We most often hear Psalm 23 at funerals, but this Psalm offers life-giving words for us, the living. Perhaps we miss the beautiful peace and comfort offered in these verses because we struggle to relate to the comparison: a shepherd and sheep. 

In verse 1, David proclaims, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” So what makes a good shepherd? Modern Farmer, an online source for food producers and consumers, shares: “Shepherds, like the sheep themselves, learn quickly that the path to success depends on tending to the flock but caring for the individual.” A good shepherd guides and provides for the group as a whole and never loses sight of the specific needs of each individual, just as our God guides and provides for humanity and remains faithful to the specific needs of each of us.

Verse 4 describes, “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” The rod and staff were tools of a shepherd to protect and correct sheep. A rod is a wooden club used to defend the sheep against attacks and to prod the sheep to move in the right direction. The staff, also known as a crook, is a long stick with a curved end used to redirect individual sheep or pull them from harm’s way. A good shepherd uses these tools to protect the herd as a whole and individuals that stray. God uses His tools–His Word, His Spirit, His children, His creation–to protect and correct us. Let’s be honest: being protected or corrected may not seem comfortable in the moment! We may feel restricted, frustrated, or angry because we want to do what we want to do. But God knows more than we do, and we can trust in that, just like David. 

David sings of God’s glorious guidance and perfect provision through Psalm 23. Let us listen to His voice and follow His guidance, so we can rest in the peace of His protection and settle in the comfort of His correction.