Psalm 23
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
I love the book of Psalms, it contains both the depths and the heights of following after God through this fallen world. While reading them we travel along with the psalmist as he wades through the swampy mire of desperation grappling with the harsh realities of life. Then often within the same Psalm we are brought up to the tops of mountains amidst the clouds catching glimpses of the heavenly courts above as the psalmist gives praise to the only One who can help. And it is there that we witness signs of the path from which His help would come.
Psalm 23 brings us on a journey with the psalmist as he envisions the depths of the providence of the LORD. He begins by considering himself as a sheep and the LORD his Shepherd. Like a Divine Realtor, this Shepherd brings His sheep to beautiful riverfront properties. These places provide such refreshment and tranquility, they restore the soul. A sign was then set in place, for an even greater water was to come and whoever drinks from it will never thirst again, John 4:13-14.
He then showed the psalmist paths that lead further into His presence; further into where restoration can truly begin. Like a Cartographer of the soul, He lead the way to places deeper than what can be experienced outside; for one can be surrounded by beauty but if peace is not within then even the most tranquil of places cannot be enjoyed. When followers of this Shepherd align their lives with His will, He leads them to paths that refine as they teach, paths that lead to where Wisdom dwells; they find that there is indeed a right way to live. Another sign was then set in place, for One was to come and bring fulfillment to these paths so that His followers might become what they could never otherwise achieve: the righteousness of God, 2 Corinthians 5:21.
The psalmist then followed the Shepherd into a darkened place; it is there that we are brought face to face with evil and death. We notice though that the psalmist did not stumble, lose his step, or even slacken his pace. Confidently he marched onward, noticing it with as much attention as one would show to an interesting historical landmark. We are told what gave him such boldness. One cannot simply pass by a lion that is devouring people left and right, one cannot so casually dismiss an incoming tidal wave or an erupting volcano, unless that is, you walk with One who is stronger than the lion, Daniel 6:22, mightier than any wave, Psalm 93:4, and can make mountains skip away or melt like wax, Psalm 97:5. Like a sheep trusting in the shepherd’s rod and staff for safety while it follows Him through a valley, so the psalmist depended on God, his Vanguard, in the face of fear. A third sign was set in place for though the psalmist was to walk through this valley, another was to come and conquer it. For Death is doomed to be swallowed up in victory, 1 Corinthians 15:50-57.
The path opened up ahead; it had taken on a festive livery and the psalmist was greeted with a curious sight: a table with a seat prepared just for him. The Shepherd, that Divine Realtor, Cartographer, and Vanguard, turned into a Maitre D’ as He escorted the psalmist to his table. Others were also present but they were not there to join in with the merriment. They were the enemies of the psalmist and God had something He wanted them to see. In their hunger, they witnessed the psalmist seated at a table and presented with a bountiful feast. They watched as he was honored in kingly fashion anointed with oil. And in their thirst, they watched as his cup overflowed with drink; it splashed on the table and fell to the floor. A fourth sign was then established, for One was to come and give His followers an even greater seat in the heavenly realms, Ephesians 2:6, and even greater power over the enemy, Luke 19:10.
With a toast to his Host, the psalmist concluded his journey with a raise of his goblet and said,
“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:6
It is at the house of the LORD that the signs converge. He gave to the world His Son who would fulfill all things written about Him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms, Luke 24:44. His Son Jesus was the One who opened the door for it is He who offers living water, He who gives His righteousness to those who enter in, He who defeated death and rose again, and it is He who seats us with Him in the heavenly realms giving us power over the enemy. Goodness and love came down and is the Savior of all mankind, Titus 3:4, and by Him we are ushered into a greater celebration, a greater feast: the supper of the Lamb, Revelation 19:9.
Jesus is the depth of the Providence of the LORD, Ephesians 3:17-18. Wide are His arms and long is their reach. High He lifts us from no matter how deep. May His goodness and love lead you to salvation in Him for He is the Good Shepherd who did not run from danger; He laid down His life for all of us. Come and join Him at the table, He has a seat waiting for you.