Psalm 23 – Part 1 – June 21, 2026

 

Psalm 23:1-3

The Lord Is My Shepherd

Part 1  •  Introduction

 

The Text — Psalm 23 (KJV)

 

Psalm 23:1   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 

Psalm 23:2   He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 

Psalm 23:3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

 

Psalm 23:4  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.

 

Psalm 23:5   Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

 

Psalm 23:6   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 Popularity of Psalm 23

 

Psalm 23 is arguably the most well-known passage in the entire Bible — possibly the single most memorized and recognized text in all of Scripture.

 

Where It Has Been Read and Quoted

 

Funerals People from every walk of life   National Addresses President George W. Bush quoted it to the nation after September 11, 2001

Film Titanic — a priest reads it as the ship sinks   Music Bach, Schubert, Dvorak, Bernstein, Mahalia Jackson, Duke Ellington, Pink Floyd, Megadeth

 

It has been translated into hundreds of languages and has comforted people in every kind of situation:

The widow at the graveside The soldier going into battle The child left alone The parent who does not know what to do The patient with a devastating diagnosis The family waiting through a difficult night The believer facing an uncertain future The saints of God about to experience death

Psalm 23 — The Swiss Army Knife of Scripture

 

In the late 1800s, the Swiss Army needed a practical tool for its soldiers. Carrying a separate tool for every possible situation was not practical, so they commissioned a compact knife that combined several useful tools into one small package. The first military version included a blade, a screwdriver, and a can opener. Today there are more than one hundred different models, some containing more than eighty different functions.

 

The Swiss Army Knife became famous not because of its size, but because one small tool could help in a wide variety of situations. Psalm 23 is the same.

 

COMPACT Six verses. Less than one minute to read. Easy to memorize.

VERSATILE People find themselves somewhere in this psalm through every stage of life.

PRACTICAL Truth that can be carried, remembered, quoted, and applied easily.

 

It Is Versatile

Think about the variety of situations where people have turned to Psalm 23:

A soldier prepares for battle “I will fear no evil.”   A family gathers around a hospital bed “Thou art with me.”   A president addresses a grieving nation He turns to Psalm 23 to provide hope and reassurance. A family stands at a graveside “I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”   A parent carrying the weight of providing for a family Finds confidence in a Shepherd who provides all their needs. A person sitting alone in a nursing home “Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

 

Psalm 23 speaks to the young and the old, the strong and the weak, the healthy and the sick, people celebrating a wedding and people attending a funeral, people making plans for tomorrow and people preparing for eternity. The same six verses continue to help all of them.

The Key to Psalm 23 — HOPE

 

Because the LORD is David’s Shepherd, David has HOPE in every situation. This is why Psalm 23 is so powerful — we all need hope, and this psalm provides it.

 

Verse 1 — Our Hope Is Based on God

 

Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 

David declares two truths in verse 1. The rest of the psalm defends and explains them.

 

Truth #1 — The LORD Is My Shepherd

David was a shepherd who provided everything his sheep needed. He was confident his LORD and God would provide everything for him.

 

Truth #2 — I Shall Not Want

This phrase means “I shall not be in want” — all my needs are met. David spoke with full confidence that every need is met because God is his shepherd.

 

Application Psalm 23:1 equips you with hope for life. If you follow God, He will be your Shepherd who provides your needs. He does not provide all our wants, but all our needs. Our greatest needs are protection from Satan, forgiveness for sin, and life in Jesus. God provides all of that and much more.

Verse 2 — Hope for Daily Bread

 

Psalm 23:2 – He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 

David was a shepherd in the hills of Judea — a rocky desert area. Sheep survived because the shepherd knew where to find grass and water and how to lead the flock safely there.

A sheep will not lie down unless: •  It has been fed •  It has had water •  It feels safe

 

The sheep could not find grass and water on their own. The shepherd led them to it daily. David lived with confidence that God provided his daily needs — compare this to the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

David spent many years running from Saul. He could not provide his own daily needs while on the run, but God never failed to provide them.

Application When you serve God through obedience to His laws and honor Him with tithes and offerings, you will find rest and peace in knowing God provides your needs. Day after day you will see Him provide. But first make Him your Shepherd.

Verse 3 — Hope Through Personal Care

 

Psalm 23:3 – He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

 

Sheep did not get to live in one pasture. Shepherds had to constantly move them to keep them fed. Along the way, sheep would become tired, sick, weak, or injured.

 

What “cast” means A “cast” sheep is one that has ended up on its back and cannot get back on its feet. Gases from the stomach quickly suffocate it and cause a heart attack. Blood stops circulating. Without the shepherd, a cast sheep will die within hours.

 

When this happened, the shepherd got hands-on. He turned the sheep over, held it up, rubbed its legs to restore circulation, spoke calmly, and sometimes played music to calm them. David is expressing hope that even in the most hopeless moments of life, God is there to turn him upright, restore circulation, and calm his spirit.

 

How sheep become cast A sheep’s wool can grow too thick and matted, making them top-heavy. They may lie down but not be able to get back up. This can also happen walking on uneven ground. The shepherd constantly watched for every unsafe place on the path.

 

When David said God leads him in the paths of righteousness, he was acknowledging two things: God leads him away from paths that lead to destruction, and God leads him toward paths that lead to life, refreshment, and provision.

 

Application When you follow God in His laws and commands, He is leading you away from sin that will destroy your soul and your life. He is also leading you to life, refreshment, provision, and peace with Him. When you do not follow God in the path of righteousness, it is not if but when you arrive at destruction.

Review

 

Today we started by looking at how widely Psalm 23 has been used — read at funerals, quoted in national addresses, referenced in movies and music, translated into hundreds of languages, and carried into many different situations of life.

 

We compared Psalm 23 to a Swiss Army Knife. It is compact — only six verses, easy to read, easy to remember. It is versatile — people find themselves somewhere in this psalm through every stage of life. It is practical — its truth can be carried, remembered, quoted, and applied by the young and old, the cheerful and the sad, the sick and the healthy.

 

We identified the key ingredient packed into Psalm 23: HOPE. Because the LORD is David’s Shepherd, David has hope in every situation.

 

Verse 1	The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. David declares that the LORD is his Shepherd and because of that, every need will be met.
Verse 2	Hope for daily bread. David expressed confidence that God provided his daily needs, just as the shepherd led the flock to green pastures and still waters.
Verse 3	Hope through personal care. God restores His people and leads them in paths of righteousness. He leads them away from destruction and toward life.

 

That brings the first half of Psalm 23 together. The LORD provides. The LORD restores. The LORD leads. That is why David can say, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

 

Next week we will continue through the rest of the psalm and see how this same hope carries David through valleys, enemies, and eternity.