Ps. 23

There have been various ways of attempting to locate the setting of the psalm. Here, I want to offer, by way of a preliminary to the psalm, my interpretation. It is motivated primarily by looking at the verb tense of the psalm, when the present tense is used and the ‘goal’ of the psalm. The psalm begins in the present tense, “Yhwh is my shepherd” and then moves into the future/trust: “I shall not want”. From this point on the tense is primarily future, focusing on what Yhwh ‘will do’ for the psalmist, by detailing, geographically, where the psalmist is going to travel: meadows, placid waters, valley of death’s shadow. Then, the present tense emerges again:“For you are with me” only to move, again, into the future “Your rod and your staff, they shall comfort me.” The psalm ends with the palmist returning to the Temple “I shall dwell again in the house of Yhwh for days without end.” It seems to me a likely interpretation is that this some type of ‘exit psalm’, a psalm spoken as one left the Temple and anticipated a future return. Right now he is in the Temple (Yhwh is my shepherd; For you are with me); as he leaves, he knows that Yhwh will shepherd him through the time leading to his return (and I shall dwell again in the house of Yhwh). Arguably, we might even see here a descent from the Jerusalem mount into the valley below (valley of the shadow of death) during which time Yhwh will protect him and provide for him. Upon his return Yhwh will “spread a table for me, before my enemies”, at a sacrificial banquet in the Temple (this interpretation is more tenuous). It is, in a sense, a psalm that speaks of one “leaving Eden” only to ‘return’ to the ‘promised land’ again after the exile of the time in between which will be marked with many parallels to Exodus and Yhwh’s provision/protection for Israel during their ‘wanderings’. Arguably, failing to remove King from the will would be a waiver of any release whereby King agrees to renounce any right in her estate. Any attempt to avoid this result will therefore have to come from King himself in the form of a disclaimer.  Yhwh / is my shepherd; - I shall / not want. These lines, in their apparent simplicity, are full of concealed depths. “my shepherd”: of the many unique things about this possessory word is the fact that while it is not uncommon to describe Yhwh as ‘my God’, Yhwh is almost always regarded as Israel’s shepherd, not an individual’s. “Shepherd”: one thing we have noted in other psalms is the fact that ‘shepherd’ is often a description of a king; David is the ‘shepherd’ of Israel and when, in Ezekiel, the ‘shepherds’ are struck the lambs are left to wander over the mountains, vulnerable to the prey of animals (referring to the ‘cutting off’ of kings). Furthermore, and more close to our psalm, is the fact that Yhwh was designated as ‘shepherd’ during the Exodus and the subsequent wanderings of Israel. It has always seemed significant to me that the Name was revealed precisely in the context of deliverance, of ‘shepherding’; that it was not revealed in the context of abstract speculation (it was revealed to deliver). Indeed, here we see that to understand Yhwh is to understand the fact that he is ‘shepherd’. The designation as ‘shepherd’ is important, in this way, because the ‘shepherd’exists only as a relational being: without ‘sheep’ there is no ‘shepherd’. It is appropriate then, to say Yhwh is “my” shepherd rather than the more abstract“Yhwh is a shepherd”. While Yhwh may have a ‘relation to himself’, when he reveals himself in the giving of his name, he reveals himself for Israel: i.e. as shepherd. One might say that “to Yhwh” is “to shepherd”. It is significant that this psalmist has claimed Yhwh for himself; all of the historical memory of Yhwh as Israel’s shepherd from the exodus onward is concentrated on him. In light of this fact one could almost predict the rest of the psalm: to designate Yhwh as ‘shepherd’is to acknowledge the beginning of an ‘exit’, of a journey to a promised land, during which Yhwh will lend his protection. In a sense, to say Yhwh is shepherd is to point to the future and an acknowledgment of danger that lies ahead. The second line confirms this: “I shall not want”. Once the import of Yhwh as the exodus-shepherd is uncovered, this statement becomes rather remarkable. It is what Israel refused to say, time and again, under Yhwh’s shepherding care. Rather, they murmured for things they used to have (the ‘flesh pots of Egypt’), or did not currently posses (‘meat’). Here, in a statement of utter faith and