Psalm 23

• 
  "If the Lord is your shepherd, then you have a God who is for you. And if God is for you, it doesn't matter who or what is against you." Tim Keller.

• "We must not think of the Christian life as a kind of pleasure cruise. It is a pilgrimage, and it often goes through the valley of the shadow." Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

1. How is the word “shepherd” the most comprehensive and intimate metaphor for God (Ps 23:1; Gen 48:15; Isa 40:11; Jn 10:11, 14)? If God is your shepherd, how should you live (Ac 20:28; 1 Pet 5:2; Rom 8:28)?
• What is it to “lack nothing”? Is contentment complacency (Phil 4:11-12)?
• How might doom scrolling, binge watching, social media, and commercials affect your wants?
2. What does God need to do before you will "lie down / rest" (Ps 23:2)?
• What kind of life is this (Phil 4:7; Jn 14:27; Gal 6:22)?
• Is this peace an escape? Did David know peace in the face of pain (Ps 22:1)?
3. Why do English translations say “He restores / refreshes / renews / revives my soul” while the Hebrew says “He brings me back” or "My life, He brings back" (Ps 23:3)?
• What does this suggest about you (Isa 53:6; Rom 3:10-12)? About why you need to be led/guided “along the right paths,” and about what you most need (Gen 3:9; Eze 34:11, 16; Lk 19:10)? [Jer 23:3; Zech 10:10; Mt 18:12; Lk 15:4]
• Why “for his name's sake” (Ps 23:3b; Eze 36:22)? How will God do this (Eze 36:25-27)?
4. 
   Like David, are you ready to pass through the valley of darkness / death (Ps 23:4a; Job 38:17)?
• Do you fear facing death (Ps 23:4b; Isa 41:10)?
• Notice the change from the third person (He) to the second person (You). Why is this the center and climax of Psalm 23 (Ps 63:1)?
• What is the role of the rod and staff (Ps 23:4c; 1 Sam 17:34-35)?
5. What does God preparing a table for you in the presence of your enemies suggest (Ps 23:5; Rom 8:31, 37; 2 Cor 12:9; 1 Cor 11:25)?
• What does the anointing mean (Mt 26:7; Mk 14:3; Lk 7:38; Jn 12:3)?
• What does “my cup overflows” mean (Jn 10:10b)?
6. What is “goodness” [tov] and “mercy/love” [hesed] (Ps 23:6)? Is this your singular desire (Ps 27:4; Phil 1:23)? Your confident hope (Ps 16:11; Lam 3:22-23; Jn 14:2-3; Rev 21:3-4)?