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Psalm 23: When the Pronouns Change
There is a small detail in this psalm that most of us read past a thousand times before it catches us. For the first half, David speaks about God — "the Lord is my shepherd, he maketh me, he leadeth me, he restoreth me." God is the subject of the sentence; David is describing Him from a comfortable distance, the way one might describe a good friend to a stranger. But then the valley comes. And at the exact moment the shadow falls, the pronouns change. "Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff. Thou preparest a table." God is no longer He. God is Thou. Darkness, it turns out, does not drive us away from God; it turns our speaking about Him into speaking to Him. The valley is not the enemy of intimacy but its occasion. And by the time the psalm ends, David is so close to his Shepherd that he expects to dwell in His house forever — not as a guest passing through, but as one who has finally come home.
00:00 The Lord Is My Shepherd
00:15 Green Pastures and Still Waters
00:30 Through the Valley of Shadow
00:45 A Table in the Presence of Enemies
00:58 Goodness and Mercy Shall Follow
01:10 I Will Dwell in the House of the Lord
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Daily Psalms - Classical Psalms Every Day — Psalm Chapter 23. Machine-transcribed; use the interactive transcript above to jump the player to any line.
Psalm 23 A psalm of David The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makeeth me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreeth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Ye, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou prepares to table before me in the presence of my enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup, runeth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
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