You Don’t Want to Hear What Psalm 23 Really Says

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Psalm 23 is the psalm of comfort. It’s the passage whispered in hospital rooms, read at gravesides, and clung to in the darkest nights of the soul.

We love the image of a gentle Shepherd leading us to still waters, the peace of lying down in green pastures, the assurance of walking through the valley without fear.

But there’s a part of this psalm we have failed to see.

We think of God as leading us, but the Hebrew word used in verse three does not mean ‘lead’ at all. It means something far more forceful. It means to drive.

The Shepherd Who Drives His Sheep

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” — He drives me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.(Psalm 23:1–3).

Western shepherds drive their sheep. Eastern shepherds lead them. But here, in this Psalm, the image is jarring-our Shepherd, who gently leads, also pushes, prods, and forces us onto certain paths.

These are paths we do not want to walk.

Paths we would never choose. And yet, they are the only paths that will make us holy. They are the right paths, and they are chosen for one reason: God’s glory is…