Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Psalm 23), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• The superscription indicates that David wrote (and prayed) this Psalm. David was the great shepherd-king himself, praying to his shepherd, Yahweh. The greater Son of David, the Shepherd-King Jesus, also would have prayed this Psalm to his shepherd and Father. Can you imagine Jesus praying through this Psalm as a “sheep”? What aspects of his human life as a “sheep” following his shepherd could you see being reflected in this Psalm?

• [1-3] “Yahweh is my shepherd.” This is very personal (my), and because it is true it means we will lack nothing (for example, green pastures, waters of rest, etc.). Do you believe that God in Christ is your personal shepherd? Do you feel your needs/wants unmet? How do you go about trying to get those needs/wants met? If Yahweh is your shepherd, what are you lacking?

• [4] Death is the final enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26), the big baddie looming on the horizon like a mountain, casting its shadow over your world. What are some shadows of death that you are walking through? Does the fact that Jesus is with you remove your fears of these shadows? of death itself?  How do you feel about the fact that your shepherd is keeping you on a path like this? Do you trust that he knows what he’s doing? How could one walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death and still be able to pray “I shall not want” (1)?

• The rod and staff are the shepherd’s main tools, sometimes used to ward off external threats to the sheep, but much more frequently to keep the sheep safe from their own bad choices (a.k.a. “discipline”). Does the idea that your shepherd disciplines you seem like a threat, or does it give you comfort? How do you feel about submitting yourself to the authority of the elders of the church for your discipline? Why should you do it, even though elders are fallible in their exercise of Christ’s authority?

• [5] God is the generous host of a festive celebration. Where and when is the party? Can you imagine enjoying a feast in the presence of your enemies? How could you have that kind of attitude in your relationship with God in the midst of a world like this?

• [6] It isn’t that we live our whole lives in pursuit of God’s goodness and mercy (hesed, “steadfast love”)—it’s that his goodness and mercy shall follow us all our days, even though we’re the kind of people who actually would flee from God and his goodness. How does that change the way you think or feel about your relationship with God?