What a wonderful gift to mankind! From the opening line to its very last
word, the Twenty-third Psalm, David's song of praise and prayer of
affirmation, brings reassurance and confidence to all who reach out for it
in times of need.

The 23rd Psalm is said to be the most popular and famous of all the Bible
verses. Even without knowing the entire psalm by memory, people can
tune in to its message by just reminding themselves that "the Lord is my
shepherd." The imagery of a shepherd watching over his flock, tenderly
caring for the needs of those innocent and trusting creatures, is one which
people can easily grasp and hang onto in moments of outreach to God.

For those of you teaching your children or Sunday School pupils, I have
gathered up information from a number of Bible commentaries and
dictionaries that I thought would have some useful facts or ideas to share
with pupils of all ages. Also included in the lessons below are citations
from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the Founder of Christian Science,
which offer spiritual insight to the Bible message.

I highly recommend a book that I only recently discovered: "A Shepherd
Looks at Psalm 23," by W. Phillip Keller, which was first published in 1969.
Mr. Keller was able to bring a unique perspective to the 23rd Psalm, based
upon his life experience. As he explains it: "I grew up in East Africa,
surrounded by simple native herders whose customs closely resembled those
of their counterparts in the Middle East . . . I actually made my livelihood for
about eight years as a sheep owner and sheep rancher . . . later, as the lay
pastor of a community church, I shared the truths of this psalm, as a shepherd,
with my "flock" every Sunday for several months."

In the following lessons on each line of the 23rd Psalm, I will be including
some citations from this book. I have culled citations from two different
versions, so I am not including the page numbers. These quotations are only
the tip of the iceberg of the insights and information that Mr. Keller offers in
his book, which is truly inspiring. If you cannot find it in your local
bookstore, you might check out Amazon.com, which is where I purchased a
lovely illustrated condensed version, or try E-Bay or Alibris for used editions.


WHO WROTE THE 23RD PSALM?

There seems to a disagreement among the Bible commentaries over who
might have written this. Was it King David, the former shepherd boy? Was
it an anonymous person who lived at a later time? The later time choice
seems to be based on the use of the term "house of the Lord." Some scholars
think that is definitely referring to the Temple, which was built after David.
But others feel that the imagery and spirit of the Psalm can easily be attributed
to David, and that the "house of the Lord" can mean a spiritual abode.


TEACHING THE 23rd PSALM:

Most children today do not have a clear idea of what shepherds do, and so
they may not be able to fully grasp the deep meaning that can be found in the
imagery of the 23rd Psalm. Learning about sheep and the shepherds of Bible
times can make up an entire Sunday School class session. You might want to
find some pictures to share with them. As you read the following excerpts
from Bible commentaries, think about how the facts can be springboards to
further discussion with regard to God and how he cares for his own
children. Also, how might we be more like the sheep!

Mr. Keller tells us in his book "to keep in mind that the poet is recounting the
salient events of the full year in a sheep's life. He takes us with him from the
home ranch where every need is so carefully supplied by the owner, out into
the green pastures, along the still waters, up through the mountain valleys to
the high tablelands of summer." Other commentators, however, see the poem
as detailing the events of a typical day. Others see the shepherd metaphor
only in the first half of the Psalm, and then switching to the metaphor of God
as a "host" providing a banquet. After reading Mr. Keller's book, I can now
see how the poem can be considered as totally about a shepherd, but I am
including various interpretations for you to ponder.

Now, we will go over the Twenty-Third Psalm line by line:


THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD; I SHALL NOT WANT:

"In order to describe vividly his sense of the fullness of God's care for
him, the psalmist uses first the metaphor of the shepherd. The loyalty and
devotion of the good shepherd to his sheep was a matter of common
knowledge in the ancient Near East." (Interpreter's Bible, a Commentary
in 12 Volumes, p. 124 -- will be abbreviated "IB")

"The routine of the shepherd's duties appears to have been as follows: In
the morning he led forth his flock from the fold, which he did by going
before them and calling to them, as is still usual in the East; arrived at the
pasturage, he watched the flock with the assistance of dogs, and should
any sheep stray, he had to search for it until he found it; he supplied them
with water, either at a running stream or at troughs attached to wells; at
evening he brought them back to the fold, and reckoned them to see that
none were missing, by passing them 'under the rod' as they entered the
door of the enclosure, checking each sheep, as it passed, by a motion of
the hand; and, finally he watched the entrance of the fold throughout the
night, acting as porter. The shepherd's office thus required great
watchfulness, particularly by night. It also required tenderness toward
the young and feeble, particularly in driving them to and from the
pasturage." (Smith and Peloubet's: A Dictionary of the Bible, p. 618)

