INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 23 A PSALM OF DAVID. Thus psalm was written by David, either when he was in distressed circumstances, being persecuted by Saul, and was in the forest of Hareth, 1 Samuel 22:5; as some think r; wherefore he comforts himself with the Lord's being his shepherd, so that he should... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD [IS] MY SHEPHERD,.... This is to be understood not of Jehovah the Father, and of his feeding the people of Israel in the wilderness, as the Targum paraphrases it, though the character of a shepherd is sometimes given to him, Psalms 77:20; but of Jehovah the Son, to whom it is most frequentl... [ Continue Reading ]
HE MAKETH ME TO LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES,.... Or "pastures of tender grass" t; this is one part of the shepherd's work, and which is performed by Christ, Ezekiel 34:14; by these "green pastures" may be meant the covenant of grace, its blessings and promises, where there is delicious feeding; likew... [ Continue Reading ]
HE RESTORETH MY SOUL,.... Either when backslidden, and brings it back again when led or driven away, and heals its backslidings; or rather, when fainting, swooning, and ready to die away, he fetches it back again, relieves, refreshes, and comforts with the discoveries of his love, with the promises... [ Continue Reading ]
YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH,.... Which designs not a state of spiritual darkness and ignorance, as sitting in the shadow of death sometimes does, since the psalmist cannot be supposed to be at this time or after in such a condition; see Isaiah 9:2; nor desertion or t... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU PREPAREST A TABLE BEFORE ME,.... In a providential way granting a sufficiency, and even an affluence of temporal good things; the providence of God lays and spreads a table for his people in the wilderness, and sets them down at it, and bids them welcome to it; see Psalms 78:19; and in a way o... [ Continue Reading ]
SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME,.... Either the free grace, love, favour, and mercy of God in Christ, which endures continually, and is always the same from everlasting to everlasting; or the effects of it; and these either temporal good things, which flow from the goodness and mercy of Go... [ Continue Reading ]