Psalm 23 Context

The book of Psalms is, as the title translates to, a collection of “songs of praise” written by many different authors. King David was responsible for composing seventy-three psalms and one the most widely known is Psalm 23. When you take into account the life of King David and the time frame of his writing, one can see how Psalm 23 was written for the author himself in a time of great struggle.

When examining the context of Psalm 23, one must take into consideration the history of the author, the culture, and time frame of the writing. Many Bible scholars assume that this psalm was written by David later in his life due to the references of facing death in verse 4 and prosperity in verse 5. Some like Dr. Jack Hyles believe that it was penned

during one of David’s darkest times, the rebellion led by his son Absalom which drove the kingdom into a period of civil war. “David was grief-stricken and heartbroken and it may have been the darkest hour of his life.”
When looking at the man himself one see’s that David incorporated experiences from his own life into his writings.

Not only as a king at the time of the writing but also as a young man he was a shepherd that guided and looked after his own flock and then as one that was on the run and being hunted by a superior force before he was king. He could recall from experience his feelings and insights as a shepherd when describing the Lord as the same in verses 1 through 4. As well as how God provided for and guided him during his time of being pursued by King Saul is also a reflection of those same verses. The culture of the time period must also be examined as ancient Israel around 1000 BCE was a mostly an agrarian society but families were also dependent on herding animals such as sheep and goats so the imagery of a shepherd would have been easily understandable. The Psalm itself would have been written in Hebrew as this was the form the Israelites of this time period used for prayer and religious writings and as such Psalm 23 would have actually been sung as a song of prayer or

praise.
The psalm by King David makes use of metaphors to compare the Lord to a figure that would have been easily recognizable to anyone that would hear or read it and to show God’s people as the one’s He leads, protects, and provides for.

From the very first verse “The Lord is my shepherd,” David is setting the image of God as the shepherd. He then shows how God guides his people in verses 2 and 3, how God protects in verse 4, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me” and in verse 5 when David shows how God will even “prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Finally David shows how God provides by stating, “I lack nothing” in verse 1 and “my cup overflows” in verse 5.

David uses symbols in his writing to eloquently show how God is more than just what is stated. In verse 4 David refers to the “darkest valley” which can symbolize death or just the struggles of life that everyone contends with on a daily basis. He also uses a symbol of a table in verse 5 as God “prepare(s) a table before me in the presence of my enemies” which symbolizes that God will provide even when his people are facing hardships and

struggles.
The message of Psalm 23 is that God is always with His people and is there to guide them along the right paths of life and to lead us to the quiet water to refresh our souls when needed. God also provides what is needed for life as he prepares a table for and leads his people to green pastures but also as David states, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
King David was considered “a man after God’s own heart,” and his poem Psalm 23 is a reflection of that. Even during his darkest hours he was able to show his reliance on God to protect, provide, and guide him through life’s struggles until the very end.