Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is arguably the most popular psalm. It has been traditionally interpreted to show that Jesus is a nice shepherd who takes care of us. However, it is a continuation of the Holy Spirit guiding Jesus through the cross. For us, it shows us how Jesus is our shepherd king.

Shepherd King
The idea of a shepherd king goes back to ancient Mesopotamia. Kings were expected to be shepherds. That is, they were expected to provide for and protect their people. The king was to fight enemies for the people. This helps us see how psalm 23 shows Jesus being shepherded by God while on the cross, and how Jesus shepherds us as our king.

The provision and protection that God provides is His Word that protects us from the death in the world. It protects us by raising us from the dead and giving immortality to those who believe, the same way that Jesus was raised and received immortality. It also protects our hearts from the death in the world, so that we are not influenced by it.

Jesus shepherds us in this world through His resurrection. His resurrection is the ultimate manifestation of this Word. It shows us that eternal life is a free gift from God. He provides this Word to sustain our lives. It protects us from the death in the world.

The resurrection of Jesus is the final act of His kingship. In ancient near eastern society, kings were associated with Gods. There were varying ideas about what divinity and kings. One Mesopotamian King claimed to have had sexual relations with a goddess. Some kings claimed to be Gods. Even if kings did not claim to be divine, success in battle was associated with finding favor with the gods. A loss in battle meant the king lost favor with God.

The resurrection of Jesus points to the traits of a successful king. His resurrection makes him the first person to achieve God likeness. Jesus serves God just by displaying the truth that God gives eternal life as a free gift. This is the truth that Jesus provides us with as our shepherd king. This truth is what he uses to protect our hearts from the death in the world.

Outline
Psalms 23 can be divided into three sections. The first section (Psalm 23:1-3) is general shepherd imagery. The second section (Psalm 23:4) deals with the dark valleys in life. The final section (Psalm 23:5-6) shows royal imagery and how God shared His royal life with Jesus. Through that, we see how God shares His royal life with us.

Relationship to Psalms 22 and 24
Psalms 22-24 are a trilogy. Psalm 23 is a natural follow up to Psalm 22. Psalm 22 shows us the trust Jesus had in God to raise Him from the dead. Psalm 23 expands on this God's goodness by describing Him as the Shepherd. Psalms 23 ends with royal imagery. This royal imagery transitions into Psalm 24, which fully describes God as king.

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<-Psalm 22:22-31|Psalm 23|Psalm 23:1-3->