The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1, NKJV).
Psalm 23 pictures a sheep amply provided for and well-protected by his faithful shepherd. We, as believers, can be assured that we have such a "good shepherd" who fully provides for our needs and whose presence is ever with us (John 10:11, 14).
As sympathetic as a caring shepherd might be, they can't appreciate what it is to be a sheep. However, Jesus goes far beyond the limitations of an ordinary shepherd. You see, He was firstly a lamb, the lamb of God (John 1:29). As Jesus walked this earth, He, too, needed a shepherd to guide, protect, and provide for him.
Therefore, Psalm 23 is not only about Jesus shepherding His people. More profoundly, it is also about His relationship to His shepherd, His heavenly Father.
What kind of lamb was Christ? A contented lamb we learn from the first verse of Psalm 23. He suffered no lack. The Lamb of God found complete satisfaction in His Father's presence and provisions. The plush green grass and still waters represent this (verse 2). The lamb grazed and now lies in contentment. The still waters amplify the peace brought by His faithful shepherd. The Lamb of God depended entirely on His Father's guardianship and supply. Jesus declared, "I can of Myself do nothing" (John 5:30). Therefore, He was a submissive lamb, dependent on the Father's divine power and care.
We also perceive that Jesus was an obedient lamb. His divine shepherd faithfully led him down paths of righteousness, and Jesus humbly followed. He was a righteous lamb "without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:19).
He was even willing to trek the most horrid of all paths, that of "the shadow of death." That is the cross experience, wherein Christ was the paschal lamb, "a lamb led to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7). It was the only time in eternity that He felt divine abandonment due to the bearing of the world's sin and its penalty. Even this did not deter Him, for He fully trusted His shepherd would ultimately rescue Him. Because of His unwavering faith, Jesus was the victorious lamb.
We usually picture the faithful sheep celebrating deliverance in verse 5, feasting at a banquet table while its enemies can only watch. But did not God turn the tables on His enemies? Did Christ not die for them (Romans 5:10)? Having done so, He set the feast of salvation before us, prepared by His atoning death. And whence did the Lamb of God go? Although He entered the shadows of the second death experience, He was vindicated and triumphantly rose from death's clutches. He ascended to the house of His Father and anointed with the oil of joy (Hebrews 1:9). The Spirit overflows from Him to empower and comfort us.
Indeed, the sheepdogs of goodness and mercy followed the lamb of God throughout His life, and they do pursue His sheep. Jesus is our faithful shepherd and high priest. Are you following Him in faith as He followed His Father? (1 Peter 2:21,25). If you have drifted from Him, your divine shepherd pleads for your return.
