The Beauty of Psalms 23

Almost every Christian is familiar with the ever famous Psalms 23 [probably equally popular as John 3:16]. In my case, I have repetitively memorized, sang, and even mimed this chapter during my Sunday School days at church.

But true enough, with constant study and reading, new realizations come about. Indeed, memorizing it isn’t enough.

Three weeks ago, we were once again privileged to hear the Word of God from a writer’s point of view—Mrs. Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano’s. She began by lauding David for his writing prowess—summing up everything that he wants to say in 6 verses. Indeed, as what Shakespeare said, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Moreover, David exudes a basic requirement for being a writer. He states everything vividly and he extracts his words and arranges them based on experiences, observations, and imaginations.

I am not a Bible scholar, nor a Literature major, but I will try my best to present the beauty of Psalms 23 and recreate what Mrs. Feliciano shared to us.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

Verse 1 shows contentment and refuge. In two simple sentences, David showed how confident he is. The verse also shows trust and faith in God. Moreover, this begins the “literariness” of the verse, since it previews David’s play of words and metaphors. Here he starts by showing that God is the shepherd, and he [David] is the sheep. Since he was a shepherd himself, he was able to create a picture of someone/something fearful [sheep] and someone brave, courageous, and strong [the Lord].

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

In verse 2, he continues to express his confidence; this time adding a serene and peaceful milieu, i.e. “green pastures” and “quiet waters”. He succeeds in being coherent as well, because grazing animals like sheep need a sort of “utopic” place such as what David pictured out. However, one very important lesson that I’d like to stress out is the fact that God merely LEADS us beside the quiet waters. It wasn’t mentioned that God will GET a cup and FEED us with it. In short, this verse tells us that God WILL GUIDE, but it’s up to us whether to drink or not, i.e. “nasa D’yos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa”.

3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Sheep easily get stressed. In fact, when a sheep is scared it experiences a state of shock to the extent of being petrified, literally. In verse 3, David shows how the Lord restores the soul of a sheep whenever it gets stressed out or scared.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

Another characteristic of a sheep is its inability to know where to go. This is the reason why it needs a shepherd. In human terms, sheep are G.I. (geographically idiot). However, in verse 4, David presents a sheep who is G.I. but at the same time G.G. (God-guided). Indeed, a sheep guided by its shepherd will not be in trouble because a responsible and loving shepherd will fight even the fiercest wolves in order to protect his sheep.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Verse 5 unravels the fact that God has plans for us. And despite struggles and problems, God’s plan is at the center of it. Another important thing to note is the last two lines of this verse. These two lines show how God provides to those who believe, to those who follow. Verse 5 also shows the shift from the metaphor. Here, David prepares the reader to move out of the sheep and apply his reflections to individual lives.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

From beginning to end, David presents an aura of “sureness”, a kind of confidence that most of us don’t have; the kind of enduring confidence amidst enemies, problems, and personal struggles. Hence, Verse 6 serves as a motivation and a reminder. Motivating us that having faith in God results in good life, and Reminding us that those who believe will be with God, FOREVER.