"The practice of Eastern shepherds should be described. Travelers have
told us how various flocks may be sheltering in a common fold, and when
a particular shepherd comes to the gate and calls, a shivering movement
can be seen here and there among the sheep; in little groups of two or
three they turn toward the gate and edge their way through the other herds.
No sheep of another flock will move; but these know the voice and straight
make answer. Later one may see them journeying, with the shepherd in the
van; they following in his train. First they lift their heads in the fold and
listen. Is it his voice or not? Then they hear; they have verified his tones.
Then they move obediently behind him, and 'follow whithersoever he
goeth.' Only so can one say, 'The Lord is my shepherd;' only so can one
be confident, 'I shall not want.' Now observe more closely the word
'shepherd,' i.e., the guardian of the flock. It is true that he watches over
each separate sheep. Shepherds declare that they can recognize their
sheep individually, as we recognize each other's faces, and thus 'know'
their sheep. Certainly the Good Shepherd knows his. Nevertheless he is
guarding his flock as a whole, and each sheep is safer if it stays with its
comrades and if together they move homeward." (IB 124-125)

"Shepherds in Palestine and the East generally go before their flocks,
which they induce to follow by calling to them . . . though they also drive
them. The following quotation from Hartley's 'Researches in Greece and
the Levant,' pg. 321 is strikingly illustrative of the allusions in John 10:
1-16: 'Having had my attention directed last night to the words in John
10:3, I asked . . . if it was usual in Greece to give names to the sheep. He
informed me that it was and that the sheep obeyed the shepherd when he
called them by their names. This morning I had an opportunity of verifying
the truth of this remark. Passing by a flock of sheep, I asked the shepherd
the same question which I had put to the servant, and he gave me the same
answer. I then bade him call one of his sheep. He did so, and it instantly
left its pasturage and its companions and ran up to the hands of the
shepherd with signs of pleasure and with a prompt obedience which I had
never before observed in any other animal. It is also true in this country
that 'a stranger will they not follow but will flee from him.' The shepherd
told me that many of his sheep were still wild, that they had not yet learned
their names, but that by teaching them they would all learn them.'"
(Smith & Peloubet, p. 614)

"Obviously, David, in this psalm, is speaking not as the shepherd, though he
was one, but as a sheep, one of the flock. He spoke with a strong sense of
pride, devotion, and admiration. It was as though he literally boasted aloud,
'Look at who my shepherd is -- my owner -- my manager! The Lord is! . . .
After all, he knew from firsthand experience that the lot in life of any
particular sheep depended on the type of man who owned it. Some men
were gentle, kind, intelligent, brave, and selfless in their devotion to their
stock. Others were not. Under one man sheep would struggle, starve, and
suffer endless hardship. In another's care they would flourish and thrive
contentedly. . . It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep. The
behavior of sheep and human beings is similar in many ways. Our mass
mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and
stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of profound importance. . . .
Yet despite these adverse characteristics Christ chooses us, buys us, calls us
by name, makes us His own, and delights in caring for us." ("A Shepherd
Looks at Psalm 23," by W. Phillip Keller - will be abbreviated "Keller.")

"Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the
door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers:
but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he
shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh
not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might
have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good
shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an
hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf
coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and
scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth
not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am
known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I
lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this
fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be
one fold, and one shepherd." (John 10:7-16)

"[Divine Love] is my shepherd; I shall not want." (Science and Health with
Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 578; will be abbreviated
'S&H')

"SHEEP. Innocence; inoffensiveness; those who follow their leader."
(S&H, p. 594)

"Again, this infinite Principle, with its universal manifestation, is all that
really is or can be; hence God is our Shepherd. He guards, guides, feeds,
and folds the sheep of His pasture; and their ears are attuned to His call. In
the words of the loving disciple, 'My sheep hear my voice,. . . and they
follow me; . . . neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.'"
(Miscellaneous Writings, by Mary Baker Eddy)


One point to discuss with any children you may be teaching: usually we are
the "sheep," but sometimes we are the shepherd! How might that be? In
Christian Science, we learn that we have innocent thoughts that must be
"shepherded" and properly taken care of. We want to keep our consciousness
pure and clean and fed with nourishing ideas; we want to protect our mind
from the temptations of evil, and so on. Ask your pupils for ideas as they
learn more about what shepherds do.

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