ONE MAY WONDER WHY the shepherd of ancient Israel was so marginalized, the lowest rung on the social ladder, when the qualities of the lowly shepherd were the gauge by which the rest of society was measured—caring, watchful, responsive, responsible. Because the people of Biblical times lived a pastoral life and witnessed firsthand the dependency of sheep on their shepherd, it was natural for the people to draw parallels between the literal shepherd's care of his sheep and their dependency on God to care for them. Jacob, in blessing his son Joseph, referred to "the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day." Gen. 48:15 (NRSV).
Even in the earliest Biblical record, there is an inherent consciousness of God as Shepherd. Shepherd imagery was so strong in the minds of the people that the prophets used this imagery to warn the people of the exile, to sustain them through it, and to restore them after the devastation. When Israel fell to the Assyrians, Micah prayed, "Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock that belongs to you, which lives alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old." Mic. 7:14 (NRSV).
As the exiles prepared for the long trek home, Isaiah assured them that God would "feed his flock like a shepherd; he [would] gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep." Isa. 40:11 (NRSV). Like a good shepherd, God would provide food and drink and carry those who could not keep up, and mothers with young would not be hard driven.
All of this symbolism is carried into the New Testament and applied to Jesus and his followers. He goes to the people who "were like sheep without a shepherd," Mark 6:34 (NRSV). and refers to himself as "the good shepherd." And in a parable using shepherding motifs, he sets forth his mission. John 10:11, 14-16 (NRSV).
The shepherd metaphor that represented so well the community's relationship with God is individualized in the treasured 23rd Psalm. To avoid romanticizing this psalm, we might ask, "What did the message of this song mean then, and what does it mean to us today?" In a society where food was scarce, security was doubtful, and life spans were short, the conviction that "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" is a radical position. The 23rd Psalm is not a sentimental poem, but expresses the Psalmist's certainty that God is a reality. That God will provide food and drink. That the Psalmist will be safe and have shelter because God will lead him "in right paths." God keeps the Psalmist alive—"restores my soul." God does this "for his [God's] name's sake," because this protection and restoration are in keeping with the nature of God.
If the Psalmist's life is threatened, he doesn't need to fear, because the presence of God surrounds him. The Psalmist takes comfort in the authority of God's "rod" and "staff" to guide him. If he has been pursued by enemies, he feels secure because the "goodness and mercy" of God are now pursuing him, and this goodness and mercy are expressed in the spreading of a gracious table even in the wilderness. By trusting in God rather than in his own resourcefulness, the Psalmist has not only the necessities of life, but an exuberant sense of what it means to live, in which his "cup overflows."
The writer does not doubt. He is grateful to God, who provides for his daily needs. He knows peace. It is not a temporary condition. He feels confident: "I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long." The metaphorical reference to God as a shepherd became very real to the Psalmist. Just as his society depended on the shepherd for survival, the writer realizes that individually each of us is dependent on God for the economy of our being.
Just as his society depended on the shepherd for survival, the Psalmist realizes that individually each of us is dependent on God for the economy of our being.
Can this dependency influence individual response to a more universal economy? What does Psalm 23 mean today to those living with some affluence? In a society focused on creating wants, it is difficult for some to imagine being filled with overflowing joy that we already have life's basic necessities. It may seem almost naive to say, "I shall not want." We are encouraged to be self-sufficient and to trust in ourselves more than to trust God.
Yet Psalm 23 challenges us to live modestly, to be grateful and not to gloat in prosperity, not to want more and more, but to think of needs rather than wants. Psalm 23 challenges us to trust God, to be faithful shepherds of prosperity so that we and others may humbly say—and truly mean—the words "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."
