"Good Shepherding"
Text: Psalm 23
4/26-2026
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Today is commonly known as "Good Shepherd Sunday." And what better way to focus on that theme than to examine the words of Psalm 23? This Psalm is one of the most well-known and beloved passages of Scripture. Why is that? It's because of the beautiful words of comfort we find in it; the comfort that comes from God's promises of protection and guidance and care for us in this life and the life to come. That's what this Psalm delivers in only 6 short verses. Many of us have memorized it, but have you ever really meditated on the rich meaning of these words? That's what we're going to do this morning. And I pray that in the process we'll become more aware of the great blessings that belong to us as we live under the care of our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
Let's start with some background information. King David was the author of this Psalm. In his youth he worked as a shepherd of the herds belonging to his family. He knew what it took in order to be a good shepherd. He had watched over and cared for his flock and had also bravely defended it from attacking lions and bears. It was no easy task but it taught him some life lessons that served him well later on when he became Israel's king. God used David's experience as a shepherd to prepare him for this lofty role.
It should be noted that throughout the Old Testament the concept and title of "shepherd" was applied to both religious and political leaders. For example, when David was publicly anointed as king, the people reminded him, "The LORD said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel…'" (2 Samuel 5:2) That's because his new job was to lead, protect, and care for God's people just as he had done for the sheep he watched over in his youth. Even so, David knew that God was still the Chief Shepherd of this flock, the people of Israel. That's why in verse 1 he says, "The LORD is my shepherd…"
That's an important point that we dare not miss. Within the Church, many times a Pastor is called the "shepherd of the flock," that is, the congregation. There's nothing wrong with saying it that way, but we need to remember that God is our Chief Shepherd. In other words, I work for Him and ultimately, I'll have to answer to Him concerning how I've treated you. If Pastors abuse the authority given to them, then they're nothing less than "thieves and robbers" as Jesus declares in our Gospel text, and punishment awaits them. On the other hand, if they have the heart and attitude of the Chief Shepherd, they can look forward to countless blessings.
So, when I feel the joys and sorrows of shepherding this flock, then I know I'm on the right track because I'm experiencing the same emotions as our Chief Shepherd, God Himself. He's troubled when one of His sheep rejects His care and guidance, and so am I. He’s not happy when He has to correct and discipline one of His rebellious or obstinate sheep, and so am I. When one of His lambs refuses to come and be fed with His precious Word and Sacrament it deeply concerns Him, and me too. But when one of His straying lambs is gently led back to the safety of His flock, He and all the angels rejoice, and so do I. When His sheep grow in their faith God is very pleased, and so am I.
Okay, so back to verse 1 of Psalm 23. Since God is our Good Shepherd, we will never be in want. That probably needs to be clarified due to our modern usage of that word "want." David is saying that we will lack nothing that we need. You see, there's a big difference between what we want and what we need. Like dumb sheep, we often don't know what we really are in need of. But the Good Shepherd knows. He knows when we need rest both physically and spiritually. Notice in verse 2, David says, "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters." Those of you who have raised children understand that there are times when you know your child needs to take a nap, and yet they fight it tooth and nail. Well, sometimes God has a real struggle getting His sheep to take time to rest. Not just physical but especially spiritual rest. That's what David is talking about here, because in verse 3 he says, "He restores my soul." God wants you to come here for worship to be refreshed and restored spiritually. He doesn't need you to come here for His benefit. No, He invites us here for our benefit, for our spiritual rest and nourishment.
Verse 3 then continues with a description of God's guidance. "He leads me in paths of righteousness." We need that because originally, we were on a different path, the pathway to damnation in hell. But our situation isn't like in the Wizard of Oz. God doesn't just point us in the right direction and tell us to "Follow the yellow brick road to heaven." Blind and lost sinners could never stay on that path. Rather, we must receive the righteousness of Christ, which keeps us walking within God's path of righteousness. Does He do all this because we're such good and wonderful people? Not hardly. He does it for His name's sake. Saving sinners and guiding them to live rightly brings honor to His name and pleases Him immensely.
