3 He gives new life to my soul: he is my guide in the ways of righteousness because of his name.
Make a clean heart in me, O God; give me a right spirit again.
The law of the Lord is good, giving new life to the soul: the witness of the Lord is certain, giving wisdom to the foolish.
Be my guide, O Lord, in the ways of your righteousness, because of those who are against me; make your way straight before my face.
For you are my Rock and my strong tower; go in front of me and be my guide, because of your name.
Keeping back his soul from the underworld, so that he may see the light of life.
Let the story of your mercy come to me in the morning, for my hope is in you: give me knowledge of the way in which I am to go; for my soul is lifted up to you. O Lord, take me out of the hands of my haters; my soul is waiting for you. Give me teaching so that I may do your pleasure; for you are my God: let your good Spirit be my guide into the land of righteousness.
Give us help, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; take us out of danger and give us forgiveness for our sins, because of your name.
And I was acting for the honour of my name, so that it might not be made unclean in the eyes of the nations, before whose eyes I had taken them out.
Assyria will not be our salvation; we will not go on horses; we will not again say to the work of our hands, You are our gods; for in you there is mercy for the child who has no father. I will put right their errors; freely will my love be given to them, for my wrath is turned away from him. I will be as the dew to Israel; he will put out flowers like a lily, and send out his roots like Lebanon. His branches will be stretched out, he will be beautiful as the olive-tree and sweet-smelling as Lebanon. They will come back and have rest in his shade; their life will be made new like the grain, and they will put out flowers like the vine; his name will be like the wine of Lebanon. As for Ephraim, what has he to do with false gods any longer? I have given an answer and I will keep watch over him; I am like a branching fir-tree, from me comes your fruit.
Do not be glad because of my sorrow, O my hater: after my fall I will be lifted up; when I am seated in the dark, the Lord will be a light to me. I will undergo the wrath of the Lord, because of my sin against him; till he takes up my cause and does what is right for me: when he makes me come out into the light, I will see his righteousness;
Who is a God like you, offering forgiveness for evil-doing and overlooking the sins of the rest of his heritage? he does not keep his wrath for ever, because his delight is in mercy. He will again have pity on us; he will put our sins under his feet: and you will send all our sins down into the heart of the sea.
To all those who are dear to me, I give sharp words and punishment: then with all your heart have sorrow for your evil ways.
Give me back the joy of your salvation; let a free spirit be my support.
See, I will get them together from all the countries where I have sent them in my wrath and in the heat of my passion and in my bitter feeling; and I will let them come back into this place where they may take their rest safely. And they will be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart and one way, so that they may go on in the worship of me for ever, for their good and the good of their children after them: And I will make an eternal agreement with them, that I will never give them up, but ever do them good; and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, so that they will not go away from me. And truly, I will take pleasure in doing them good, and all my heart and soul will be given to planting them in this land in good faith. For the Lord has said: As I have made all this great evil come on this people, so I will send on them all the good which I said about them.
See, I will take them from the north country, and get them from the inmost parts of the earth, and with them the blind and the feeble-footed, the woman with child and her who is in birth-pains together: a very great army, they will come back here.
I have given you teaching in the way of wisdom, guiding your steps in the straight way.
Come back to us, O God of our salvation, and be angry with us no longer. Will you go on being angry with us for ever? will you keep your wrath against us through all the long generations? Will you not give us life again, so that your people may be glad in you? Let us see your mercy, O Lord, and give us your salvation.
Simon, Simon, Satan has made a request to have you, so that he may put you to the test as grain is tested: But I have made prayer for you, that your faith may not go from you: and when you are turned again, make your brothers strong.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 23
Commentary on Psalms 23 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 23
Many of David's psalms are full of complaints, but this is full of comforts, and the expressions of delight in God's great goodness and dependence upon him. It is a psalm which has been sung by good Christians, and will be while the world stands, with a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction.
In this he had certainly an eye, not only to the blessings of God's providence, which made his outward condition prosperous, but to the communications of God's grace, received by a lively faith, and returned in a warm devotion, which filled his soul with joy unspeakable. And, as in the foregoing psalm he represented Christ dying for his sheep, so here he represents Christians receiving the benefit of all the care and tenderness of that great and good shepherd.
A psalm of David.
Psa 23:1-6
From three very comfortable premises David, in this psalm, draws three very comfortable conclusions, and teaches us to do so too. We are saved by hope, and that hope will not make us ashamed, because it is well grounded. It is the duty of Christians to encourage themselves in the Lord their God; and we are here directed to take that encouragement both from the relation wherein he stands to us and from the experience we have had of his goodness according to that relation.