This fourth Sunday of Easter is one of the several Sundays
in the church calendar that includes the twenty-third psalm as part of its
lectionary. Psalm 23 is without a doubt
the most recognizable and oft-quoted psalm in the collection. It has been set
to innumerable hymns and anthems, for it offers comfort and reassurance in
God’s presence in our lives. It was written to offer a way to live in and with
the presence of God, yet is most familiarly used at the time of death and is a
favorite at funerals. As is often the
case with frequently used prayers, psalms, hymns and anthems, the intent and
meaning of the words is easily overlooked.
It’s important to remember that David, before he became a
king and the noted head of the family line that would eventually produce the
Son of God (pretty important breeches, wouldn’t you say?), was a shepherd. One
can imagine the young lad out in the hills with his flock, being solely
responsible for their care and survival. And the survival of the flock has
direct bearing on the survival of his people.
It must have been a bit intimidating at times. Fast forward to King David who is now solely
responsible for the care and survival of his people—full fruition of the
promise (or curse, depending on one’s outlook at the moment) that God made to
David. I imagine that it was during one
of these moments of overwhelming liability that the boy and king would
desperately seek his own shepherd and who better for the role than God.
(Incidentally, the line “thou hast anointed my head with oil” indicates the
poem was written after David was made king.) God as our shepherd upon whom we
can unload all our troubles and confide in with complete trust is a very
comforting thought.
Except…
Assuming the translation of Adonai Ro’i (God is
my shepherd)is the appropriate meaning as opposed to “God is my companion”—“shepherd”
is thought to derive from re’a, which
means “friend, pal, companion,”—there
are implications to be considered with God as shepherd. In the story of Joseph, there is a throw-away
line (Genesis 46:34) where Joseph tells his brothers that shepherds are
“abhorrent to the Egyptians.” This antagonistic attitude towards shepherds was
apparently a prevailing one in ancient times.
In fact, resentment towards shepherds begins right in the beginning of
Genesis with Cain’s jealously of Abel.
References pitting farmers against shepherds arise again and again in
the Bible. Now, perhaps the circumstances in which David composed this psalm
did not take this particular animosity into consideration. Yet the implications of this conflict might
have some bearing on later interpretations of the psalm—especially when using
the shepherd metaphor to describe Jesus. The conflict foreshadows the antipathy
that led to Jesus’ crucifixion. What would it mean for the safety of the sheep
to trust in a guardian doomed to be hated and scourged by others? Yet the
language of the psalm conveys complete and utter confidence in the protection
of God as shepherd.
In order to take comfort in the idea of God being our
shepherd, one must complete the analogy by accepting that people, therefore are
sheep. The problem with that is that the very nature of sheep (flocking
instinct, disinclination to act independently, a ready recognition of their
shepherd’s voice over any others) infers on the part of people a nature that is
construed as negative and detrimental. We are at our worst when we lack
independent thought and when we hear only one voice (i.e. one narrow
perspective). To be sure, it is when we are at our worst that we most need God
to be our shepherd. Singer Juanita Bynum sings an interpretation of the
twenty-third psalm that has been beautifully choreographed in a liturgical dance that
speaks to this need. We are reminded that God the Shepherd (abhorred by others)
has had experience being God the Lamb (scourged, despised and sacrificed).
This, then, is a shepherd who can be trusted with our very worst.
Most of the musical versions of Psalm 23 that we at Trinity
are most familiar with are settings of gentle, soothing quality—hymn 645, St. Columba (which we will sing this
Sunday, April 21) is one such hymn; hymn 664, Resignation is another. John Rutter
includes his interpretation of the psalm in his masterpiece opus Requiem. In light of
recent events, perhaps it is most fitting to seek safety and reassurance in God
as Shepherd. He shall convert my soul and
lead me forth in the paths of righteousness. May that path be one of loving
forgiveness and understanding and not one of vengeance or indifference.
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