3 My soul He refresheth, He leadeth me in paths of righteousness, For His name's sake,
A clean heart prepare for me, O God, And a right spirit renew within me.
The law of Jehovah `is' perfect, refreshing the soul, The testimonies of Jehovah `are' stedfast, Making wise the simple,
O Jehovah, lead me in Thy righteousness, Because of those observing me, Make straight before me Thy way,
For my rock and my bulwark `art' Thou, For Thy name's sake lead me and tend me.
And I have caused the blind to go, In a way they have not known, In paths they have not known I cause them to tread, I make a dark place before them become light, And unlevelled places become a plain, These `are' the things I have done to them, And I have not forsaken them.
To bring back his soul from the pit, To be enlightened with the light of the living.
Cause me to hear in the morning Thy kindness, For in Thee I have trusted, Cause me to know the way that I go, For unto Thee I have lifted up my soul. Deliver me from mine enemies, O Jehovah, Near Thee I am covered. Teach me to do Thy good pleasure, For Thou `art' my God -- Thy Spirit `is' good, Lead me into a land of uprightness.
Help us, O God of our salvation, Because of the honour of Thy name, And deliver us, and cover over our sins, For Thy name's sake.
And I do `it' for My name's sake, Not to pollute `it' before the eyes of the nations, Before whose eyes I brought them forth.
I heal their backsliding, I love them freely, For turned back hath Mine anger from him. I am as dew to Israel, he flourisheth as a lily, And he striketh forth his roots as Lebanon. Go on do his sucklings, And his beauty is as an olive, And he hath fragrance as Lebanon. Return do the dwellers under his shadow, They revive `as' corn, and flourish as a vine, His memorial `is' as wine of Lebanon. O Ephraim, what to Me any more with idols? I -- I afflicted, and I cause him to sing: `I `am' as a green fir-tree,' From Me is thy fruit found. Who `is' wise, and doth understand these? Prudent, and knoweth them? For upright are the ways of Jehovah, And the righteous go on in them, And the transgressors stumble therein!
Thou dost not rejoice over me, O mine enemy, When I have fallen, I have risen, When I sit in darkness Jehovah is a light to me. The indignation of Jehovah I do bear, For I have sinned against Him, Till that He doth plead my cause, And hath executed my judgment, He doth bring me forth to the light, I look on His righteousness.
Who `is' a God like Thee? taking away iniquity, And passing by the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance, He hath not retained for ever His anger, Because He -- He delighteth `in' kindness. He doth turn back, He pitieth us, He doth subdue our iniquities, And Thou castest into the depths of the sea all their sins.
`As many as I love, I do convict and chasten; be zealous, then, and reform;
Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, And a willing spirit doth sustain me.
Lo, I am gathering them out of all the lands whither I have driven them in Mine anger, and in My fury, and in great wrath, and I have brought them back unto this place, and have caused them to dwell confidently; and they have been to Me for a people, and I am to them for God; and I have given to them one heart, and one way, to fear Me all the days, for good to them, and to their sons after them: and I have made for them a covenant age-during, in that I turn not back from after them for My doing them good, and My fear I put in their heart, so as not to turn aside from me; and I have rejoiced over them to do them good, and have planted them in this land in truth, with all my heart, and with all My soul. `For thus said Jehovah: As I brought in unto this people all this great evil, so I am bringing in on them all the good that I am speaking concerning them;
Lo, I am bringing them in from the north country, And have gathered them from the sides of the earth, Among them `are' blind and lame, Conceiving and travailing one -- together, A great assembly -- they turn back hither.
In a way of wisdom I have directed thee, I have caused thee to tread in paths of uprightness.
Turn back `to' us, O God of our salvation, And make void Thine anger with us. To the age art Thou angry against us? Dost Thou draw out Thine anger To generation and generation? Dost Thou not turn back? Thou revivest us, And Thy people do rejoice in Thee. Show us, O Jehovah, thy kindness, And Thy salvation Thou dost give to us.
And the Lord said, `Simon, Simon, lo, the Adversary did ask you for himself to sift as the wheat, and I besought for thee, that thy faith may not fail; and thou, when thou didst turn, strengthen thy brethren.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 23
Commentary on Psalms 23 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 23
Ps 23:1-6. Under a metaphor borrowed from scenes of pastoral life, with which David was familiar, he describes God's providential care in providing refreshment, guidance, protection, and abundance, and so affording grounds of confidence in His perpetual favor.
1. Christ's relation to His people is often represented by the figure of a shepherd (Joh 10:14; Heb 13:20; 1Pe 2:25; 5:4), and therefore the opinion that He is the Lord here so described, and in Ge 48:15; Ps 80:1; Isa 40:11, is not without some good reason.
2. green pastures—or, "pastures of tender grass," are mentioned, not in respect to food, but as places of cool and refreshing rest.
the still waters—are, literally, "waters of "stillness," whose quiet flow invites to repose. They are contrasted with boisterous streams on the one hand, and stagnant, offensive pools on the other.
3. To restore the soul is to revive or quicken it (Ps 19:7), or relieve it (La 1:11, 19).
paths of righteousness—those of safety, as directed by God, and pleasing to Him.
for his name's sake—or, regard for His perfections, pledged for His people's welfare.
4. In the darkest and most trying hour God is near.
the valley of the shadow of death—is a ravine overhung by high precipitous cliffs, filled with dense forests, and well calculated to inspire dread to the timid, and afford a covert to beasts of prey. While expressive of any great danger or cause of terror, it does not exclude the greatest of all, to which it is most popularly applied, and which its terms suggest.
thy rod and thy staff—are symbols of a shepherd's office. By them he guides his sheep.
5, 6. Another figure expresses God's provided care.
a table—or, "food," anointing
oil—the symbol of gladness, and the overflowing
cup—which represents abundance—are prepared for the child of God, who may feast in spite of his enemies, confident that this favor will ever attend him. This beautiful Psalm most admirably sets before us, in its chief figure, that of a shepherd, the gentle, kind, and sure care extended to God's people, who, as a shepherd, both rules and feeds them. The closing verse shows that the blessings mentioned are spiritual.