Over three thousand years ago, David, the shepherd king of Israel, penned the most sublime song of all time: the most read, the most repeated, the most talked about and quoted song ever written. As he thought about his earlier life as a shepherd boy tending his father's sheep, and as he reflected upon his own experience of caring for and protecting the flock, he saw a parallel with his Lord and Redeemer, and he was inspired to write this song.
As a youth growing toward manhood, Jesus must have read the song many times, and when He began His ministry, He presented Himself as the Good Shepherd, and lived His life as a complete fulfillment of everything in the song. The life of Christ has immortalized this song as nothing else could, in ways we can never forget. It is not just the sublime beauty of the song that gives us peace--it is the overwhelming reality that Christ is our Shepherd and that we are eternally safe in Him.
The following pages expand upon each phrase of the 23rd Psalm and focus on the parallels with the life of Christ. Jesus said of Himself: ". . . the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. . . . I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."
