Iron
Rod, is also not a place of pain or punishment; it represents God’s Holy Word,
and (You guys!) this is kingdom language, the very doctrine of salvation. John 1:1
teaches “In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the
Word was God.” Holding fast to that iron rod means holding fast to the Savior.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
Imagine a time when you felt like you were not enough. Maybe you weren’t one
of the popular kids? Maybe you didn’t quite fit in. I’m pretty sure we’ve all felt this
way at various times. It could be in our personal lives and relationships, our
professional lives (that imposter syndrome we sometimes feel in our jobs), our
social lives, or even in our church lives. Maybe we don’t fit the mold others
expect. Maybe we look different? Maybe our politics are different from everyone
else. Maybe our history, our lifestyle, our values, our culture are different. Maybe
we feel left out, judged, or like we don’t have a seat at the table. But step back for
a second, and reflect on that line from the Psalm. “Thou preparest a table for
me...” Jesus not only welcomes us, but He prepares the table for us!
What would your table look like? Maybe your table is an elegant setting with fine
linens, sterling silver, and prime rib and lobster. (That’s mine, by the way.) Or
maybe your table is a blanket spread out on a sandy beach by the ocean, a
picnic basket with bagels and cream cheese. Or maybe your table is in a
farmhouse, with a checkered tablecloth with biscuits and gravy. Regardless. YOU
are welcome at the table in the presence of anyone who would tell you you
aren’t, because the Lord prepares it especially for you. And HE is the only one
who matters. And note: It’s a continuous process. It doesn’t say “He prepared a
table...(past tense). Or He “will prepare a table,” you know, after you’ve done
everything right and checked all the boxes, and are worthy enough or whatever.
He continuously prepares that table for you, over and over, every day, all the
time.
I can’t help but turn briefly to 2 Nephi 26:33 - “....and he inviteth all to come unto
him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black
and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen;
and all are alike unto God...”
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
I love this line because it presents so many awesome possible interpretations.
● First, I think of the temple and the sacred initiatory ordinance that includes
anointing, and the many blessings that are promised.
● But then my thoughts also turn to the Parable of the Ten Virgins that Jesus
tells in Matthew 25. Here, again, he tries to explain the Kingdom of Heaven
to...you know...humans. Which I imagine is no easy task. In my experience
when this parable is taught, it’s often in a lesson about preparedness or the
need to be self-reliant. And those are both solid truths, good lessons, and
positive interpretations of the text. We should prepare for the future, for the
unknown, for whatever life might bring. But I wonder if, for just a moment,
we might think about these ten virgins in a slightly different, less
black-and-white way. The Psalmist teaches “....my cup runneth over.” The
God we worship is not a god of scarcity. Our God is a God of abundance!
John 4:14 says “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give
him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be, in
him, a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
So as the story goes, the five “foolish” virgins trim their lamps and prepare
for the wedding just like the other five, but soon realize they forgot to bring
extra oil as they await the bridegroom, and they ask the other five “wise”
virgins to share. But the wise ones say no, because then they might not
have enough for themselves.... and we begin to feel this sort of “scarcity
thinking,” which is not in harmony with the God we know, the one who
provides living water, the one who feeds 5,000 people with just a few loaves
of bread and a couple fish, the one whose cup runneth over! So the wise
ones suggest that to the other five that they go running off to town,
searching high and low to buy more oil, (pause) and they do! They put their
trust in these other humans and run off to buy more oil, and they miss the
whole wedding feast.
Is it possible that these five “foolish” virgins weren’t foolish because they
forgot to bring extra oil to the wedding, or gather their year’s supply of food
or have giant savings accounts, but rather because they did not know the
Source to which they may look...” 2 Nephi explains this in one of my favorite
scriptures:: “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we
prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children
may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” Back to the
parable, when we go down just a couple verses, don’t you just love the JST
clarification on this one? When the five “wandering” virgins out searching to buy
more oil, return and ask to have the locked door reopened, in the original text, the
bridegroom says, “Verily, I say unto you, I know you not,” but Joseph Smith
Matthew totally crushes it with the translation, “Verily, I say unto you, Ye knew not
me.”
Because...when we truly know Him, we know of His abundance. Instead of
striving to be self-reliant, we become God-reliant. We aren’t scared that our lamps
will run out.(pause) Because His holy light shineth forth in the darkness always,
our cups runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
I can’t help but think of my favorite line from Elder Kearon’s talk in General
Conference last April: With his very cool accent that I can’t replicate, he declared,
“God is in relentless pursuit of you!” Even on those days when we’re wandering
a bit. Maybe we’re out looking for oil somewhere else. Maybe our hands slipped
from the comfort of the rod for just a second. Or maybe...even... longer. He does
not just hang out and wait for us to return to Him. His goodness and mercy shall
follow us, all the days: the faithful days, and the not-so-faithful ones. The
obedient days, and the not-so-obedient ones. I often think of this when I’m out
walking, which I do every day, multiple times. The creator of the universe, the
maker of every thing that is or ever was, the redeemer of all humankind, is
following me! And not just following, but he’s following in “relentless pursuit.” That
is very good news, indeed, especially for people like me, who are sometimes a
little hard to catch.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
So this final line is part of the reason (along with the “shadow of death” imagery)
that Psalms 23 is often recited at funeral services. And yes, for sure this lovely
promise of eternal life in God’s house is beautiful! But I prefer to focus on the
here and now. Dwelling in the Lord’s house is something we have access to right
now. Each of us may strive to make our own homes places of refuge, places of
rest, of peace, of safety, places of Jesus. As members of the Church, whether
endowed or not, we have access to the temple, the place set apart to be His holy
house. We may walk the sacred ground on which the temple stands. When we’re
old enough, we may go inside to participate in the ordinance of proxy baptism,
and eventually the other ordinances of grace and salvation.
We have access to Jesus right now. This very moment. Lean into Him. Lean into
the One who has the power to heal us from within, the One who does His best
work in the messiness of our lives. Lean into the One who longs to wrap you up
in His outstretched arms and hold you tight and say, ”I got you, girl! I got you,
dude! Imma cover you in my blood and in my grace.” Lean into the One whose
character is the very definition of love! My sisters and brothers, lean into that God, in His holy name, Amen
