Come Day 15 Come To Be Refreshed: Digging Deeper
February 28, 2025
Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Psalm 23:1-4
3 He renews my life; he leads me along the right path for his name’s sake. 4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
The Original Intent
1) Who is the recipient of the shepherd’s care? (verse 1)
Shepherding was a familiar role for David (the author of this psalm). He cared for his father’s sheep as a youth, and he understood the responsibility of being caretaker for the sheep in his keeping. (1 Samuel 17:20)
Years later, thinking like a sheep might if a sheep could think, the then-king remembers the care he had for his own sheep. Some scholars believe David wrote Psalm 23 toward the end of his reign because of its calm and nostalgic tone.
As the wording does indeed carry a pensive mood, one can hardly miss the author’s prayer-like meditation. He understood that his current God-ordained position as king did not make him exempt from potential lack. Although a king like David would have had servants and guards, he also knew he was vulnerable to fears and doubt that plague all humans.
This understanding as a shepherd-turned-king gave him a unique perspective. Theologian Charles Spurgeon said of David, “I like to recall the fact that this psalm was written by David, probably when he was a king. He had been a shepherd, and he was not ashamed of his former occupation. When he had to wear a crown, he remembered the time when he had handled the shepherd’s crook, and as a lad, with his sling and stone, had kept watch over his father’s sheep in the wilderness.” (Spurgeon Library)
Whether he was a shepherd in the field or a king in battle, David repeatedly relied upon the One whom he referred to as ‘my Shepherd’. He had come to know that soul refreshment doesn’t come from a position. Deep contentment and true peace only come to those who know God.
The Everyday Application
1) Who is the recipient of the shepherd’s care? (verse 1)
Frank Reed was an American who was held hostage as a prisoner of war for 3 ½ years. For much of that time, he was in isolation and blindfolded. In contrast to the shepherd-king David, Reed never claimed to know God or turn to Him. In an interview after his release, he said, “As a hostage, I learned one overriding fact: caring is a powerful force. If no one cares, you are truly alone.” (time.com)
What heartbreaking words! Likely, many of us can relate to the reality of pain from those words, but Real Hope is available! This dark loneliness doesn’t need to be your experience, my sweet Sister. I encourage you to allow the psalmist’s words to wash over you in a refreshing way even now!
“The Lord is my shepherd;
I have what I need.”
As Christ-followers, we are never alone because we have a Shepherd who cares for us and provides us with all we need for the moment. In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah was reminded how the Lord is always with and for the redeemed; never does He leave or forsake. (Isaiah 43:1-2)
In the New Testament, Jesus told His followers that the Holy Spirit would be their guide, protector, provider and comforter. (John 14:25-27) Friend, if you know the Lord God through His Son Jesus (John 3:14-18, John 17:3), it is you who is the recipient of the Shepherd’s care!
God showed His deep and lasting care by coming to us. (Matthew 1:21-23) He invites you and me to come to Him with our burdens and fears because He cares for us. (Hebrews 4:16, 1 Peter 5:6-7) Let’s turn our eyes toward our Shepherd, and let Him restore our weary souls.
The Original Intent
2) What does the shepherd provide? (verses 2-3)
Those who care for sheep suggest that sheep tend to be their own worst enemy. Maybe you’ve heard how susceptible they are to their predators because sheep tend to be defenseless creatures. While it’s true they have many natural predators in the wild, sheep often find themselves in self-induced predicaments that make it difficult for their shepherd to help them.
As natural wanderers, they will stray and put themselves in danger of being lost, attacked, or even disoriented to the point of drowning in rushing water or falling from cliffs. Because of this, the job of a shepherd is both offensive and defensive. As he continues to write reflectively, David likely remembered his own role as shepherd.
He knew he could not leave the sheep alone to fend for themselves. He likely recalled the times he needed to step in and protect them from their predators. (1 Samuel 17:34-37) As a king with enemies, David faced days of fear and worry about his adversaries. It was natural for him to have dread and anxiety when his life seemed to be in danger. But we continually read his words of resolve throughout the psalms to trust the Lord. (Psalm 27)
When he found himself alone in the wilderness, he rehearsed what he knew to be true, “When I think of You as I lie on my bed,
I meditate on You during the night watches
because You are my helper […]
I follow close to You;
Your right hand holds on to me.”
