The 23rd Psalm has long been a favorite of many for literally thousands of years. It was written by King David around 1000 B.C., give or take a decade or two. Memorized by many, it is often read at funerals, although it is far more about how to live life now under the watchful care of the Good Shepherd than it is meant to comfort in death.
The Legacy Standard Bible translates Psalm 23 as follows:
1 Yahweh is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will pursue me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of Yahweh forever.
The old, familiar King James Version reads:
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
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.
Whichever translation you prefer, I recommend reading W. Phillip Keller’s A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 for a helpful analysis of each phrase in the Psalm from a shepherd’s perspective. I published a book review of it on this blog.
I recently ran across Marcia Kay Hornok’s Psalm 23, Antithesis, which I find convicting as a description of how many live their lives, unlike the life portrayed in the original 23rd Psalm. Hornok’s version appeared in the November/December 1990 issue #60 of Discipleship Journal, p. 23, and it reads:
The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me to deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity’s sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task,
I will never get it all done,
For my “ideal” is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines.
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.
Hornok’s Antithesis serves as a welcome reminder that our lives can easily reveal a disparity between what we say we believe, how we want to live, and what our daily actions show. So, I leave you with these questions:
- Does the original Psalm 23 or its Antithesis best describe you?
- Which one would your friends and family say best describes you?
- Which will you seek to follow going forward?
