The Lord Is My Shepherd

Since my childhood, whenever I think of the Bible story of David, I have the picture in my mind of this young shepherd boy resting for awhile with his back against a large rock as his sheep graze nearby. I see him taking a small homemade instrument with strings from his carryall, strumming soft chords on it while he sings extemporaneously: "The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want."

That may not be what happened at all. A number of Bible scholars think this psalm of trust was not written in the pasture at all, but later when David was being persecuted by Saul, or at an even later time when his own son Absalom was trying to overthrow him and take the throne. If this is so, it makes the "the valley of the shadow of death" a very real possibility, a more serious threat than even the lion and the bear who tried to attack David's flock. The words about rest and comfort stand out in even greater contrast if we think of David being surrounded by those who opposed him.

As a man with shepherd experience, David knew that green pastures are not everywhere; they have to be located. That's why sheep need someone to guide them. Not every stream flows with quiet waters; it is the shepherd's responsibility to find the right one for his flock. As we follow the Good Shepherd through life's experiences, can't we assume that at some point we will encounter scrubby grassland or even desert? David experienced those, but afterwards, his Shepherd led him again into safe, green pastures. Won't it be possible for us to come across a roiled stream or even rushing, frightening water? David did, but then the Shepherd led him on to a quiet place of rest.

In a very old, treasured copy I own of Lettie B. Cowman's Streams in the Desert, there are these words, excerpted from a longer poem by, I think, Henry H. Barry although I have also seen it printed anonymously and by another author.

In "pastures green"? No, not always; sometimes He
Who knowest best, in kindness leadeth me
In weary ways, where heavy shadows be.
So, whether on the hill-tops high and fair
I dwell, or in the sunless valleys, where
The shadows lie, what matter? He is there.

Whether David's song of trust was written to describe his experience as shepherd lad, beleaguered subject of King Saul, or betrayed father, we are to trust our Shepherd just as fully as he did.

MaryMartha
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Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com