Psalm 23:1 - One Of The Crown Jewels Of Scripture - verse 1.

Psa. 23: One Of The Crown Jewels Of Scripture - verse 1.

Psa 23:1 (KJV)  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I
shall not want.

Psa 23:1 (CWR)  The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I
need.

Psa 23:1 (TLB)  Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have
everything I need!

The Lord is my shepherd. the great Pastor of the universe,
[Matthew Henry Commentary]

Shepherd: A widely used metaphor for kings in the ancient Near
East, and also in Israel. [NIV SB]

Shepherd: one who serves as a leader, companion, guide, and
provider. [New Bible Companion]

Shepherd depicts the Lord as guide, protector, and constant
companion. [Ryrie SB]

The image of God as Shepherd, ever present with His people,
remains Scripture's most comforting picture of the believer's
relationship with his God. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]

The Lord is my shepherd. A long experience of trusting God lies
behind these words.... The picture of a faithful shepherd is the epitome
of tender care and continuing watchfulness. The sheep instinctively
trust the shepherd to provide for the morrow. The most distinctive
feature of this extended metaphor is the wise leading of the shepherd.
He leads into rest and reviving, into the struggles of life, and
through the dangerous places. The shepherd thus provides for the needs
of life and protects from the fear of danger. [Wycliffe Bible
Commentary]

My shepherd. To understand and to appreciate the beauty and
meaning of the imagery, one must know the hazardous nature of the Judean
wilderness, and the intimate life of the shepherd and his sheep, especially
the devotion that springs up between them during the many hours of
solitude that they spend together. [SDA Commentary]

Of all the figures that are applied to God in the Old Testament,
that of a shepherd is the most beautiful. "The other names sound
somewhat too gloriously and majestically, and bring, as it were, an awe
and fear with them when we hear them uttered. This is the case when
the Scriptures call God our Lord, King, Creator. This, however, is
not the case with the sweet word "shepherd." It brings to the godly,
when they read it or hear, it, as it were, a confidence, a
consolation or security, like the word "father." We cannot better understand
this consoling and lovely word than by going to nature, and learning
carefully from her what are the dispositions and the properties of the
sheep, and what the duty, the labor, the care of a good shepherd. A
sheep can only live through the help, protection, and care of its
shepherd. As soon as it loses him it is exposed to dangers of every kind,
and must perish, for it cannot help itself. The reason is, it is a
poor, weak, silly creature. But, weak creature though it be, it has
the habit of keeping diligently near its shepherd, of depending upon
his help and protection; it follows wherever he leads, and, if it
can only be near him, it cares for nothing, is afraid of no one, but
feels secure and happy, for it wants for nothing."-- Luther. (Barnes'
Notes)

The shepherd motif is used here and elsewhere in the O.T. (cf.
Isa. 40:11; Ezek. 34:11) to characterize God, and it is also a
marvelous foreshadowing of the "Good Shepherd," who loves the flock (v. 1;
cf. John 10:11-15), feeds the flock (v. 2; cf. John 10:9; 21:15-17;
Acts 20:28), tends and cares for the flock ("restores my soul," v.3;
cf. Isa. 40:11; John 21:15-17; 1 Pet. 5:1-4), protects the flock
("rod," v. 4; cf. John 10:11-15; Acts 20:29-32), and seeks the lost and
straying sheep ("staff," v. 4; cf. Luke 15:3-7). The sense of the second
line might be paraphrased, "What more could I want?" [Believer's SB]

The Bible frequently refers to believers as sheep.... Consider
some of the facts about sheep - and think how they may apply to us:
1. Sheep have virtually no defenses. Most of God's animal
creations have some kind of effective defense mechanism, whether claws or
teeth, special coloring or speed, strength or sharp senses. But sheep
have none. They're weak, slow, and awkward. They can't even growl.
Their only protection comes from their shepherd. And the same is true
with the Christian.
2. Sheep have difficulty finding food and water. They must
depend totally on their shepherd for sustenance. If they fail to get
it, they'll eat poisonous weeds and die. We're just as dependent on
the God who sustains us.
3. Sheep can he easily frightened. And fright can lead them to
do things that can threaten their life. So their shepherd attempts
to keep them calm, by singing and simply being with them. We can
have the same kind of reassuring relationship with our Shepherd.
4. Sheep have a poor sense of direction. They get lost easily -
even in their own territory. Believers can behave very similarly. We
simply cannot be our own guide; we get in trouble every time we do. We
must trust our Shepherd and listen to His voice implicitly.
5. Sheep cannot clean themselves very well. It falls on the
shepherd to keep them clean. We too are by nature unclean. Only our
Shepherd can cleanse us. [Your Daily Walk SB]

Who are his flock? All real penitents, all true believers; all
who obediently follow his example, (Adam Clarke Commentary)

Our job is to surrender our decisions before they are made, give
ourselves adequate time for Him to condition our thinking, and set free
our wills. SS Teachers Quarterly, 8/25/90, p.97

I shall not want. A statement of absolute trust in God. This
clause is the keynote of the psalm. [SDA Commentary]

I shall not want. On the contrary, he will enjoy "goodness" all
his life (v. 6). [NIV SB]

I shall not want. How can they? He who is their Shepherd has all
power in heaven and earth, (Adam Clarke Commentary)

More is implied than is expressed, not only, I shall not want,
but, "I shall be supplied with whatever I need; and, if I have not
every thing I desire, I may conclude it is either not fit for me or
not good for me or I shall have it in due time." (Matthew Henry's
Commentary)

I shall not want. This is the main idea in the psalm, and this
idea is derived from the fact that God is a shepherd. The meaning is,
that, as a shepherd, he would make all needful provision for his
flock, and evince all proper care for it. The words shall not want, as
applied to the psalmist, would embrace everything that could be a proper
object of desire, whether temporal or spiritual; whether pertaining to
the body or the soul; whether having reference to time or to
eternity. (Barnes' Notes)

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want: `I want nothing. '
This implies a supply of every possible want of body, soul, and
spirit, in the Lord. (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)

Does God intend that we have no "wants"? (23:1) This word does
not mean we will never want anything, but that we will not be in
want. That is, we can trust God for the essentials of life. [Quest
SB]

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe
pasture. (Psa 37:3)
I once met a poor woman who earned a meager living through hard
domestic labor but was a joyful, triumphant Christian. Another Christian
lady, who was quite sullen, said to her one day, "Nancy, I understand
your happiness today, but I would think your future prospects would
sober you. Suppose, for instance, you experience a time of illness and
are unable to work. Or suppose your present employers move away, and
you cannot find work elsewhere. Or suppose--
"Stop!" cried Nancy "I never 'suppose.' 'The LORD is my
shepherd, I shall not be in want' [Ps.23:1].And besides," she added to her
gloomy friend, "it's all that 'supposing' that's making you so
miserable. You'd better give that up and simply trust the Lord."
The following Scripture is one that will remove all the
"supposing" from a believer's life if received and acted on in childlike
faith: "Be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never
will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with
confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to
me?"' (Heb. 13:5-6). Hannah Whitall Smith [Streams In The Desert By
Cowman]

Lord, you are ____________'s Shepherd. Give to him/her
everything he/she needs. [Pocket Prayers by Robert Savage]