Psalm 23

David was a shepherd, so he knew what the shepherd's work and the sheep are like. Therefore, He was able to bridge that God is a Shepherd who cares for His Flock - His People. Let's see the amazing imagery he gives us and how we can understand how he wrote this Psalm.

The Old Testament's view of the shepherd

God is the Shepherd (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 23; 80:1).God's appointed leaders are under-shepherds (Ezekiel 34).Many people in the Old Testament were actually shepherds for their jobs: Abel, Moses, David, Abraham, Isaac, Rachel, etc.Foreign leaders were occasionally called shepherds because of their leadership of God's People (Isaiah 44:28).The prophets used shepherd imagery pointing to the Messiah's coming (Ezekiel 34:22-24; 37:24; Isaiah 40:11; Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27).

The New Testament's view of the shepherd

Jesus is our Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:34), our Good Shepherd (John 10:1-30), and our Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20).Jesus had compassion on the large crowds that came to see Him because they were as sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36; Mark 6:34).</li>Jesus used sheep and shepherds in His parables (Matthew 12:11-12; 18:12-14; 25:31-46).</li>Jesus commissioned His Disciples to care for His sheep (Matthew 10:6; 10:16; John 21:16-17).</li>Jesus is the lamb of sacrifice (John 1:29; Acts 8:32; 1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 5:6).</li>Elders are shepherds under Christ (1 Peter 5:2).</li></ul>

Jesus' actions in response to normal shepherd duties