By Dr. Herbert Schaefer
Reflections on the 23rd Psalm
By Herbert G. Schaefer, Ph.D.
In April, 1959, I visited Jerusalem for the first time. I had been reluctant to go to Jerusalem for I feared the many claims people would make about the various sites. 'Tradition says that..., or according to tradition, this is...," people would say. But I would think, "Why not this other hill, or why not another place?" But the first day of my stay there my guide said to me, "But why not this hill or this place? It all depends on your attitude, doesn't it?"
The third day of my stay at the St. Joseph's Cathedral Close (Anglican) I hired an Armenian taxi driver to take me and three other tourists to Jericho, the Dead Sea and Qum-ran. We had just passed what tradition says is the Good Samaritan Inn, when we came to a long-abandoned dirt road. Our taxi driver slowed down and turned to the left on it. Crossing a half fallen-in bridge, we bounced down the rain gutted surface until we came to a spot where a hill rose sharply to the left. Our driver stopped here and told us to get out and climb the hill.
The hills of Judea are God-forsaken and barren, where only insects, scorpions and snakes thrive in abundance. No grass grew on our hill; all was gravel and stone. The weather was hot. After climbing a few hundred feet we were perspiring and ready to return to our air conditioned taxi. But then we reached the top.
Suddenly, before us was a deep gorge with precipitous sides. Into the cliff walls on the other side were carved caves, each with a cross above, below or beside it. Our taxi driver said that hermits who had renounced the world, lived in the caves. Once or twice a week friends would bring food and water which they lowered by ropes to the caves' entrances.
The four of us were in a festive, yet cynical mood. The tourist spinster said that if she were to stay in a cave, it would have to be air conditioned. The other lady said that she could perhaps stand to live in a cave a day or so if she had an electric refrigerator that supplied her with cold water and ice cream. The seventeen year old girl added, "I would need a television as well."
One of us asked the taxi driver, "What place is this?" He answered, "Wadi el Kelt, the 'Valley of Death' or the 'Shadow of Death.'" This wadi or gorge runs from near Jericho to Jerusalem. It is the most direct route for shepherds to take their sheep from the Jordan valley to Jerusalem and back, although it is also the most dangerous for a neophyte shepherd.
Our mood changed. Before our eyes the Bible took on new meaning. Whereas we had always thought the 23rd Psalm was allegory, it actually spoke of a real place. We walked on, north along the west side cliffs, looking down into the Wadi el Kelt and recalling the words of the Psalm. The bottom of the gorge was about fifty to one hundred yards wide. Its floor was strewn with the bones of animals and people who had perished there. Our taxi driver said that the temperature at the bottom of the gorge ranged between 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. No breeze penetrated the gorge.
As we walked along the top we saw many branches turning off to the right and the left. Some of these branches were as wide as the gorge itself. Yet, every one dead-ended after several miles. A neophyte shepherd who did not know the right way could easily get lost in the maze of branch valleys and perish, together with all his sheep. In the far distance we saw water spilling from a low spot in the opposite cliff. At this point there was a spring-fed pond of cool, clear water surrounded by lush, grassy meadows and containing many sheepfolds.
Starting in the morning before it was light, shepherds would bring their sheep to this spot. Here they would rest them for a day or so, using the sheepfolds for their protection. Refreshed, the next day they would go on to Jerusalem or Jericho. In the meantime, the sheep had plenty of water to drink and lush, green grass to eat. The 23rd Psalm took on new meaning for us.
The Lord is my shepherd – Not a neophyte shepherd with little experience, but our Lord Jesus Christ, The Lord of all creation, who has gone before us into death and arisen again for our salvation - He is our shepherd.
I shall not want – Jesus knows our every need, those that are legitimate and those that serve our selfish desires. Even as the shepherd meets the real needs of his sheep, so Jesus, our good shepherd, meets our real needs.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures – As the tired, hungry and thirsty sheep found peace and abundance at the oasis of Wadi el Kelt, so the Lord, when He is our shepherd, meets our every need. He brings us to places of abundance as we pass through the barren ways of our lives.
