We’ve all heard Psalm 23 many times over the course of our lives. We’ve seen it stitched into needlepoint, heard it read at funerals, and even encountered it woven into popular music and culture. As one writer puts it, Psalm 23 has become something of a “secular icon.” It belongs not only to the religious but to the human imagination. And that raises a question: why this psalm? Why does this ancient image of God as a shepherd continue to comfort people in a post‑modern world?

Throughout the scriptures, the Lord is described as the Shepherd who provides for and protects His sheep. Sometimes “His sheep” refers to the people of Israel, and at other times we see ourselves as “His sheep.” In Isaiah 40:11, the Lord tends to His flock - the children of Israel. He gathers His lambs in his arms and draws them close to his heart. In John 10, Jesus speaks of Himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep, declaring: “I know My sheep, and M