(Psalm 63:1-8)
David looked to his Shepherd because he had come to know that God was a good and faithful kind of Shepherd. Not only would the Lord never abandon him, but He would also lead him to places of provision. This is the kind of good Shepherd God is. (Isaiah 40:10, Psalm 78:52-53)
The Everyday Application
2) What does the shepherd provide? (verses 2-3)
God provided David with spiritual rest and nourishment. Friend, the Bible tells us that the food for our souls is the Word of God. (1 Peter 2:2-3) It is through the reading and the studying of God’s word the Lord provides spiritual refreshment and restoration to us.
In Psalm 119, the psalmist went to great lengths to express delight in and gratitude for God’s instructions through His word. If you’d like to study its depths, it was our delight as GT authors to create the Journey Theme, Worship XI! As we allow His words to fill our hearts and minds, God renews our strength and cleanses us with His truth.
He also protects us through His word with the guidance we need to stay on the proper path. Otherwise, we would be prone to wander aimlessly through all the days of our lives. But know this, dear Sister: It is for His name’s sake He does all this.
Think about such a glorious reality we have to be in Christ!
It’s impossible for God to abandon us, not simply because He cares, but because of who He IS. The Lord provides safety, comfort and deliverance to His people in order to reveal the power of His very essence and nature. (Psalm 106:7-8)
Just as David reflected on the practical provisions and protection of the shepherd, we can rehearse the spiritual provisions and protection of our Shepherd. By saving His people, the Lord revealed His faithful and forever love. (Psalm 109:21)
We have EVERYTHING we need because we have the One Shepherd we need.
The Original Intent
3) How does the psalmist come to a place where he doesn’t fear danger? (verse 4)
Again and again, David had seen the power and presence of God amid overwhelming circumstances. (1 Samuel 17, 1 Samuel 18:5, Psalm 142) Now in verse 4, David looks to his Shepherd to provide comfort for himself. Maybe he held his rod close to his heart as he praised his God, knowing he had used it against the attacking animals. And maybe he lifted up his staff, that walking stick that prodded the sheep away from physical danger, and felt the inner peace that came from God’s kind guidance.
David was refreshing his soul with each reminder of his Shepherd’s good care. We know he was not a fearless man; he had fears just as we all do. Scriptures tell us that confidence and courage weren’t always David’s first response. (Psalm 13:1-2) Even here, he acknowledges that life will not only be characterized by the green pastures and quiet waters of verse 2.
He knows he will walk through dark shadows and the gloom of despair. So how does David go from the fear and doubt we see in Psalm 22:1-2 to “I fear no danger” in verse 4? He put his trust in God! David had learned the art of practicing praise during times of fear. (Psalm 56:9-11)
He rehearsed God’s words, recognizing that God had already spoken to his fears. The Lord refreshed and revived David’s soul as he meditated on God’s trustworthiness! (Psalm 19:7-8 ) When David confessed his trust in God, he was anchoring his doubt and fear in the specific promises of God.
As he declares God’s constant care, the threats of disaster – even of death – no longer seem as threatening because they’re being drowned out by a louder voice of comfort by the God who lovingly cares, guides, guards, and protects with all wisdom.
The Everyday Application
3) How does the psalmist come to a place where he doesn’t fear danger? (verse 4)
The honesty of the psalms helps us process our fear. We read through many of them and recognize ourselves in their human response.
One psalm writer put it this way,
“Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?
For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning.
If I had decided to say these things aloud,
I would have betrayed Your people [people of God].
When I tried to understand all this,
it seemed hopeless … until I entered God’s sanctuary.”
Psalm 73:13-17
Oh, do I feel this! Maybe you do too.
In Psalm 23, David isn’t attempting to present a false narrative of always trusting God amid dangerous circumstances. But this isn’t his first rodeo with His Shepherd! He has been in this place before. As he considers his many interactions with the Lord, David has learned (is learning) to cast his soul toward heaven, that is, toward His heavenly Shepherd.
He has discovered that God will faithfully provide what He needs. Maybe you’re like me, Friend, and you desire to grow in faith amid the fearful circumstances you find yourself in. With me, you want to believe and be able to confess with David, “I fear no danger.”
If so, I encourage you to memorize Scripture or to sing your way to faith. Discover the pathways that will enable and encourage your soul to trust God; they are the same for us now as they were David!
“Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word;
just to rest upon His promise; just to know,
‘Thus saith the Lord.’ Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him.
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er.
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh, for grace to trust Him more!”
(‘Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus” by Louisa Stead)
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