He leads me besides the still waters – The thirsty sheep find rest and comfort on the banks of the cool, placid waters of the spring-fed pool. So Jesus fills us with the life giving waters of life. In John 4:13, Jesus says, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
He restores my soul – When we are tired, hungry and thirsty, when we are beset with problems and indecisions, when everything seems to go against us, when we lose perspective and tend to focus on ourselves, feeling sorry for ourselves, we become anxious and depressed. But when the Lord is our shepherd, peace of mind and soul is restored to us. We go forward with confidence because we know that He leads us every step of the way j and He knows the way because He has been there before us.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake – Righteousness is understood here as being right – right with the Lord and his will. In the bottom of the gorge there were many paths, but only one that was right. The rest led to death and destruction. So also in life; we are faced with having to make choices. There is always a right way and many wrong ways. The Lord, through His Spirit, leads us to make right choices, but, we have to follow Him. He must be our good shepherd.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death – In the life of sheep living in Palestine there comes a time when they have to leave the security and comfort of their home range to go to Jerusalem or the Jordan valley. So also there comes a time in each of our lives when we have to venture into the unknown. We may face physical, moral, ethical, social, death, but . . . I will fear no evil – Fear is an awesome thing. When properly handled it can be beneficial, but when it is allowed to consume us, it paralyzes us and causes us to yield to our enemies. In life we fear what people think, do, or say about us. We fear the temptations that come to us each day. For the sheep walking up or down the Valley of the Shadow of Death, there were many evils that could beset them. A sheep could stray from the flock, take a wrong turn and be lost. A sheep could fall into a hole and perish for lack of food or water. A wolf or wild animal could attack a sheep and kill it. Thieves could take over the entire flock. However, when the good shepherd was present and led the flock, these evils were prevented from happening.
For thou art with me – A child, alone in a large shopping mall, is terrified; so are we when we are alone in life. But when the child's hand is in the hand of his father or mother, the child walks with confidence and security and enjoys looking in the store windows. He is with father or mother; that knowledge is enough. Or sheep, when their shepherd is with them , fear nothing . When we walk through life and Christ is present we are no longer fearful. He (Christ) is with us.
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me – The good shepherd leads the way. He directs his flock and each sheep in the flock. When a sheep reaches a branch valley and begins to turn away from the right path, the shepherd taps it on the side to turn it in the way it should go. If the sheep falls into a pit, the shepherd lifts it out with the crook that is on the end of his staff. The sheep proceeds in comfort and security. It does not get lost nor left behind. So with us. The Lord continually speaks to us by His Word and His Spirit, leading us in the way of Tightness.
Thou preparest the table before me in the presence of mine enemies – When sheep proceed up or down the Wadi el Kelt, they find no food or water. Not even a morsel of grass to chew on. Suddenly, before them is an oasis with lush, green grass to eat. So it is with us. As we walk through life there are times when we are without food or water. Everything seems to be against us. We see nothing to give us hope. But if we remain in the Lord and if, with Job, we continue to acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior, we will suddenly experience the table He has prepared for us.
We enjoy plenty, even as our enemies are gathered about us. The meadows that surrounded the Wadi el Kelt oasis were a favorite haunt of predatory beasts, such as wolves, and of brigands who would steal the sheep from their shepherds. But the shepherd would put his sheep in a sheep-fold in which there was plenty of grass to eat while its heavy thorn walls kept all predators away. So the Lord protects those who remain faithful to [H]him.
Thou anointest my head with oil – then a sheep grazes, it does so with its head down. The hot sun of Palestine beats down on the back of the sheep's head and neck, causing sunstroke which is often fatal. Therefore, Palestinian shepherds carry a vial of oil, and before they allow the sheep to graze, they put the oil on the back of the sheep's head, thus anointing it against the sun's hot rays so that the sheep may eat without danger. Those that love the Lord experience His protection. In Psalm 91 we read that He sets his guardian angels to watch over us, lest we dash our foot against a stone. He anoints our head with oil.
My cup runneth over – Sheep are dumb animals. If allowed to come to water when they are thirsty, they drink themselves to death. They do not know when to stop drinking. Shepherds, therefore, carry with them a small basin which is called "cup." This cup or basin holds just the right amount of water a sheep needs. No more or no less. The shepherd fills this cup to overflowing and offers it to each sheep. We humans are like Palestinian sheep. The more we get the more we want. The Lord, our good shepherd, knows our every need and meets our every want in accordance with what is good and right for us. No more or no less.
Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life – The sheep do not know how long they will live. Maybe they are being taken to Jerusalem or Jericho to be slaughtered. But the sheep do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow is something hidden. It is enough for the sheep to know that so long as the shepherd leads the flock, no harm will befall them. Everything will be good; everything will be right. Mistaken wanderings of the sheep will be forgiven, even as the shepherd leads the sheep back from their folly with his rod and staff. So also those who love and follow Christ experience His blessing throughout their lives.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever – The sheep know their shepherd's voice and follow it. It makes no difference where the sheep go. Where the shepherd is, there is his house. At night he leads them into a sheepfold to protect them against all danger. For the time being, that is His house. These words are an affirmation of final and complete blessedness. They are an affirmation of all those who love and follow Christ Jesus, our good shepherd. Thus, Psalm 23 closes with a shout of affirmation an affirmation that rings through all eternity. I will live with Christ forever and ever! Amen!