No doubt the best-known chapter in the Old Testament is the 23rd Psalm. Many people know it by heart. I often read it when I officiate at a funeral because it’s full of comfort and refers to walking through “the valley of the shadow of death”. But did you realize that the psalm before and the psalm after it form a beautiful trilogy of trust? Popular Bible teacher J. Vernon McGee (who has already walked through that valley), shared these insights in one of his radio broadcasts.
Trust the Savior
We begin with Psalm 22. This is clearly a Messianic psalm since it describes so clearly how Jesus (the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed One) suffered for us. The first verse asks, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These are the words Jesus cried out when hanging from the cross.
It then describes how the Messiah would be “scorned”, “despised”, “mocked” and “insulted” (verses 6-7). All this emotional abuse happened to Jesus before and during his crucifixion. It even predicts what words the scorners, despisers, mockers and insulters would use —“He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him.” (verse 8)
Several verses recount in detail what happens to a crucified body (centuries before this torture technique had been invented)…
“All my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax.” (verse 14)
“My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth” (verse 15)
“They have pierced my hands and feet” (verse 16)
“I can count all my bones” (verse 17)
“They cast lots for my clothing” (verse 18).
All these details are recorded in the four Gospels (written a millennium later).
The final verses change the tone dramatically from suffering to celebration. They describe the result of Jesus’ sacrifice — “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him” (verse 27). This too has happened as the Christian movement has grown over the centuries from a small group of twelve to an international body of millions living in every nation today.
Trust the Shepherd
We now come to the much loved 23rd Psalm. It begins with these familiar words, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (verse 1) If the Lord is our Shepherd, then believers must be the sheep (or lambs if you’re young).
Although only six verses long (one-fifth the length of Psalm 22), it’s packed with action verbs describing how our Shepherd cares for us. He makes us lie down in green pastures, He leads us beside still waters, He restores our souls, He guides us in paths of righteousness, He accompanies us through valleys of death, He comforts us with His rod and staff, He prepares a table for us and He anoints our heads with oil. These continuous acts show us how much this “Savior Shepherd” loves us. This makes it easy for us to love Him back.
Trust the Sovereign
We conclude with Psalm 24. This 10-verse poem is also a psalm of David and presents God as our sovereign Lord. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” (verses 1-2) This sovereign Lord is called “the King of glory” five times in four verses (verses 7-10).
Trust the Savior. Trust the Shepherd. Trust the Sovereign. McGee sums up this “trilogy of trust” with these words – “In Psalm 22, Jesus gives His life for the sheep. In Psalm 23, He gives His love to the sheep. In Psalm 24, He gives us light when He shall appear. Next time you hear or read the 23rd Psalm, remember the more complete picture. In the past, Jesus died for us, in the present He lives for us, and in the future, He is coming again for us.”
Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.
