The clause “the lord is my shepherd” comes from one of the most beloved of all passages of scripture, the 23rd psalm. in this passage and throughout the new testament we learn that the lord is our shepherd in two ways. first, as the good shepherd, he laid down his life for his sheep and, second, his sheep know his voice and follow him. It is the unique and sacred name of the everlasting and eternal god – the god of the vast universe; the almighty, omniscient and omnipotent creator. from the onset of psalm 23, we have seen how king david identified the very being of whom who is the shepherd of us all. king david recognized the true and living god.
The lord is my shepherd; i shall not want. he maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. he restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 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. thou preparest a table before me. 1. the lord is my shepherd; i shall not want. only a shepherd could write psalm 23, and david was a shepherd. the lord is the shepherd of his people and they are his sheep; so david said, “the lord is my shepherd; i shall not want.”. in eastern lands, the shepherd goes before his flock—he leads them. they know his voice and follow him. God wants us in his flock! psalm 100 speaks of us as the sheep of his pasture “know that the lord is god. it is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” v3. we find the shepherd metaphor used in the new testament as well. jesus calls himself the good shepherd in john 10:11 “i am the good shepherd. God as shepherd. the lord is my shepherd, i shall not want. (ps. 23:1) david opens his psalm with a simple but profound statement, “the lord is my shepherd.”. the word lord translates the proper name of god (heb. יהוה yhwh), his covenant name, which means “i am who i am.”. the meaning of yhwh most likely refers to god’s eternal.
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