trust, the psalmist declares, in confidence, that the journey he is about to embark on (the ‘exodus’)—he will not turn back because he knows Yhwh will provide for him (both protection and provision). This simple assertion, though, does not mean he will not suffer the same vicissitudes Israel faced: thirst, hunger and danger; he acknowledges, later, that he is going to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Rather, contra-Israel’s response, he will not ‘murmur’against Yhwh because his desires/safety will be conformed to Yhwh’s guiding protection (not the other way around, as Israel attempted to do in the dessert). It is telling that everything in this psalm is resolutely future-oriented. Although he draws on images from the exodus, his focus (the horizon of his desires) are rooted in the future. Everything revolves around what Yhwh ‘will do’. This is not so much a rejection of the past (the exodus, again, is the leaven of the psalm); rather, unlike Israel, he is focused, entirely, on where he is being ‘led’. This is a ‘following psalm’ (except for one important deviation where the psalmist, in fact, will be the one ‘followed’). In grassy meadows / he will make me / lie down. A quote from Exodus 15:13: “In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed; you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.” Apparently the word “abode”has resonances with the word ‘meadows’ and could be translated as ‘pasture’. That being the case, it is clear that the exodus-motif is close to the surface of the psalm (once again).

One thing to note, throughout the psalm, is the fact that Yhwh is the active partner, while the psalmist is, primarily, passive. This is just an abstract way of describing the metaphor of shepherd/sheep, but I do think it points to something important. The exodus imagery is very close to the surface of the psalm. As we have already noted in reflecting on the second line, the psalmist is adopting an attitude of trust that the Israelites, largely, did not have: he will not grumble or kick or look back. We might, then, say it this way; rather than the psalmist being ‘passive’,he is ‘responsive’. When Yhwh leads, he follows after. When Yhwh provides for him places of rest, he rests. When Yhwh provides him water, he drinks. And when he is in danger, he does not fear. The psalm steadily emphasizes this through the ‘he will’ refrain. The problem with abstractly describing this relationship is we lose the sense of the shepherd as being ‘for the sheep’ and the ‘sheep for the shepherd’. This is not ‘obedience’ is the sense of ‘duty’. By conjuring up images of himself as a sheep to Yhwh to the shepherd, the psalmist shows that his entire being is one tied to Yhwh (not merely his sense of ‘duty’ or ‘obligation’or ‘response’). There is no ‘remainder’ to him that is not met by Yhwh’s governance and protection. When he ‘lies down’ in grassy meadows or ‘drinks’ by placid waters, his entire being is cared for and his desires are met. In contrast to the Israelites in the exodus, this psalmist has no ‘Egypt’ left in him, no memory that would pull him away from his being as a sheep. Rather, he strains forward, behind the leading and protecting stride of Yhwh. Is it not interesting that the image is carried forward solely by Yhwh? The psalmist never describes himself as s as a sheep.

A final reference to the exodus can be seen in the fact that Yhwh shepherds the psalmist “for his name’s sake”. In Ps. 106.9 we read that Yhwh delivered Israel from Egypt, “for his name’s sake”, specifically by dividing the Reed Sea in two. We have had the chance in previous reflections to comment on how Israel is Yhwh’s ‘reputation’ in the world by the fact that they bear his name. It is for that reason that why Yhwh moves to save Israel“for his name’s sake” he is moving to redeem them in a act of justice to guarantee his name’s reputation is not tarnished in the face of the nations. Here, the psalmist is himself, in his walking after Yhwh, similar to Israel: he will be protected and guided so that Yhwh’s name will be glorified and kept holy. It is reassuring to him that Yhwh will protect him not for his sake, but for Yhwh’s sake. One final note about the imagery: because it is so saturated in the language of the exodus, and because it is so future oriented, the psalmist seems to have found this confidence (and warmth of imagery) by and through his understanding of the exodus (and not, necessarily, through his ‘personal experience’). It is exodus imagery that shapes his stance (or, his following) of Yhwh.

