What Psalm 23 Actually Means

Psalm 23 gets read at funerals and printed on cards, which can make it easy to skip past what it says. Slow down and it becomes one of the most comforting things in Scripture.

Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside still waters.

Psalm 23:1-2 (ASV)

David, who had worked as a shepherd, pictures God as his own. A shepherd is the one who feeds the sheep and keeps them from harm, so calling the Lord your shepherd is saying your needs are His to look after.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me.

Psalm 23:4 (ASV)

David walks through the valley of the shadow of death and still fears no evil, and the reason he gives is that God is with him. The comfort is God's company down in the dark place, even while the danger is real.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of Jehovah for ever.

Psalm 23:6 (ASV)

The psalm ends in God's house, with goodness and lovingkindness following close behind David all the way there.

The reason Psalm 23 has stayed close to so many people is that it holds up: God leads, God stays through the dark valley, and the last word is being kept safe in His care for good.