The Bible Made Simple
Lesson 10
The 23rd Psalm
Discovering the Hidden Treasure in:
“The 23rd Psalm”
The 23rd Psalm has comforted people for many years. On the surface we cannot help but see God’s Love and Care for us! But is there more, below the surface, that perhaps we have not seen as clearly?
Let’s take a look at this beautiful part of the Bible
and see what we can learn. First we will look at
the 23rd Psalm Physically and then, we will see what it is saying to us Spiritually.
The 23rd Psalm
1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4. Yea, 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.
5. Thou preparest a table in the presence of
mine enemies: thou anointest my head
with oil; my cup runneth over.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life: and I will dwell in
the house of the LORD for ever”.
On the Surface of Scripture, God wants to provide these “Physical” things for us:
1. Someone to care for us (shepherd)
2. Assurance that our needs will be met (I shall not want)
3. A place to rest (lie down)
4. Food to eat (green pastures)
5. Guidance (leadeth me)
6. Water to drink (still waters)
7. Restoration of our whole being (restoreth my soul)
8. A path for us to follow (paths of righteousness)
9. Freedom from fear (I will fear no evil)
10. Friendship (Thou art with me)
11. Physical protection and security (thy rod and staff comfort me)
12. An invitation to dine with Him (thou preparest a table before me)
13. Oil to anoint our head with (thou anointest my head with oil)
14. A place to live, a full cup, and goodness and mercy all the days of our life.
Now, let’s see what God offers us “Spiritually”.
The Spiritual meaning of the 23rd Psalm
In order to determine the “Spiritual” meaning we must locate the Key Words which are usually Real Objects and then discover their Spiritual meaning by using the Bible Word Pictures.
Since there are so many Key Words in this Psalm, in order to save space, they will be listed and no Bible Word Pictures will be shown, but the Bible Texts will be listed.
The 23rd Psalm
1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4. Yea, 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.
5. Thou preparest a table in the presence of
mine enemies: thou anointest my head
with oil; my cup runneth over.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life: and I will dwell in
the house of the LORD for ever”.
Key Word Spiritual Meaning Text
shepherd Pastor or Minister Jer.50:6,23:1,2
lie down rest, Sabbath Prov.3:24
green hope, living Jer.17:7,8
pastures Spr.food for Spr.sheep
(the Bible God’s Word) Ezk.34:14
waters (still) people of God Isa.8:6,7 Psa.65:7
path the way (Jesus) Job 6:18 Psa.25:4
name character Ezk.36:20-27
Ex.34:5-7
walk go, do Ex.16:4
valley low point, decision Isa.40:4 Joel 3:14
shadow of death doing evil Job 34:22; 38:17
rod and staff strength Psa.110:2
table Bible, Word of God Isa.30:8 Psa.69:22,23
head mind Dan.2:28,29
oil Holy Spirit 1Sam.16:13
cup life experience Mat.23:25-28;26:39
The 23rd Psalm
1 “The Lord is my (shepherd);
I shall not want.
2. He maketh me to (lie down)
in (green) (pastures):
he leadeth me beside the (still waters).
3. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the
(paths) of righteousness
for his (name’s) sake.
4. Yea, though I (walk) through
(valley) of
the (shadow of death),
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
(thy rod and thy staff)
they comfort me.
5. Thou preparest a (table) in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my _________ (head) with __________ (oil);
my _________________ (cup) runneth over.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life: and I will dwell in
the house of the LORD for ever”.
Key Word Spiritual Meaning Text
shepherd Pastor or Minister Jer.50:6,23:1,2
lie down rest, Sabbath Prov.3:24
green hope, living Jer.17:7,8
pastures Spiritual food for Spiritual sheep
(the Bible God’s Word) Ezk.34:14
waters (still) people of God Isa.8:6,7 Psa.65:7
path the way (Jesus) Job 6:18 Psa.25:4
name character Ezk.36:20-27
Ex.34:5-7
walk go, do Ex.16:4
valley low point, decision Isa.40:4 Joel 3:14
shadow of death doing evil Job 34:22; 38:17
rod and staff strength Psa.110:2
table Bible, Word of God Isa.30:8 Psa.69:22,23
head mind Dan.2:28,29
oil Holy Spirit 1Sam.16:13
cup life experience Mat.23:25-28;26:39
The 23rd Psalm
1 “The Lord is my Pastor (shepherd); I shall not want.
2. He maketh me to rest (lie down) in the hope (green) of His Word (pastures):
he leadeth me beside His People the (still waters).
3. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the way (paths) of righteousness for his character (name’s) sake.
4. Yea, though I go (walk) through
the low points of bad decisions (valley) of
the doing evil (shadow of death),
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
your strength (thy rod and thy staff) they comfort me.
5. Thou preparest a Spiritual Feast-The Bible (table) in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my mind (head) with the Holy Spirit (oil);
my life experience (cup) runneth over.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life: and I will dwell in
the house of the LORD for ever”.
The 23rd Psalm
PARAPHRASE
1 “The Lord is my Pastor; I have all I need.
2. He gives me spiritual rest and hope as I study His Word with the help of people who serve Him.
3. He repairs my life and shows me the right way to do things so that I may show what His Character is like.
4. Yes, though I go through some low points making bad decisions and doing evil, I will not be afraid of sin or Satan: for Jesus is with me: His strength and the Holy Spirit are mine.
5. He has prepared His Word to protect me when enemies are all around me:
He has sent the Holy Spirit to guide my mind.
My life experience is full and overflowing.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life: and I will dwell in
the house of the LORD for ever”.
Now, we see all the things that the Lord wants to do for us “Spiritually” to change us and make us like Him!!!
John 10:11
“I am the Good Shepherd;
the good shepherd
giveth his life for the sheep”.
***
The Bible Made Simple