There is a further important observation to make in regard to this line. One would not be surprised, in light of the previous verses, to read something to the effect that “He will lead me in paths of righteousness, and bless me.” The previous assertions and those that follow all focus on what the shepherd provides for the psalmist (food, water and protection). Here, however, in the midst of these provisions we find the focus of the ‘benefit’ as falling on Yhwh. This, however, must be understood, for the psalmist, as being as similar in kind to the other provisions. This is rather shocking—for the psalmist, Yhwh’s steadfast devotion to “his name”, is just as much a source of comfort and lack of ‘want’ as the other provisions. For the psalmist, his ‘grounding’is not, in fact, totally in himself; it is, rather, in Yhwh’s devotion to Himself and, in this devotion, the psalmist is caught up. For Yhwh to be devoted to himself does not mean he is self-centered. Rather, it includes the protection of the psalmist. He is a mode of Yhwh’s glorification (if, in fact, for Yhwh to preserve someone is to glorify himself). And this, rather than being a source of alienation for the psalmist, is as intimate a provision for him as food, water and protection from death.

“Even though / I shall walk – in the valley / of death’s shadow, - I shall / fear / no evil.”Every verse before has been one of future orientation: he will make me lie down; he will lead me; he will refresh my soul; he will lead me. Here, for the first time, the future is one of evil. Just as sure as the psalmist is to be lead by Yhwh is he also to encounter the ‘valley of the shadow of death’.

“For you / are with me, - your rod / and your staff, - they comfort me.” Here, we have a shift in the psalm: Yhwh is directly addressed. Prior to this Yhwh has been described in the third person. The shift is appropriate here as these lines represent a summary of what has come before. Likewise, it also bears a close resemblance in tone to the opening line of “Yhwh is my shepherd – I shall not want.” There, the lines flowed into descriptions of provision, protection and leading. Here, the ‘rod and staff’ function in much the same way. The ‘rod’ was used to fend off attacking creatures while the staff was used to guide the sheep (presumably to places of food, water and “in paths of righteousness”). In a similar way, the “I shall not want” is very similar to the “they comfort me”. Indeed, they work as fitting foils to each other, one pointing to an absence, and the other to a presence. Yhwh surrounds the psalmist and is his ‘patron’, with all the filial (and covenantal) ties this would conjure. It is also at this point that the psalm breaks free of the shepherding metaphor, although it does retain elements of what went before: “You / will spread / a table / for me – before my enemies.” This is not a foreign image; it refers back, in many ways, to Yhwh ‘leading the sheep’ to ‘grassy meadows’.I’ve rarely seen this happen—where the metaphor is shed but the action is retained in a more explicit fashion. In the first instance, we saw it a reference back to the exodus; here, it may very well be picking up on that idea as Israel was in ‘being led to Yhwh’s pasture’ being navigated through their enemies. Their ‘wandering’ was a time when Yhwh was their Warrior King. So perhaps what we have here is a reflection back on the exodus, through the shepherding image, but from a different perspective or vantage point. This is probably confirmed by reference to Psalm 78:19, where the rebellious Israelites ask whether Yhwh can “spread a table for them in the wilderness”. I also wonder whether what we are seeing here is looking forward to the final lines: “I shall dwell again in the house of Yhwh for days without end.” If this is so, ‘preparing the table’ could be a reference to his return to the Templeand the preparation of the sacrificial meal. The psalm now moves from the image of a feast to the image of ‘drinking’. “You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Again, the first half of the psalm drew our attention to Yhwh leading the psalmist to water. Here, when the image has been removed, we retain a vestige of it in “the cup” which