What does it mean that the Lord is your shepherd?

In Psalm 23, the most beloved psalm in the Bible, David calls the Lord "my shepherd." Dr. Toby Holt unpacks why this short psalm has comforted God's people for three thousand years. To call the Lord "my shepherd" is a bold, personal claim — and admits we are sheep, prone to wander. The psalm gives two pictures: God as Shepherd who guards, provides, and leads, and God as gracious Host who anoints our head and fills our cup. Jesus took up this image as the Good Shepherd. Its hope reaches to "the house of the LORD forever."

Questions this study answers:

1. Why is Psalm 23 the most beloved psalm? Because it speaks of God's personal care in life and in death. Its comfort meets people in their deepest needs.

2. What does it mean to call the Lord "my shepherd"? A claim of trust — and an admission that we are sheep who need leading, providing, and protecting.

3. What does it mean to be one of God's sheep? Knowing the Shepherd's voice and following Him, kept safe by the One who laid down His life for them.

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." — Psalm 23:1 (NKJV)

Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.