This is a chapter that most of us can quote from memory.  It is beautiful and comforting, but do we really believe and understand it today?

Our Ladies Bible class has been studying this chapter. What I have learned has helped me to  apply Psalm 23 to my life.  I have also learned a lot about what the shepherd had to do for his sheep, if he was a good shepherd. Being a good shepherd is not an easy job. Here are some things  I have learned from this study:

The Lord is to the Christian as a Shepherd is to His sheep.

 He is our provider and protector.

"Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me..." The shepherd used both a rod and a staff.   The rod was used to run off beasts.  It was also used to signal the sheep when he wanted them to move or to come to him.

The staff had a hook on the end. It was used to retrieve wandering sheep which may have fallen off the side of a mountain and landed on a ledge below, out of the shepherd's reach.  The shepherd also used the staff to lean on or as a walking stick.  Both the rod and staff  probably had other uses.

Today, the rod can symbolize His Word (the Bible) which tells us how to live godly lives (2 Tim. 3:16-17).   The staff, also, can be seen as the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. (Eph.6:17)

Here is a  thought on "goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life..."  When the sheep eat, they also leave their droppings behind.  If the shepherd has given them proper care, these droppings are very "well balanced".  It is better than any other manure. These droppings can cause bare land to be fertile.

As children of God, what do we leave behind in the World today?

Devastation and destruction?

Do those in the World hear us complaining, griping, unhappy, causing problems etc...

Or