The Lord IS our Shepherd: what does that mean?.
Reading Psalm Twenty- Three was a thrill for me. As a Catholic Christian, I like to read as much as I can about the scripture; moreover, actually trying to analyze scripture becomes an even greater pleasure. Although, one must not analyze too much into anything, I would like to personally express the analysis that I found when I read this deeply heartfelt psalm by justifying each verse separately. This psalm is all-powerful because of the fact that " it offers rest, food, consolation, protection and permanent living quarters "all that one could wish for and all under the guarantee of a God who is identified as a shepherd- (Pyper 386-87).
The psalm is about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the first verse, the psalmist speaks about the trust we have in their Shepherd. The trust we gain from our Shepherd permits us to feel secure, therefore, causing us to not want. The knowledge that God will provide is knowledge enough to go through life not really having the need to want anything at all for He will always be there to provide everything you ever shall want. He will be there, our Shepherd, even when we go astray, He will lead us the acceptable way, and we will follow Him justly.
The Lord allows us to lie down in nature with Him in green pastures and be comforted while with Him by leading us beside the still waters. He uses nature, what He created, to comfort us, providing yet again that feeling of not wanting anything but what God already provided for us. The green pastures are a natural protection; the green vegetation will hide us from the evil that might lurk about. It is also a source of food, that source of food, which our Shepherd guided us to for our sake alone. The water He leads us by is for our thirst, which will come. He does not make us drink, He does not make us walk in the water for we do not need to walk in water, He simply guides us, leading our way, facing any danger before us for our protection.
