Psalm 23 - Want

This might be the most well known psalm of all. It’s used in a variety of ways. Jews might traditionally sing the Psalm in Hebrew at the third meal of their weekly Sabbath. Most Orthodox Christians recite the Psalm prior to taking communion. And we’re probably most familiar with it being read at the burial site of a funeral.

The verse that stands out to me today is the very first.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” - Psalm 23:1

It’s an easy jump to think about Jesus as shepherd. There is not only authority in the role of shepherd, but a responsibility and ownership of care. A shepherd leads to pasture, keeps the sheep from harm, and stays with the sheep at all times. It’s the “shall not want” part that probably throws most of us off.

Here’s the problem: We want. We struggle with contentment. We so often look for what’s next that many times we don’t even see what’s now. Our want easily turns to need. And needs, when provided for, feel like entitlements. I think this has a lot to do with our starting point.

The phrase “I shall not want” comes from the Hebrew word “chacer”. It literally means, “to lack or be abated, bereave, decrease, fail, to make lower, want.”

In it’s definition we find that it’s not talking about our desire for “stuff”. Instead it’s talking about the provision of the Shepherd. And it's not just the physical. It's the spiritual, the emotional, and the relational. And what he provides is not less than what we need. It is sufficient. It is not “less than”. It is not lacking. It’s saying that we will not be IN want.

And how does this happen? Scripture reminds us that He walks us through the journey. He leads us to pasture. He leads us to waters (vs.2), down paths (vs.3), and through valleys (vs.4), in every season and in every circumstance he is there. In Him, we can know we have what we need. We do not lack. In simply having confidence of His presence, we can find comfort.

And here’s a comforting thought. In the final verse it says that, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me, all the days of my life.” The word goodness literally means good in the “wildest sense” and mercy meaning more obviously “kindness” or love. But the less obvious word “follow” (the Hebrew “radaph”) can be translated “to run after, to chase, or hunt”. What an aggressive promise.

Father, thanks for hunting me down with your goodness and mercy. Thank you for pursuing me, even when I run. Thank you that you are there. As David reminds us in Psalm 23, thank you for restoring my soul, thank you for being my comfort. Amen.