
Psalm 23 (King James Version)
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, 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.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
COMMENTARY by Lemuel Baker
Verse 1 The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want. He is JEHOVAH-ROHI or God is Shepherd. One of Gods attributes inherent within Him is His ability to watch over, keenly observe us and intricately tend to us and to all of our affairs. He cares about us and will do all within His unlimited power to display His inherent ability to protect, to provide, to make happy and contented. To begin with we are required to take several steps backward and make Jesus Christ Lord of your life.
Verse 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He restoreth my soul. As Shepherd God knows how you as an individual ticks and He knows where the best spiritual, soulical and physical nutrition is consequently He leads us to those situations so that we can be fed and nourished well according to His highest standards of spiritual health and wholeness.
Verse 3 He restoreth my soul. When Adam and Eve fell in the "garden of eden" they fell spiritually, soulically and physically. All three aspects of their life began to die thus mentally or in our soul realm we declined and since then require daily restoration provided by the Holy Spirit Himself. Before man fell God ministered to Adam and Eve daily in the cool of the day and so God desires to restore our soul daily and especially on the sabbath when God focuses on communion with mankind, a day set aside for God to commune intensely with man.
Verse 3b He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake. God has a "good life" prepared and waiting for each of us after we come to Christ actually prepared before you were born. As a Shepherd He gently leads us into every bit of the good life uniquely made for you that will bring you full satisfaction and the deep desires of your heart. He has places for each of us where we feel secure and safe and yields the highest degree of mental, spiritual and physical health. He has a place of deep rest and peace for each of us.
Verse 4 Yeh, thou 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. When life yields a turn in the road, an attack of satan remember the darkness of the attack will not kill you and only has an appearance of death. The strategy for this period of time is to keep moving using faith keenly to navigate to still waters. Use the rod of the scriptures, the staff of the Holy Spirit and Yeshua Himself who is with you to navigate to safety. Jesus Himself is with you seeing what you cannot see at the moment clearing the path to the light speaking softly to you and keeping you calm in the process. Jesus is extremely active as a Shepherd for you during the valley of the shadow of death keeping you every step of the way. Never give up, stop or quit in the valley of the shadow of death but keep moving having faith in Ha Shem.
Verse 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. When satan and evil men attack you this is Gods set opportunity to show off and to show out on your behalf for his name sake. His reputation as JEHOVAH-ROHI and JEHOVAH-NISSI is on the line. God wants a spiritual banner over your life for satan and all men to see which says you have the victory through Jesus Christ in every and all situations. (See The Lords Prayer Tab for all the names of God). God also lubricates us with his Spirit so that satans works cannot gain traction against us. This supernatural work of God yields happiness to the full till it overflows as we have all victory through Jesus Christ.
Verse 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. As we walk with God daily, yearly we discover he has a perfect track record and now are able to forecast safely He will continue to be faithful in granting mercy, and goodness consistently all the days of my life. Logically you can make a decision to follow Christ by staying in His house forever because this is the best place to be. Gods character is proven and you appreciate Him as the "Good Shepherd."
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