I Shall Not Want- Part 1
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 mine 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 for ever. Psalm 23:1-6 (KJV)
One of the most beloved passages in the Bible, the 23rd Psalm represents all God is and all He does for us. Because of Him, we shall not want. Let’s go verse-by-verse to ponder the rich meaning of this Psalm.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1 (KJV)
According to the Full Life Study Bible, to not want means that we won’t lack any necessary thing for God’s will to be accomplished in our lives. And it means we will be content in the provision of the Good Shepeherd and His care of our lives.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2 (KJV)
Green pastures speaks of the Lord feeding us- both spiritually and naturally. He gives us the bread of His Word and physical food. He leads us beside still, calm waters where we can safely drink of His Spirit. When we hunger and thirst for righteousness, He fills us.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Psalm 23:3 (KJV)
He restores our soul: the mind, will, and emotions. In Christ, our minds are renewed, our wills are surrendered to God’s will, and our emotions are stable. When a sheep is on his back and cannot get up, it is a potentially fatal situation. The sheep is said to be “cast down,” and the shepherd must lift it up and set it right. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus gives us joy when our souls are cast down. He lifts us up and restores the joy of our salvation so we can stand.
He leads us in the paths of righteousness and never in paths of sin, unbelief or compromise. Instead, He leads us to overcome sin, the flesh, the world, and the devil, just like He did for Jesus in Matthew 4. He prepares us to properly use the power He gives us and teaches us to be led by His Spirit. Paths of righteousness are often considered narrow paths by the world, but taking those paths grow and prepare us to glorify His name.
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:14 (KJV)
As we stay on the path of righteousness that the Good Shepherd has led us on, we progress to a place of maturity and Christ-like character that brings honor and glory to His Name.
Tomorrow, we’ll finish our look at Psalm 23, focusing on verses 4, 5, and 6.