overflows (which is, itself, a metaphor). The ‘anointing’ likely refers to the oil poured on the guest of the banquet; hence, it has already happened (perhaps we are to see here the fact that the psalmist, in line with what we have said about the psalm’s setting, has already participated within a banquet at the Temple, has already been ‘anointed’ and is looking forward, with confidence, to his return to the Temple to celebrate the same liturgical rites). The image of a cup ‘overflowing’ is important in that the psalmist’s life (his cup) is not one that is simply filled, but one that is lavish—this only adds more poignancy to the opening lines of “I shall not want”.Not only will he not ‘want’, he will be filled to overflowing. This sense of Yhwh acting abundantly, beyond all boundaries is something that has marked many of our psalms. Many psalmists have a deep sense (either creation or in Yhwh’s providing for them) that Yhwh is always ‘more’; he is celebratory in his blessings (as nature is in its giving voice to Yhwh’s glory). How this is conveyed in this psalm is a little difficult to express: the psalmist affirms he will be obedient to Yhwh unlike the Israelites in the dessert (meaning, he will not complain about returning to the ‘fleshpots’ of Israel). In this sense, his stance is one centered totally on Yhwh and his ‘leading’. There is a marked poverty to this position (in contrast to the Israelites demanding of food and water and protection). However, this poverty is met, not simply with provision, but with ‘overflowing’—with wealth. And this, the psalmist expects. It is an impressive balancing, and one that comes, I think, only from a psalmist who has a rather intimate knowledge and relationship with Yhwh. And now, the psalmist is no longer the one ‘following’ but the one being ‘chased’. “Surely / goodness and lovingkindness / shall pursue me – all the days of my life…” It is appropriate that this idea follows the ‘overflowing’ cup—the tables have turned. And now the lover has become the beloved of Yhwh. Again, we are in the presence of what can be called ‘grace’, of the uncontrollable, yet utterly overflowing and free movement of Yhwh toward his people. Now, Yhwh’s goodness and lovingkindness (his covenantal bond with the psalmist) will themselves seek out and chase the psalmist much like the psalmist sought out and chased Yhwh as a sheep. Perhaps, here, we find why the shepherding image has been abandoned: no longer is the psalmist a sheep, but rather is one pursued by Yhwh. Also, important to note here is the future orientation of the psalm finds expression here in Yhwh’s pursuit of the psalmist “all the days of my life…”. While the paslmist had been utterly future oriented in the first half of the psalm, this is now met by Yhwh’s covenantal (and overflowing) bond toward him into his future. Although the image of a dance has been perhaps overused, it seems appropriate here, with the psalmist and Yhwh moving together (following and chasing) for the entirely of the psalmist’s life. “And I shall / dwell again / in the house of Yhwh – for days / without end.” There have been three “I shall(s)”in the psalm: “I shall not want”; “I shall not fear”; “I shall dwell again…”.The first opened the psalm, the second fell in the middle and this one closes the psalm. And, at this closing we find the psalmist looking forward to the time when he will ‘dwell’ again in Yhwh’s house—perhaps here representing the summation of the other two ‘I shall(s)’: in Yhwh’s house is all provision and all absence of fear. Likewise, it is in Yhwh’s house where he will be in the presence of the “God of the living” and will therefore dwell there “for days without end”. Finally, Yhwh’s name here provides the bookend to the psalm. His name opened the psalm (“Yhwh is my shepherd”), and now he closes it. The first emphasized Yhwh’s ability to move with the psalmist as he travels; the second emphasizes Yhwh “at home”, in stability in the Temple. This tracks the ‘movement’ of the psalm as well—from moving out from the Templeand back. As he travels he will be guarded by Yhwh-shepherd; when he returns he will dwell with Yhwh in his home. At that point, his ‘life’ of overflowing will become “days without end”.