“The Lord Is my Shepherd, I Shall Not Want.”
When David penned, “The Lord is my shepherd,” he was metaphorically comparing God to a shepherd. To understand God as a shepherd, we must understand the role of a shepherd. According to Wikipedia, a shepherd is one who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. David was a shepherd in his youth and he protected, cared for, fed and shielded his sheep from harm. David saw the similarities of an earthly shepherd and his Heavenly Father. He realized that his Heavenly Father cared for and loved him just like he cared for his flock. David lived with his sheep and literally laid down his lives for them. His role as a shepherd of his father’s sheep reminded David that God literally surrounds and engulfs us with his divine protection.
In his divine love for us God sent His only son, Jesus, our Shepherd, who engulfs us with his love by literally laying down his life for us on the cross. We were lost; we were in sin; but He came to rescue us! Even in the midst of sin, his love still abounds. Just as importantly, the Lord declares in Hebrew 13:5, ” I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (NKJV)
You see, the sheep totally relied on David for everything. David took care of all of their needs. And just like David’s sheep, we can rely on Our Shepherd for every need and every want. So, as David continues, “I shall not want,” he means, every deficiency, even those things that enhance and improve our lives is incorporated in the covering and protection of God, Our Shepherd . We can rest and be at ease because Our Shepherd supplies all things. The strong assertion–“I shall not want” means that with God as Our Shepherd, there is no lack! When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become part of his fold. He, then, supplies everything for us—we lack or want for nothing!
Be blessed.
Scripture Meditation on God as Shepherd:
Genesis 48:15– Praises God for being the Good Shepherd.
Luke 12:32– Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
Psalm 79:13– So we your people and the sheep of your pasture will give thanks to you forever, to all generations we will tell of your praise.
Psalm 80:1– Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
Psalm: 28:9– Save your people and bless your inheritance, be their shepherd also, and carry them forever
Psalm 49:23-24 — But his bow remained firm, and his arms were agile, from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), “The archers bitterly attacked him, and shot at him and harassed him.
Psalm 79:13 — So we your people and the sheep of your pasture will give thanks to you forever, to all generations we will tell of your praise.
Psalm 80:1 — Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
Psalm 100:3 — Know that the Lord Himself is God: it is He who has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
One Comment