THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM EXPLAINED

THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM EXPLAINED

by Lawrence Wilson, MD

One of the most amazing and healing prayers that I have found is the Twenty-Third Psalm of David. Repeated often, it can help turn around negative thinking and assist a person with fears, as can few others, in my experience.

Many prayers and psalms in the bible are wonderful to read and think about. However, the 23^rd psalm, in particular, is important for this website and nutritional balancing because I believe it is all about retracing. Retracing is a very special type of healing process that occurs in everyone who follows a nutritional balancing program. It may occur with other healing and religious programs, but it usually does not occur with conventional medical methods or with most holistic healing programs. Retracing is the process of going back into your anger, your fear, your despair, your guilt and other emotions, events, situations, and making them right. One might say you must reframe, redo, undo, and restore the mind completely, and this process is called retracing, healing reactions or purification reactions. This is a large topic discussed in a separate articles entitled Retracing and Trauma Retracing. You will see below why I think the 23^rd psalm of David is about retracing.

My own use of this prayer. A number of years ago I was very ill, and discovered how extremely helpful this prayer can be. Even though I did not believe the entire prayer at first, I simply repeated it 20 to 500 times a day. It was an effort to change my mind away from total despair, negativity and fear. One could say I brainwashed myself with it. At first, it was just words on a page. However, after about a year of doing this, I noticed that I was actually feeling the feeling of the prayer. I actually started to believe in and feel the message of hope and love and healing that it contains.

So even if the words do not ring true for you, or if it seems too good to be true, just repeating the words and thinking about them can help them to come alive for you. Here is this simple psalm, followed by an explanation.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.

He leadeth me besides clear waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his namesake.

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.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.

EXPLANATION

Let us explore Psalm 23 line by line and phrase by phrase:

The Lord is my shepherd. King David, who wrote the psalm, grew up and worked as a shepherd, so he knew a lot about sheep and shepherding. He loved the metaphor of seeing God, or the Lord, as a shepherd, one who takes care of his flock or his children, which are you and I, and all of humanity.

It is an excellent metaphor. Sheep are wonderful creatures, but they are also quite vulnerable to danger from wolves and other predators because they cannot run very fast, and they are not always smart enough to avoid danger. To care for them correctly and safely, sheep require a shepherd to take them to the fertile areas to graze, protect them from predators and evil, and keep them together so they don’t stray from the group. This is the job of the shepherd. One can extend this idea and say that God does this for us, if we submit to His will.

That is, he helps us to find food, water, work, love, friends and all that we need. He also protects us from evil. He also gently or firmly prods us when we step out of line and deviate from the way of living set down in the bible as being correct.

I shall not want. This is a very powerful statement, although it is not explained in detail in the psalm until later. I interpret it to mean that I will have everything I need if I allow God to be my shepherd. I may not have everything the ego wants, but I will be cared for, loved, and provided for very well, indeed.

This line is one of the most powerful in the prayer. It is a bunt and frank statement or affirmation. I shall not want means I will be okay. I will have health, money, friends, family, respect, love and all else. That is how I interpret it. The line sort of wakes one up from the dead and says you can have it all, at least what you need, when you elect to have God run your life. Later in the prayer this idea is explored more.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. Sheep require plenty of green pasture on which to graze or to eat. So at one level, this line means that God will provide all of my food and other needs. It deepens and repeats the idea that I shall not want for anything, and that God takes care of me.

At a deeper level, it means that God provides nourishment for the body, the mind and the soul that is wholesome, healthful, and appetizing for me. It does not say I must struggle to make ends meet. It says God will lead me to the green pastures, which means all things go.

He leadeth me besides the clear waters. This continues the theme of the previous line in the psalm. The still waters may represent peace, love, harmony and beauty.

He restoreth my soul. When someone is retracing old traumas to restore health and joy, one often feels that the soul has been somehow lost or stolen or destroyed. This line is extremely comforting for those who have this feeling about their lives.

He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his namesake. When one is healing and retracing, often one does not know in what direction to turn and to go. This assures one that the Lord will lead you in directions of righteousness, meaning paths that are wholesome and with full integrity.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for though art with me. For many people undergoing the journey of healing a retracing, this is the most important line in the psalm, though certainly not the only important one. It tells us that yes, you may need to walk in difficult territory in your life. However, you need not fear, for the Lord is with you. When one retraces, one indeed often needs to move back into issues and situations and health conditions that need correcting and reframing, and healing at many levels. Anyone who has done it know this to be the case, at times.

Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Traditionally, shepherds carried a rod and a staff to guide the sheep and to ward off wolves or other predators that would harm the sheep. The metaphor is that the Lord also has his rod and his staff. You may get prodded or pushed, at times, but it is for your good, for your protection and to keep you on your path. They are there to comfort you and know that you are cared for and loved.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. This is a very interesting line. It implies that you will encounter “enemies”, or forces that do not want you to continue your healing and your retracing. It also says that you will be taken care of even in the midst of your opposers. It does not just say you will survive. It says that a table or a feast will be spread before you, even while you are in the presence of those forces that oppose you.

Thou anointest my head with oil. This is another surprising line. Anointing the head with oil was a practice in biblical days that was used to honor a person and to dignify a person. It means that not only will you be fed or cared for in the presence of your enemies or opposers, but you will be honored and dignified or deeply respected, as well.

My cup runneth over. This phrase means that I am given even more than I need or can use. The words form a very powerful image of a cup of elixir that overflows as there is so much of it. It means I am truly abundant, abundantly loved and cared for beyond even my needs or wants.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, all the days of my life… This can be interpreted many ways. What is meant by goodness and mercy shall follow me? To me it means that goodness and mercy shall go with me wherever I go, and whatever I do, even if I am in unfamiliar areas or places. It is a statement of future protection.

The use of the word mercy is interesting. It implies that at times I will sin or not think, act or speak correctly. So this prayer or psalm does not say we will be perfect. Quite the opposite. However, it means that if we allow the Lord to be our shepherd or guide and overseer, we will be treated mercifully or leniently. Perhaps our past mistakes will be forgiven, or at least their importance diminished.

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Here one re-affirms where one wants to live and have one’s being or consciousness. This line is an affirmation that one chooses to dwell in a particular state of consciousness forever – the “house of the Lord”. To me, this of course is not a physical house but rather it means to keep one’s attention focused on the Lord, live by the rules set down by the Lord, and stay with them forever. The words “to dwell” may also be thought or as “to abide”, which means to embrace, to follow, to be one with. This topic is explored in another article on this website entitled Feeling Connected To God.

The power of this prayer may be due in part to the fact that millions of people have used it over the past three or four thousands years. If it is helpful for you, use it often and learn to appreciate that you are protected and helped in ways you cannot imagine.

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