I Shall Not Want
“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.”
Psalm 23:1-2 (KJV)
Psalm 23 begins with two very simple declarative sentences. Did it ever occur to you this Psalm of praise is being sung by a sheep?
Prior to David’s time, God was rather distant from the people. He spoke directly to the patriarchs and leaders of the Hebrews (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Gideon, and the like), who then carried the message to the people.
“The LORD is my shepherd.” The key word here is “my.” This is something new and special. The Psalmist is establishing a personal one-on-one relationship with God.
The Psalmist is clearly identifying himself as a part of the flock. But he is also saying that he, like sheep, is unable to survive on his own. He needs care and attention. With a caring and attentive shepherd, the sheep will be provided with everything he needs to survive in this sheep- hostile world.
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” The shepherd will first make sure his flock has adequate food. The image of “green pastures” calls up lush grazing land. There is plenty for all. The sheep can eat their fill, and lie down and rest safely under the shepherd’s watchful eye. See the lambs gamboling playfully about as the ewes and rams graze or nap. It is calm and peaceful with nothing to fear.
“He leadeth me beside the still waters.” The imagery here continues and complements the previous idea of the shepherd sufficiently providing for his flock. (You may recall that Moseshelped the daughters of Jethro to draw water for Jethro’s sheep.) After food, water is essential. And in arid Palestine, safe water holes or good wells were hard to find. The “still waters” also reinforce the safety and comfort of the flock. Green pastures and still waters are the most basic needs of the flock. These are amply provided by the Psalmist’s “my shepherd.”
If “my” is the keyword, why is that so important? It establishes something of a very personal relationship between the shepherd and every sheep in the flock. The sheep is acknowledging his utter dependence upon the shepherd. The sheep knows it cannot survive without a shepherd. The Psalmist is declaring and, if you will, acknowledging his own sheepishness and his own reliance upon his shepherd for survival.
Have you ever been referred to as “wooly headed”? It means, “confused and vague; used especially in thinking.”* To put it another way, it means “sheepish,” like a sheep. That’s because sheep are not the most intelligent of animals. As my Uncle Wes observed, “just wooly bags of bones looking for new ways to die.” They stray. They get into scrapes and situations and must be rescued. A prophet reminds us, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6 KJV).
Points to Ponder:
When was the last time you felt a little “sheepish”?
How often do you feel the need, or the desire, for a shepherd?
Respectfully, yet sheepishly, yours,
Jerry Lipscomb
*"Woolly-headed" Vocabulary.com Dictionary, Vocabulary.com,
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/woolly-headed. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
