{"id":1083,"date":"2018-10-09T18:11:26","date_gmt":"2018-10-09T18:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.brethren.org\/messenger\/?p=1083"},"modified":"2025-09-25T16:21:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T16:21:38","slug":"good-shepherd-good-host","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/bible-study\/good-shepherd-good-host\/","title":{"rendered":"Good shepherd, good host"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Jesus as the Good Shepherd from the early Christian catacomb of Domitilla\/Domatilla (Crypt of Lucina, 200-300 CE).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Crosses today commonly symbolize Christianity, but it was not always so.<\/strong> Early Christian artists portrayed Jesus as \u201cThe Good Shepherd.\u201d In these early depictions, Jesus appears as a beardless young man carrying a sheep or goat on his shoulders. Through the centuries, artists continued to portray Jesus as a shepherd, often adding a beard, a longer hairstyle, different clothing, and, perhaps, a halo. Sheep and shepherds populated the ancient world, and these figures crop up frequently in the Bible. One of the most familiar passages is Psalm 23, known to many as the \u201cShepherd Psalm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God as shepherd<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the biblical world, kings were called \u201cshepherds\u201d because they were expected to protect and provide for the people over whom they ruled. Good leaders\u2014both in the ancient world and today\u2014look after their people the way good shepherds care for their flocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In verses 1-3, the psalmist speaks about what God as shepherd does. Because God provides for our needs, the psalmist says, \u201cI do not lack anything.\u201d God as shepherd guides and protects us. The first two Hebrew words of verse 3 can be translated in several ways. The noun nephesh can be understood as a person\u2019s life, life force, breath, soul, or self. The verb is an unusual form of a root that means \u201creturn.\u201d Together, the two Hebrew words suggest that God as shepherd \u201crenews my strength\u201d or \u201crestores my soul.\u201d This psalm expresses God\u2019s support for people who are physically weak or whose health is failing, as well as those who feel overwhelmed by their circumstances and apprehensive about their futures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biblical writers often describe life as a journey. Just as we choose which road to travel, we make decisions about how we are going to live our lives. In the remainder of verse 3, the psalmist signals that this poem is not a simple tale about a shepherd and a sheep, but rather, it reveals to us something about God, God\u2019s people, and the journey through life. The Hebrew word tsedeq, translated \u201crighteousness,\u201d characterizes correct human decisionmaking in the Bible. It often means \u201cdoing what is right in God\u2019s eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This psalm affirms that we are not left to our own devices, but rather, God leads and directs us. Hymn 352 in Hymnal: A Worship Book<\/em> captures well this portion of Psalm 23: \u201cGentle Shepherd, come and lead us, for we need you to help us find our way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God as companion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Psalm 23 is often called a psalm of trust or psalm of confidence, and in verse 4 the speaker affirms that God accompanies us even in our darkest hours. The first two words in this verse are \u201ceven though\u201d or \u201ceven when.\u201d It is easy to express one\u2019s trust in God when life is going well, but when we hit rock bottom, can we affirm that God accompanies us on our journey? This psalmist does and, perhaps, can inspire others to trust God\u2019s presence in their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I memorized this psalm as a child, I learned the King James Version: \u201cYea, 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.\u201d Many translators now think that the Hebrew phrase is best understood as \u201cthe darkest valley,\u201d rather than \u201cthe valley of the shadow of death.\u201d \u201cThe darkest valley\u201d provides a broader range of situations than that of death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hebrew word translated \u201cevil\u201d also has a broad range of meaning. It includes physical danger, harm, injury, as well as malevolent people, things, or situations. If we expand the range of this word\u2019s meaning, verse 4 underlines Psalm 23 as a psalm of trust in God that applies to many different situations. The Common English Bible moves in this direction:
\u201cEven when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger because you are with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God as host<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With verse 5 the psalmist shifts to a different metaphor to describe God as the generous host, who offers food and shelter to travelers. I have long been puzzled by the idea of sitting at a table to eat \u201cin the presence of my enemies.\u201d What are my enemies doing at this meal? Why doesn\u2019t God simply banish them from my presence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mennonite scholar John Paul Lederach applies this verse to the process of peacebuilding. Lederach suggests that sitting at table with our enemies can play a significant role in the peace process: \u201ceating equalizes, humanizes, and creates a different space,\u201d so that something new can emerge between people who are at odds with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lutheran pastor and theologian Nadia Bolz-Weber gets right at the core of this verse in her inimitable way: \u201cSee, in the 23rd Psalm God does a counter-intuitive thing when it comes to our very real fear of enemies. God doesn\u2019t say \u2018Let\u2019s go smite them\u2019 and God doesn\u2019t say \u2018Let\u2019s analyze the data.\u2018 God says \u2018Let\u2019s eat!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These approaches to Psalm 23:5 challenge me to invite my enemies to lunch. They might also challenge congregations or church groups to organize ecumenical or interfaith meals. We can eat with enemies if we trust that God has set the table. Hospitality imagery continues to the end of the psalm. As a good host, God bathes guests\u2019 heads in oil, offering healing from the rough elements. In the ancient world, good hosts protected their guests from harm. The Hebrew verb used in this verse often appears in connection to enemy pursuit. By contrast, the psalmist declares, \u201cgoodness and faithful love\u201d [not enemies] \u201cwill pursue me all my days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although most English versions have \u201cdwell\u201d in verse 6, the Hebrew verb means \u201creturn.\u201d Continuing the metaphor of God as \u201cThe Good Host,\u201d the psalmist expresses a desire to return to the security of God\u2019s house, by proclaiming, \u201cI will return to the Lord\u2019s house my whole life long.\u201d Just as people today often have favorite hotels (or favorite hotel chains), Psalm 23 names God\u2019s house as the preferred place to lodge overnight. But if we do, we should be prepared to sit at table with both friends and enemies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[grey box]Psalm 23 and music<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Scripture index in Hymnal: A Worship Book<\/em> lists 15 hymns that allude to Psalm 23, including hymn 170, \u201cThe King of Love My Shepherd Is,\u201d which weaves together Psalm 23, the parable of the Good Shepherd (Luke 15:3-7), and Jesus\u2019 self-identification as Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although hymn 562, \u201cNada te turbe,\u201d does not explicitly quote Psalm 23, it expresses the same sense of calm trust in God. The words come to us from St. Teresa of Avila, a 16th-century Spanish nun and mystic. The English lyrics in Hymnal: A Worship Book<\/em> are simple:
Let nothing trouble you.
Let nothing frighten you.
Whoever has God lacks nothing. [\/grey box]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recommended reading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

John Paul Lederach, \u201cOn Web Watching,\u201d Chapter 10 in The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace<\/em> (Oxford University Press, 2005).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nadia Bolz-Weber, \u201cSermon on Mermaids, Enemies, and the 23rd Psalm<\/a>,\u201d Sarcastic Lutheran<\/em> 4-22-2013. Patheos.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A look at Psalm 23, the Shepherd Psalm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8,189,188,190],"class_list":["post-1083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-study","tag-bible-study","tag-cristina-bucher","tag-psalm-23","tag-symbolism"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1083"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1329,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1083\/revisions\/1329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}