Psalm 23 - The Shepherd has a Name
The “veil of familiarity” is a term I was taught while in seminary. It describes those texts of Scripture that are tricky to teach or explain. But these texts are not necessarily hard to understand. Familiarity expresses a challenge precisely because certain texts can be so accessible, memorable, and can be associated with significant seasons of life. However, familiarity with a biblical passage can tempt us to believe we have exhausted its resources. We are tempted to say through the veil: “I already know that one.” Psalm 23 is a text riddled with the veil of familiarity. But here is something wonderful about the Bible: there are always new depths to explore, new heights to survey, and new treasures to discover. The Christian never outgrows the thrill of exclaiming while reading his Bible, “I have never seen that before!” My recent discovery while reading this Psalm was that David’s shepherd has a name.
… familiarity with a biblical passage can tempt us to believe we have exhausted its resources.
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
The Name of God.
God is directly named in this Psalm. It only happens twice, in the first and last lines, as “the Lord.” Every other occasion simply describes God through the pronouns “he” and “you.” There is distinction and particularity in God’s name. Unlike everything else that is named, the God of Psalm 23 is the only being that does not owe his name to someone else. Rather, in the biblical storyline God discloses and reveals his own name by his own initiative. God is named in a different way from any other nameable object. His name is not a throwaway word, but it belongs to the ears and lips of his covenant people.
As it is the case in this passage, when the phrase, “the Lord,” is used in the Old Testament, at times it is conveyed in all caps as, “the LORD.” It is the author’s way of alluding to God’s appearance to Moses at the burning bush, the event that motions God’s commitment to fulfill his covenant to Israel as promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Ex 3:6, 13-15). In that event, God reveals his name as “I am who I am,” signaled by the Hebrew consonants YHWH, or often translated as Yahweh.
God’s name is at the very center of Israel’s identity. The nameable God delivered them from captivity in Egypt (Ex 15:11-12), promised an inheritance to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3), and assured their first parents that their offspring would one day crush the lying serpent’s head (Gen 3:16). Their history is intertwined with God’s works among them. Here, David affirms that across all the places God is leading him, God is acting “for his name’s sake” (v. 3). In other words, God shepherds his people at risk of his own reputation. Therefore, the twists and turns can only lead them to somewhere good. The God who depends on no one is the God that gives himself completely to a people dependent on him. David’s shepherd is known for remembering his promises.
The Chief Shepherd.
Shepherds continue to be a repeated theme in Scripture. Israel was associated with shepherds since the times of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the metaphor of sheep and shepherd in relation to God and his people takes an unplanned turn in New Testament pages. God remembers his promises after all. The Gospel of Mark recounts, “when [Jesus] went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34). Through Jesus, David’s shepherd appears.
The apostle Peter leverages this shepherding metaphor in a similar way. “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Pet 2:25). And again, “when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4). The destiny of God’s people is forever intertwined with the presence and work of Jesus. Jesus continues to shepherd his people, but toward better places than king David could ever dream.
In a crucial episode in Jesus’ teaching ministry, he confronts the self-seeking shepherds of his day when claiming, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Christ’s death is the length through which the shepherd of Psalm 23 is willing to go in self-giving love for his people. The final clause of verse 4, "for his name’s sake,” is tested and validate by Jesus laying down his life for his friends. In doing so, he secures as their shepherd that he can only lead them toward somewhere good. David Gibson concludes:
Psalm 23 teaches that if we belong to Christ, we are in a world of active initiative, of strength, of leadership and protection; it is a relationship of the very best and most secure intentional care.[1]
The profound good news of Psalm 23 is that David’s shepherd, and mine, is known in no better place than Jesus.
[1] David Gibson, The Lord of Psalm 23, p. 28.
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I took the time to read each verse of Psalm 23 out loud, to combat this “veil of familiarity” I ironically was not familiar with (though I am definitely familiar with the idea). Verses 4-5 are fascinating in how there is comfort in God’s rod and staff and how He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies (as opposed to on an island or around our friends). That was a new takeaway I did not see in prior readings.