noted earlier, in addition to the shepherd metaphor, the twenty-third psalm also uses that of a gracious host (23:5–6), which continues the themes of protection and provision. God provides hospitality by preparing a table before the psalmist (v. 5). This also has exodus connotations. Once again, 78:19 recalls the miraculous provisions of God in the wilderness and asks a rhetorical question: “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?” The obvious answer is “yes” when one considers the manna and quail (and water) with which God fed the Israelites during their desert travels.
In the face of an onslaught from his enemies, the psalmist affirms that the Lord’s “goodness” and “mercy” pursue him (23:6). To be sure, it is not his enemies that pursue him—as is often the case in Psalms (e.g., 7:5; 69:26; 71:11; 109:16)—but these attributes of God.127 The Hebrew verb radaf has a more active sense as “to pursue” than the traditional English translation “to follow.”128 The traditional translation may give the misleading impression that as the psalmist journeys through life, he charts his own path and is the master of his own destiny, and God’s attributes simply follow as convenient helps on the way. However, the original language is much stronger so that the divine attributes of goodness and mercy are pictured as incarnate forces, which will not rest until they have tracked down and provided a safe harbor for the endangered psalmist.129 Indeed, goodness and mercy pursue the psalmist throughout his life. What is more, the personified attributes of goodness (tov) and mercy (khesed) are covenant attributes that speak of God’s faithfulness to his people, and notably these are often mentioned in exodus contexts.130 For example, in response to Moses’s request to see God, he tells Moses that he would allow his “goodness” to pass before him (Exod 33:19). Additionally, khesed lies at the heart of God’s character as the word appears twice in his self-revelation to Moses (34:6–7). Similarly, Deut 7:9 praises God as one who “keeps covenant and steadfast love (khesed).” Thus, the main theme in Ps 23:5–6 is khesed, which is the very character of God as declared to Moses at the exodus.
The final exodus reference that I will mention occurs in the final colon of the psalm: “I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (v. 6).131 This reference to the house of God may not appear at first to refer to the formative period of Israel’s history at the exodus, but rather to the monarchy period over 400 years later when the temple was constructed by Solomon (2 Sam 7:13; 1 Kgs 6—8). Yet Moses predicts this future dwelling of God among his people: “You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established” (Exod 15:17). The specific language of “house of the LORD” is an obvious reference to the Jerusalem temple, and adds to the psalm’s emphasis on God as the King.132 Therefore, the references to hospitality in verses 5–6 are not simply referring to hospitality in general; they signify a royal banquet in the house of the divine King of Israel. The temple is where God makes his presence known to the people; thus, the psalmist proclaims that he will live in the light of God’s presence for the duration of his life.133 Once again the psalm uses a metaphor; the temple represents God’s presence. In other words, no one actually lives in the temple, but its very presence indicates God’s dwelling among his people. McCann notes that “the final line of the psalm is another way of affirming that ‘you are with me’ (v. 4), as the immediately preceding line has also proclaimed (v. 6a).”134 Jacobson summarizes the psalm’s ultimate destination as the presence of God:
The point of the metaphor is that the destination that one reaches after being led along the paths of righteousness, the destination one reaches at the end of the days of my life, the destination toward which one is shepherded and indeed toward which one is harried by God’s pursuing goodness and hesed is none other than God’s very self. God is the psalmist’s destination.135
In light of this discussion, which is by no means exhaustive, we can summarize the psalm’s allusions to the exodus event in the following table:
| Psalm 23 | Exodus Traditions |
| “The LORD is my shepherd” | “You led your people like a flock” (Ps 77:20)“Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock” (Ps 78:52) |
| “I shall not want” | “You have lacked nothing” (Deut 2:7) |
| “He leads me beside still waters” | “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode” (Exod 15:13)“And water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock” (Num 20:11)“He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep. He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers” (Ps 78:15–16). |
| “I will fear no evil, for you are with me” | “You shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you” (Deut 20:1; 31:8)“He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid” (Ps 78:53) |
| “You prepare a table before me” | “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?” (Ps 78:19) |
| “Goodness and mercy shall pursue me” | “I will make all my goodness pass before you” (Exod 33:19)“Abounding in steadfast love” (twice in Exod 34:6–7)“Who keeps covenant and steadfast love” (Deut 7:9) |
| “I shall dwell in the house of the LORD” | “You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established” (Exod 15:17) |
Table 1 Psalm 23 and the Exodus
Space does not allow for a more thorough interaction with each of the exodus traditions above, but hopefully enough has been said to illustrate the most salient points of contact between them and Ps 23, and to offer another lens through which to read this beloved psalm in addition to the traditional shepherding background.
Christology
It may come as a surprise to many readers to learn that Ps 23 has not traditionally been considered a “messianic” psalm, nor does the NT quote from it. Even so, it probably alludes to it, and the psalm evokes some of the most basic recollections of the person and work of Jesus Christ. The quote by John Calvin at the beginning of this chapter identifies the principle objective of shepherd metaphor: the humble descent of God into the affairs of humanity. Put differently, the metaphor illustrates the self-humiliation of God as he enters into the world on behalf of humanity to identify with and care for it on the most personal level. Given that God evidences his affection for humanity by “stooping low” (à la Calvin) to care for its basic needs, the shepherd metaphor in Ps 23 anticipates the incarnation of Christ in the NT. It is difficult to do better than C. Hassell Bullock:
The theology of this psalm arises out of the practice of life, the practice of the lowliest of occupations, shepherding sheep. In the broad outline of biblical theology, it is not an exaggeration to say that this imagery is a hint of the incarnation of God in human flesh, in Jesus of Nazareth. That God would condescend to the level of a shepherd is remarkably assuring, affirming his love for humanity.136
Granted, there are other images of God in the OT that convey various aspects of his relationship to his people (e.g., king, creator, father, fortress, rock, etc.), but none captures the meekness of God like the shepherd image. The incarnational theme of God as shepherd comes into even sharper focus in Jesus Christ as the good shepherd (John 10:1–30). Shepherding is such a prominent motif in Scripture that it is difficult to be precise as to which OT passage John has in mind. The two most likely candidates are Ezek 34 and Ps 23, and these are not mutually exclusive because