"The Lord Is My Shepherd"

I love the Psalms, and the 23rd is one of my favorites. Part of it relates to kings, particularly David, and part of it is Messianic. Let's look at this psalm a bit closer.

"I Shall Not Want"

Psalm 23 begins, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" (v. 1). Those of us who have struggled with addiction know about want and desperate craving. I remember how badly I always wanted another drink, and yet was never filled up. Isaiah describes what some addicts call the "God hole." We try to fill our souls with alcohol, drugs, sex, food, and many other things in an attempt to fill that emptiness only God can fill. Isaiah observes:

"It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite" (Isaiah 29:8).

When the Prodigal Son "began to be in want," he "would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat" (Luke 15:14,16). Compare this with the fruit of the tree of life. Lehi said, "And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy" (1 Nephi 8:12).

"He Leadeth Me Beside the Still Waters"

Verse 2 states, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." We can drink deeply of the "waters of Shiloah that go softly" (Isaiah 8:6). Unlike chaotic waters of the world, Jesus, the source of "living water," provides "peace . . .  which passeth all understanding" (see John 4:10; Philippians 4:7).

"Valley of the Shadow of Death"

"Yea, 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" (v. 4).

This is a Messianic prophecy. After eating the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus walked across the Kidron Valley en route to Gethsemane, where He would carry the weight of all sin and suffering. A quick Google search will reveal a multitude of graves in the Kidron Valley. As Jesus walked through "the valley of the shadow of death," He "subdued all enemies under (H)is feet," including the enemies of death and hell (D&C 76:106).

"Thou Preparest a Table Before Me"

The ancient tabernacle (and later temple) had a table of shewbread (see Exodus 25:23,30).  The Hebrew word means "bread of the face" or "presence bread." It represented a perpetual offering, ever present before the Lord. The shewbread was a forerunner to the sacrament. One sacramental promise is that we can always have His Spirit to be with us (D&C 20:77). Thus, God can be ever present in our lives.

"Thou Anointest My Head With Oil"

Kings and priests (and queens and priestesses) were anointed with oil, in similitude of the Messiah, or Christ, which both mean "anointed One" (see Exodus 40:13; 1 Kings 1:39). Heavenly Father is anxiously ready to endow each of His children with every blessing and attribute He enjoys.

"My Cup Runneth Over"

The cup is kingly paraphernalia. Nehemiah held the important post as cupbearer for King Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 1:11). Jesus, as King of kings, was willing to drink out of the "bitter cup" His Father gave Him (3 Nephi 11:11) so He could fill our cups. But even when the cup is full, He gives us a bigger cup! When Jesus visited the Nephites in the Americas, the multitude was overcome with joy (3 Nephi 17:18). But Jesus was not overcome. As we become more like Him, our capacity for joy is increased.

The "goodness and mercy" of God are truly amazing (Psalm 23:6).