Wednesday Night Small Group October 20, 2021

Psalm 23 God with us

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's
sake.
4 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.
5 Thoupreparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest
my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell
in the house of the Lord for ever.
———————————————————————
Psalm 23 is one of the best-known, best-loved poems in human history. In
the King James Bible it is six verses of 118 words. In Hebrew, it is only 57 words.
But in a world full of trials and difficulties, this short meditation is a song of
comfort, a song of gratitude, and a declaration of faith to a loving God.
In this ancient poem, David asserts his faith in God as the ultimate protector
and provider. God’s goodness and mercy mean having nothing to fear; whatever
may happen, God is with us.
This is a passage that we have all read and heard many times. But let us find
ways to make it new and fresh tonight. It is not so hard really. For example, take
note of the subject and object pronouns I and me; take note of the possessive
adjective my. Read the psalm again and place emphasis on these words—really
hear these words.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in
green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he
leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”
How does this change our understanding of the text? Now go back and read it
paying special attention to the subject pronoun He and the possessive adjective
His. You should begin to feel God’s loving attention toward you. Go back and pick
out the verbs, the metaphors, etc.
Let us pray that God will help us with new eyes and understand with a new heart
tonight as we open up our study of the 23rd Psalm.

1
Wednesday Night Small Group October 20, 2021

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

God is not a stern and distant king, but a gentle shepherd. Shepherding was the
humblest of jobs. If the Lord is a shepherd, he's as down-to-earth as you can get.
And he's protective.
This opening declaration is full of confidence. The phrase is especially powerful in
its lack of a conjunction; the text does not say, The LORD is my shepherd and
therefore I shall not want. It is simply two bold statements placed side by side.
This is a declaration of faith, but it also serves as a supplication: May the LORD
act as my shepherd throughout life.

Questions to consider:
Who is our shepherd? Who is the one we listen to for guidance and
direction? Who is the one we follow as sheep? Who is the one we trust to do
good for us?
“Experts”?
Celebrities and popular culture?
Internet advisors, bloggers, and vloggers?
Our own wisdom or desires?
Is fear is our shepherd?
Our shepherd is whoever we obey or listen to when the rubber meets the road.
Who is your shepherd?

——
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

The dependence of man upon God must be just as absolute as that of the sheep
upon the shepherd. He makes me to lie down … He leads me …
The guidance of life cannot be shared between God and man, any more than
between the shepherd and the sheep. If we want to lie down in green pastures and
dwell beside the still waters, we must be the sheep to God’s shepherd
A sheep is not a wild animal. He is the precious possession of the shepherd. And
man is God's precious possession. His Spirit leads into green pastures and beside
still waters.

2
Wednesday Night Small Group October 20, 2021

Questions to consider:
Can you think of a time when you felt like you knew the best direction, only
to later find that you were wrong?
Has God ever carried you down a path that you did not understand, only to
later find that it led you to “green pastures” and “still waters”?

——
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's

sake.
The root of the Hebrew verb for “restore” is shuv. In its basic form, it means to
turn, turn back, or return. It’s also the word frequently used for “repent,” as
in Jeremiah 3:22, “Return [shuv], O faithless sons; and I will heal your
faithlessness.”
In fact, in the Jewish tradition, the noun used for repentance is teshuva, from this
root.
So, the Lord is the shepherd who goes after us when we stray and brings us back.
He restores us, causes us to return, brings us back to the fold. In other words, this
Good Shepherd repents us.
Lost sheep don’t bring them themselves home; their shepherd does. Only He leads
them back “in the paths of righteousness.”
Questions to consider:
Some scholars place the phrase “for his name's sake” at the center of the poem’s
chiastic (rhythmic) structure, placing enormous emphasis on a prepositional phrase
that we probably do not pay much attention to.
In what ways is the phrase “for his name's sake” so important? Why does God
deliver us for His name’s sake? Is it to protect His reputation? To continue His
kingdom work?
Consider the parable of the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep to
search for the one, lost lamb (Luke 15:3-7). Think of a time when God repented
you or a loved one when they had strayed from the fold. Share.

——
4 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.

3
Wednesday Night Small Group October 20, 2021

Everyone, at one point or another, must walk through “the valley of the shadow of
death” (that is, confront deep grief and suffering), and “enemies” are all around.
But the David feels the presence of God even during these trials.
“With me” is not an exact translation of the word that appears in this verse, ‫עמדי‬
(imadi). “With me” is ‫עמי‬, imi. The word imadi comes from the root ‫ד‬.‫מ‬.‫ע‬., which
means “to stand.” So the word means more than just “with me.” It means “standing
with me,” or “helping me stand up.”
Psalm 23 has 57 Hebrew words in it, and “for thou art with me” falls at its numeric
center, and that is the central theme of the Psalm. Going through the valley of the
shadow teaches the psalmist what God is really about: I will fear no evil, not
because nothing bad ever happens in the world, but because God is with me.”
The Psalmist finds both the “rod”–God’s justice and perhaps even His punishment–
and the “staff”–God’s mercy–“comforting.”
Questions to consider:
Notice that the psalm just at the point of danger (the shadow of death)
shifted from I-He to I-You. Why is this significant? Do danger, adversity, and
trials sometimes bring us closer to God? Why?
You can understand why he might find the “staff” comforting, but the
“rod”? What is comforting about the punishment and correction?

——
5 Thoupreparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest
my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell
in the house of the Lord for ever.
In verse 5, enemies and oppressors hunt down David’s soul and inflict suffering
upon him, but God will reverse that and transform his trials and humiliations into
victory and comfort—anointing and an overflowing cup of blessings.
In verse 6, we read, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of
my life.” The verb for “follow” is radaph. But the translation of this Hebrew verb
as “follow” is far too weak. Radaph means to chase after, to pursue.
The goodness and mercy of God do not follow us like a good little puppy dog,
trailing along behind us. Rather, goodness and mercy chase us down every twisting
path we take like the Hound of Heaven. He stays hot on our heels.

4
Wednesday Night Small Group October 20, 2021

We are pursued by mercy. We are chased by grace. That is, God’s favor, and the
blessed and comfortable effects of it; shall follow me—even pursue when I run
from Him. We are so blessed to be hunted and hounded by His goodness and
mercy.
Like David, we will no longer be hunted down by enemies, but by God's goodness
and mercy.
"I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." God is inviting us into a permanent
relationship—it is much deeper and more richly textured than just shepherd and
sheep.
In Judaism, the mitzvoth [commandments] are a way of retaining a relationship
with God, so that everything you do—the way you eat, the way you use words, and
the way you treat other people—-is a way of spelling out your relationship with
God.
The sense that you are living every moment of your day in God's presence—that’s
what it means to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Dwelling in His house forever also speaks toward the promise of Heaven and an
eternal reward.

Questions to consider:
Looking back on your life, have you ever been “chased/hunted” by God?
How did you end up here tonight? In what ways has God guided/lead/
brought you here?
Can you think of ways that you “retain your relationship” with God daily?
Prayer? Fasting? Reading His word? Through music and song?
What other insights have you gained by rereading the 23rd Psalm?

Please excuse any goofs. I did not reread this or use *Grammarly. There were time constraints.

* This sentence may be grammatically correct, … 5