Explication Of Psalm 23

The piece of literature that we have studied within this course that I would like to discuss in this forum post is Psalm 23. This poem is commonly referred to as a psalm of David, or a shepherd’s psalm. Psalm 23 takes us through a journey, which is symbolic to the journey of life. David, the author of Psalm 23 is an influential and one of the most relatable characters within Scripture due to his shortcomings throughout his life, and his ability to overcome challenges and still be referred to “a man after God’s own heart.” Psalm 23 details a journey that may seem difficult to travel at times, but with the help and guidance of a shepherd the journey ends at a final resting place of peace for the Christian.

David begins Psalm 23 by describing how the Lord is his shepherd. A shepherd is

Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6, NIV). The first part of this verse gives Christians a hope that Christ’s love will carry them through their life up until their final day on this earth. For the unbeliever, this part of verse six should be used as a comfort to show them that if they choose to accept salvation, Christ’s love is eternally placed on them. The latter part of verse six can also be used as a salvific tool in order to show salvation as an eternal reward for accepting the salvation that Jesus freely offers to all of humanity. David reminds us that not only will Christ’s love be with us until the end, but for those who have accepted salvation, eternity will be spent in the house of the Lord, which can be translated as Heaven. As a Christian trying to fulfill the Great Commission, Psalm 23 details to us how an unbeliever may feel when facing challenges along the journey of life, but also how Christ can be there to make those challenges seem possible through His