Title: The Lord’s My Shepherd
Author: Unknown; Psalter, Edinburgh, 1650
Relevant Scripture verse: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” – Psalm 23:1 ESV
1 The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie
in pastures green; He leadeth me the quiet waters by. He leadeth me, he leadeth me
the quiet waters by.
2 My soul He doth restore again; and me to walk doth make
within the paths of righteousness, e’en for his own name’s sake. Within the paths of
righteousness e’en for his own name’s sake.
3 Yea, though I walk thro' death’s dark vale, yet will I fear no ill;
for Thou art with me, and Thy rod and staff me comfort still. For thou art with me and thy
rod and staff me comfort still.
4 My table Thou hast furnished in presence of my foes;
my head Thou dost with oil anoint, and my cup overflows. My head thou dost with oil
anoint and my cup overflows.
5 Goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me:
and in God’s house forevermore my dwelling place shall be. And in God’s house
forevermore my dwelling place shall be.
There are few passages of the Bible more famous than the beloved Psalm 23. It is arguably the most recognizable set of words in all Jewish and Christian Scripture. It is commonly read at funerals, and if television shows and movies permit any mention of faith in their scripts, chances are good it is the reading of Psalm 23 at a graveside burial service.
The words of Psalm 23 are comforting, a reassurance of God’s presence in times of trial, which explains the use of the psalm at funeral services. Yet I have come to believe that Psalm 23 is not a psalm about dying. It is a psalm about living. The psalm concludes with a reference to the person “dwelling in the house of the Lord.” The Hebrew text literally says “for length of days.” Many English translations have expressed this as “forever,” but it could easily mean something like “for the rest of my life.” Psalm 23 is more about living in faith and gratitude while on earth than it is about dwelling with God forever.
The person described in this psalm did not die. He lived! He survived the ordeal he endured. He walked through “a valley of deep darkness,” sometimes rendered from Hebrew as “the valley of the shadow of death.” We can only speculate what this struggle entailed, but it was obviously something that shook this person to the core. But because of the guidance of the shepherd and the presence of the shepherd’s “rod and staff,” this person survived and emerged from the dark ravine. The person obviously incurred some scrapes and bruises from his experience. He was hungry. But the shepherd not only fed him by “preparing a table”; he cleaned him up after his time in the wilderness. The word translated as “anoint” carries with it more the connotation of hygiene than being installed into a royal or priestly office, which is suggested by the word “anoint.” Back in those days, there was no such thing as shampoo, and oil would be used to hydrate skin and give hair a look of vitality. Rather than “anoint,” it would be better to say that the shepherd “moistens” or “drenches” our heads with oil. Psalm 23 reminds us that God is present in our lives to lead us and cleanse us. There are times when we as sheep veer off course, but God is pleased to guide us through the valley and into a new and better existence.
How do we respond? The psalmist, identified at the beginning as King David, declares at the end of this psalm that he “will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Christians have often interpreted this eschatologically, focused on living with God eternally in heaven. This hope of eternal life is certainly a part of our Christian faith, our ultimate hope. However, we should not let that overshadow the importance of living in God’s presence now. David seems to be saying that out of gratitude for the shepherd’s guidance, he will live the rest of his life in God’s presence, giving thanks and continuing to receive God’s gifts. Our faith is not only about the end of our lives, but the relationship that God has begun with us even now as we walk as yet by faith and not by sight.
There is no shortage of Christian poetry and music throughout the centuries inspired by Psalm 23 and the image of God as shepherd. My previous congregation in Nebraska was called “Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church,” and behind the altar was a marvelous stained-glass window of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, from John chapter 10, which can be seen in the image above. Every year, the Fourth Sunday of Easter in churches of a liturgical type is typically designated as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” and it remains one of my favorite Sundays each year. There is something about Jesus as our shepherd who seeks out the lost that is especially powerful, something to which many can relate.
The hymn above is nothing fancy. In fact, it is simply a paraphrase of the biblical text of Psalm 23. Christians who came out of the Reformed Calvinist perspective of the Protestant Reformation had a curious attitude toward church music. Whereas the earliest mentor of the Reformed Protestant tradition, Martin Luther’s contemporary theologian Ulrich Zwingli from Switzerland, banned music from Christian worship altogether, the even more influential theologian John Calvin from Geneva permitted congregational singing, provided that it was restricted to paraphrases of the Psalms. Reformed Calvinism took root in many parts of Europe, especially in the Netherlands, but also parts of Germany and the British Isles. The people known as “Puritans” in England were of the Calvinist theological persuasion, as were the Presbyterians of Scotland.
The Scottish Presbyterians came to use a collection of psalm paraphrases known as the “Edinburgh Psalter,” and “The Lord’s My Shepherd” was included among this collection that appeared in the year 1650. It is thought by some that “The Lord’s My Shepherd” has its origin in a paraphrase of Psalm 23 by the English Puritan Francis Rous, but it seems his original work bears little resemblance to the version that appeared in the Edinburgh Psalter. The text is sung to many tunes, but my favorite is “Brother James’ Air.” The simple text and peaceful tune are always a pleasant reminder of how the risen Lord Jesus Christ continues to walk with us, cleanse us, and lead us.
