The LORD is my Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd... (Psalm 23:1a)

We often use the 23rd Psalm as a hymn of comfort. And it is. But more than that, it is a song of faith -- and of faithfulness. Faithfulness on the part of both the sheep and the Shepherd.

In this first verse, We learn the identity of our Shepherd. In Hebrew, the word "Lord" is written as YHWH, a name for God so Holy the Hebrews wouldn't even pronounce it (even in translation, the vowels are removed out of reverence and respect). In reading these manuscripts, Hebrews would instead see this designation and pronounce it as "Adonai," a word meaning "Lord." In a world of many cultures, celebrating many deities, David wanted no mistakes as to the God he worshiped. The Hebrew God, "YHWH," said David, "is my Shepherd."

This is a weighty distinction. And as much as it is a comfort to the Hebrews -- to those who claim YHWH as their God, it is meant also as a warning to the enemies of Israel and of God. Remember: David, too, was a Shepherd. Not only did he tend his sheep and see to their proper feeding, he protected them as well. He killed a bear and a lion with only his sling to defend his sheep.

Perhaps David, then, knew of what he spoke when he boldly confronted Goliath:

“You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

He knew, as a shepherd, that as much care as he provided for his sheep, the God of Israel would provide that much, and more! 

Psalm 23 was written as a man who was a shepherd. A man who knew his shepherd -- the one who kept him safe -- was no mere mortal, but the Lord God!