David was a shepherd but he penned Psalm 23 as a sheep, one of the flock, one who said; The Lord….HE is my Shepherd. The emphasis and the focus here of course are on the One who is the Shepherd and the confidence the sheep can have in the Shepherd’s care.

David spoke of Jehovah, the Lord God of Israel, Jesus Christ, the incarnate God among men declared “I am the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep” and He declared that to His people. I am intimately connected to the One who has created all things (Col 1:16) and this One knows me as a particular sheep and gives me the great privilege of calling Him my Shepherd. Who better to belong to, who better understands us and who better to shepherd us than the One who created us.

“All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6) We are not our own, we have been bought by the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1: 18, 19) and we should recognize His ownership of us. He chose us, He found us:

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it” (Luke 15: 4). He finds us and brings us into the fold, the sheepfold and delights in caring for us.

Mr. Keller says “He literally lays Himself out for us continually. He is ever interceding for us; He is ever guiding us by His gracious Spirit; He is ever working on our behalf to ensure that we will benefit from His care.

I believe that I have always been under the special care of The Good Shepherd because I believe that I was chosen before the foundation of the world to be His sheep, He knows my name, the frailty of my frame, He knows my sins and He knows my every thought. But I didn’t always know that and so to come to know that I am under His care was a startling revelation. It is a continual revelation of His character, His care, His tender mercies, His commands, His Righteousness.

If we look at the parallels between the world of sheep tending by the shepherd and the care of our Great Shepherd for His sheep we will be enlightened as to the love, the care, the concern and the endless effort put forth for the sheep. David, as the shepherd that he was, knew intimately his sheep and the watch care he had for them, he knew the same watch care over him by the Shepherd of his soul, the same watch care that we have and that we can know, the care that we flourish and thrive under. Along with David, we can say; The Lord, HE is my Shepherd.