Verse 1. The Lord is my shepherd.
What condescension is this, that the infinite Lord assumes towards his people the office and character of a Shepherd!
David had himself been a keeper of sheep, and understood both the needs of the sheep and the many cares of a shepherd.
The Lord is my shepherd; if he be a Shepherd to no one else, he is a Shepherd to me;
The next words are a sort of inference from the first statement -- they are sententious and positive -- I shall not want.
I might want otherwise, but when the Lord is my Shepherd he is able to supply my needs,...The wicked always want, but the righteous never; a sinner's heart is far from satisfaction, but a gracious spirit dwells in the palace of content.
Charles Spurgeon
What condescension is this, that the infinite Lord assumes towards his people the office and character of a Shepherd!
David had himself been a keeper of sheep, and understood both the needs of the sheep and the many cares of a shepherd.
He compares himself to a creature
*weak,
*defenceless,
*and foolish.
The Lord is my shepherd; if he be a Shepherd to no one else, he is a Shepherd to me;
*he cares for me,
*watches over me,
*and preserves me.
The words are in the present tense. Whatever be the believer's position, he is even now under the pastoral care of Jehovah. The next words are a sort of inference from the first statement -- they are sententious and positive -- I shall not want.
I might want otherwise, but when the Lord is my Shepherd he is able to supply my needs,...The wicked always want, but the righteous never; a sinner's heart is far from satisfaction, but a gracious spirit dwells in the palace of content.
Charles Spurgeon