Psalm 23 provides tools for personal leadership in a time of crisis. Psalm 23 from the Old Testament of the Bible was written by David the son of Jesse. David wrote several Psalms, but Psalm 23 is a text in which personal leadership is described. Personal leadership has everything to do with awareness and recognition of emotions. Wanting to have control over emotions is at odds with personal leadership. It is not without reason that Psalm 23 is the most quoted text in Christianity and Jewish culture. It is a Psalm that meets a need for many people in difficult times. The description of the shepherd’s position is recognizable to someone who needs guidance.
Several books about Psalm 23 and David as a shepherd
Several Dutch and English books have been published about Psalm 23 and about David as a shepherd. In all these descriptions, Psalm 23 is explained from different points of view. In most books, David’s leadership is constantly discussed. It is about leadership and action in difficult times. That is often the reason why Psalm 23 appeals so much to people who are faced with a difficult phase of life.
Various translations of Psalm 23
The text of Psalm 23 is written in several languages. There are also various translations of the Psalm in the Dutch language. However, the Naarden translation provides a translation that is closest to the original Hebrew text. The translator of the Naarden Bible, Pieter van Oussoren, wrote the text that corresponds as much as possible to the original Hebrew text. The translation of the psalms takes into account that the text must originally be sung or recited.
David’s tools for personal leadership
Based on each verse, David gives himself tools to overcome his fear and tap into a source of personal leadership. The first verse is, as it were, the summary of David’s conclusion. The Psalm begins with ‘The Lord is my shepherd’ but is actually the final conclusion after observing a flock of sheep in the desert. David discovers in the silence and, in the behavior of the sheep with their shepherd, that the Lord is his shepherd. In every verse of Psalm 23 you can read about David’s increasingly strong personal leadership. The moment when David creates Psalm 23 is the basis of his leadership to later lead the nation of Israel.
Psalm 23 in the Naarden Bible translation
- The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
2. In green meadows he lays me down, he carries me along to the waters of rest;3. My soul returns to me through him, he leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4. Even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your staff and your staff, they will comfort me.5. Thou preparest a table before me, opposite to those near me; you shall anoint my head with oil; my cup is full.
6. Only goodness and friendship pursue me all the days of my life; I may return to the house of the Lord forever and ever.
Psalm 23 in the New Bible Translation (NIV)
A Psalm of David.
1. The LORD is my shepherd,I shall not want.2. He makes me rest in green pasturesAnd leads me beside the waters of peace,3. He gives me new strength and guides me along safe paths to the glory of his name.4. Though my path goes
through a dark valley, I fear no danger, For You are with me, Your rod and Your staff, They give me courage.5. You invite me to table in the presence of the enemy, You anoint my head with oil, My cup overflows.6. Happiness and grace follow me all the days of my life;
I will return to the house of the LORD until the end of days.
Verse 1: The Lord is my shepherd
David is on the run from King Saul. Saul wants to kill David because he sees him as a threat to his kingship and the people see David as their leader more than Saul. David’s fear is ingrained and he no longer knows what to do. David had been raised as a shepherd and therefore knew the behavior of sheep and how to care for the flock as their leader. But because of fear, David is no longer a leader over himself. David has been on the run for a long time when he writes Psalm 23. Somewhere in the mountains of the Negev, the desert in Israel, David is contemplating his situation. Meanwhile, he sees a shepherd walking on a mountainside with a flock of sheep. This is the moment when David can reflect on his escape behavior and what he needs to avoid having to flee all the time.
Awareness, just like David, is a prerequisite for personal leadership
David remembers his skills as a shepherd. He observes the flock and the shepherd further along. He notices something strange that he was never aware of. David comes to a renewal of his faith in God. He realizes that the Lord is his shepherd. It seems he forgot that. By seeing the sheep and the shepherd, David remembers what he has been through. Awareness is fundamental for personal leadership.
Verse 2: David enjoys green pastures and calm waters
In the desert there are no green meadows full of green grass and there is little water to be found. David sees what the shepherd does with the sheep. He leads them to a slope where he takes the risk that they could slide down. In Western thinking it may seem like a strange thing to do. But in the desert, young greenery can blossom on mountain slopes in a short time. Moisture is brought in from a certain wind direction and is ‘captured’ by the mountain slopes. The shepherd pays attention to the wind direction in recent days and leads his flock from one piece of greenery to the next piece of greenery. In this way the shepherd leads his flock.
Meditation: guidance over emotion
The shepherd knows the language of nature. He can only understand that ‘language’ if he takes the time to do so. In religious traditions this is called ‘Quiet time’ or ‘meditation’. If the shepherd does not take the time to pay attention to the wind direction, his flock may go without food for a long time. If he does not speak the ‘language’ of nature, he is not a good shepherd and his flock will not find food. If David did not rest, he would not be able to manage his fear. Now he discovers that his ‘quiet time’ with God puts him in charge of his emotions. David discovers that God is always there and will guide him through difficult situations.
Verse 3: David in the trench among injustice
David discovers that God can lead him again in the ‘track of righteousness’. David strongly experiences that he is being wronged by Saul. That discovery gives him new insight and ‘refreshes’ his soul. But David makes another profound discovery, namely that the ,trail of righteousness, is like a trench. In the original Hebrew text this can be translated this way because David remembers his experience with the Philistines and Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:20). God led him to the battlefield through the trench to the confrontation with Goliath. Here too, David remembers that God was there. He realizes that God has already provided to make a way through injustice.
Verse 4: David balance in righteousness
Verse four shows a strong form of personal leadership. David takes charge of his fear again. He recalls his heroism when he crossed the trench to face the injustice done to them by the Philistines. Goliath challenges the people of Israel to choose a man who will go into battle with him. If that person kills him, the Philistines will serve the people of Israel. David remembers the moment he stood before Goliath in the Oak Valley. (1 Sam.17:2) The ‘rod’ and ‘staff’ symbolize the balance in righteousness. David experiences the injustice of his enemies but becomes aware that God provides eternal justice.
Verse 5: David has control and personal leadership
Personal leadership is mainly about ‘letting go’ of problems or certain situations. David came to realize that he was not connected to the situation he found himself in. Rediscovering that God is always there, David saw that all problems were in front of him and not part of his inner emotions. Just like Goliath stood before him. David comes to realize that he cannot control his fear but can take charge of the actual situation. In the battle against Goliath, David also took the lead and was not guided by fear. In fact, he consciously took the initiative to lead his own people.
Awareness of personal leadership
Awareness is very important for personal leadership. During his ‘quiet time’ David became aware of the distinction he had to make between real and non-real things. He became aware that fear had taken control of him. He could now distance himself from the patterns that had caused him to lose personal leadership.
Verse 6: personal leadership makes you follow
David regains full strength and perhaps even stronger than before. He sees how the sheep follow the shepherd and applies that to his own life. He discovers how the sheep confidently follow the shepherd. The sheep that get enough to eat, even if they occasionally have to cross a difficult section of mountainside. David discovers that it is the same in his life. Before he writes Psalm 23, he is going through a difficult time, but God is there and at the same time David is given guidance over his life. This situation is essentially nothing compared to the battle with Goliath. If the sheep follow the shepherd they will get enough food. If David continues to follow God as a shepherd, things will turn out well.
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