The Lord also provides us with protection along the way. David says in verse 4, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." That valley is a perfect description of our life in this world. Because of sin, death looms over us like a dark shadow from the moment we're born. Some people live in fear of that ominous cloud of destruction every single day. But believers don't have to fear that evil. Why not? David says it's because the Good Shepherd is there guarding us from it all.
David then employs imagery from his shepherding days to describe that protection. There’s some debate amongst scholars as to whether the rod and staff mentioned were two different weapons that a shepherd carried or just one stick with two functions. Either way, they fulfilled two purposes: Protection against attackers and a tool for guiding the sheep. If a wild animal came along, the shepherd would wallop it with this stick like a baseball bat. But when a lamb started to stray, it would be used to gently tap it on the side to get it back on the right path. God does the same thing for His flock. He fiercely defends us from the evil that threatens our souls and He gently guides us with His corrective Word. That brings comfort and a sense of security to us.
Even though the sheep were surrounded by all these dangers, the shepherd would lay out food and drink in an abundant supply. There they could eat peacefully under the shepherd's protective and watchful eye. Physically and spiritually, we're surrounded by all kinds of evil enemies. And yet in the midst of all this our Good Shepherd feeds us a feast. Those who wish to attack us can only watch. They're powerless to interfere with this divine peace. Isn't that a beautiful illustration of the Lord's Supper? Sin, death, and the devil are a constant threat to us. But under His watchful eye and protective care our Good Shepherd invites us to His banquet at this altar where He feeds us abundantly and treats us as His honored guests.
Okay, but what's this anointing the head with oil business? Well, a good shepherd would carry a flask of oil to anoint the faces of the sheep that were scratched while grazing around thorny bushes and such. The oil would soothe and help heal their wounds. Living in this sinful world our spirits are wounded by all the bad stuff that goes on around us as well as the sin we engage in. The soothing balm of the Lord's forgiveness removes that pain. And the overflowing cup takes us back to verse 1 and the idea of abundance at the banquet. That's not only true of all the temporal blessings by which He supplies our needs, but also the spiritual blessings provided by His grace.
Finally, David wraps up this Psalm with kind of a summary because all the blessings that were listed in the previous 5 verses flow directly from our Good Shepherd's "goodness and mercy." These blessings shall follow us all the days of our lives rather than the lurking enemy. And the end result is fellowship with God, our Good Shepherd, for eternity.
In the verses immediately following our Gospel reading, Jesus makes it clear that He is our Good Shepherd, the very same one that David wrote about in Psalm 23. Jesus Christ came to bring the peace and comfort described in the Psalm. He doesn't want us to feel harassed and scared by our enemies. He wants us to feel safe and secure, surrounded by His protection and abundant care. But you can't have that unless you know the Good Shepherd by faith.
There's a story about a famous actor who was at a party and he was asked to recite some Shakespeare for the crowd. After his performance there was thunderous applause. Then an old Pastor asked him to read Psalm 23, since he could speak so eloquently. The actor said, "I will, on one condition. You must read it too after I'm done." The Pastor reluctantly agreed. The actor was very impressive with his rendition and received loud applause again. Then the old minister stood and read the Psalm. His voice was raspy and wavering. When he finished there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Many of the people had bowed their heads in reverence. Then the actor rose and laid his hand on the old Pastor's shoulder and said, "I reached your ears and eyes, but my friend here, touched your hearts. The difference is: I know the 23rd Psalm, but this man knows the Good Shepherd of that Psalm!"
The Psalm says, "The Lord is MY shepherd." By faith you can say that along with David. That’s because by faith you’ve come to know your Good Shepherd. But more importantly, we can rejoice that the Good Shepherd knows us personally and has laid down His life for our salvation. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!