You can access below a video of this hymn sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir: the lord's my shepherd brother james air at DuckDuckGo
Author: Unknown; Psalter, Edinburgh, 1650
Relevant Scripture verse: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” – Psalm 23:1 ESV
1 The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie
in pastures green; He leadeth me the quiet waters by. He leadeth me, he leadeth me
the quiet waters by.
2 My soul He doth restore again; and me to walk doth make
within the paths of righteousness, e’en for his own name’s sake. Within the paths of
righteousness e’en for his own name’s sake.
3 Yea, though I walk thro' death’s dark vale, yet will I fear no ill;
for Thou art with me, and Thy rod and staff me comfort still. For thou art with me and thy
rod and staff me comfort still.
4 My table Thou hast furnished in presence of my foes;
my head Thou dost with oil anoint, and my cup overflows. My head thou dost with oil
anoint and my cup overflows.
5 Goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me:
and in God’s house forevermore my dwelling place shall be. And in God’s house
forevermore my dwelling place shall be.
There are few passages of the Bible more famous than the beloved Psalm 23. It is arguably the most recognizable set of words in all Jewish and Christian Scripture. It is commonly read at funerals, and if television shows and movies permit any mention of faith in their scripts, chances are good it is the reading of Psalm 23 at a graveside burial service.
The words of Psalm 23 are comforting, a reassurance of God’s presence in times of trial, which explains the use of the psalm at funeral services. Yet I have come to believe that Psalm 23 is not a psalm about dying. It is a psalm about living. The psalm concludes with a reference to the person “dwelling in the house of the Lord.” The Hebrew text literally says “for length of days.” Many English translations have expressed this as “forever,” but it could easily mean something like “for the rest of my life.” Psalm 23 is more about living in faith and gratitude while on earth than it is about dwelling with God forever.
The person described in this psalm did not die. He lived! He survived the ordeal he endured. He walked through “a valley of deep darkness,” sometimes rendered from Hebrew as “the valley of the shadow of death.” We can only speculate what this struggle entailed, but it was obviously something that shook this person to the core. But because of the guidance of the shepherd and the presence of the shepherd’s “rod and staff,” this person survived and emerged from the dark ravine. The person obviously incurred some scrapes and bruises from his experience. He was hungry. But the shepherd not only fed him by “preparing a table”; he cleaned him up after his time in the wilderness. The word translated as “anoint” carries with it more the connotation of hygiene than being installed into a royal or priestly office, which is suggested by the word “anoint.” Back in those days, there was no such thing as shampoo, and oil would be used to hydrate skin and give hair a look of vitality. Rather than “anoint,” it would be better to say that the shepherd “moistens” or “drenches” our heads with oil. Psalm 23 reminds us that God is present in our lives to lead us and cleanse us. There are times when we as sheep veer off course, but God is pleased to guide us through the valley and into a new and better existence.
How do we respond? The psalmist, identified at the beginning as King David, declares at the end of this psalm that he “will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Christians have often interpreted this eschatologically, focused on living with God eternally in heaven. This hope of eternal life is certainly a part of our Christian faith, our ultimate hope. However, we should not let that overshadow the importance of living in God’s presence now. David seems to be saying that out of gratitude for the shepherd’s guidance, he will live the rest of his life in God’s presence, giving thanks and continuing to receive God’s gifts. Our faith is not only about the end of our lives, but the relationship that God has begun with us even now as we walk as yet by faith and not by sight.
There is no shortage of Christian poetry and music throughout the centuries inspired by Psalm 23 and the image of God as shepherd. My previous congregation in Nebraska was called “Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church,” and behind the altar was a marvelous stained-glass window of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, from John chapter 10, which can be seen in the image above. Every year, the Fourth Sunday of Easter in churches of a liturgical type is typically designated as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” and it remains one of my favorite Sundays each year. There is something about Jesus as our shepherd who seeks out the lost that is especially powerful, something to which many can relate.
The hymn above is nothing fancy. In fact, it is simply a paraphrase of the biblical text of Psalm 23. Christians who came out of the Reformed Calvinist perspective of the Protestant Reformation had a curious attitude toward church music. Whereas the earliest mentor of the Reformed Protestant tradition, Martin Luther’s contemporary theologian Ulrich Zwingli from Switzerland, banned music from Christian worship altogether, the even more influential theologian John Calvin from Geneva permitted congregational singing, provided that it was restricted to paraphrases of the Psalms. Reformed Calvinism took root in many parts of Europe, especially in the Netherlands, but also parts of Germany and the British Isles. The people known as “Puritans” in England were of the Calvinist theological persuasion, as were the Presbyterians of Scotland.
The Scottish Presbyterians came to use a collection of psalm paraphrases known as the “Edinburgh Psalter,” and “The Lord’s My Shepherd” was included among this collection that appeared in the year 1650. It is thought by some that “The Lord’s My Shepherd” has its origin in a paraphrase of Psalm 23 by the English Puritan Francis Rous, but it seems his original work bears little resemblance to the version that appeared in the Edinburgh Psalter. The text is sung to many tunes, but my favorite is “Brother James’ Air.” The simple text and peaceful tune are always a pleasant reminder of how the risen Lord Jesus Christ continues to walk with us, cleanse us, and lead us.
You can access below a video of this hymn sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir: the lord's my shepherd brother james air at DuckDuckGo