Psalms of Christ. Daniel H. Fletcher

movement within the psalm parallels the life of Christ at nearly every turn. In other words, when one follows the journey of the psalm in light of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, it “now predicts that Yahweh will be faithful to his promise to protect and preserve his Messiah at every point in his life’s journey.”153 The journey of the psalmist travels from rest (vv. 1–3), to the threat of death (v. 4), and finally to restoration and abundance (vv. 5–6). This journey is multifaceted, for it describes not only that of the psalmist, David, and his Shepherd in its original context, but also that of Israel who went from rest in the Promised Land to the darkest valley of the exile, and eagerly anticipates the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Psalter’s final shape (i.e., postexilic period).154 However, it ultimately refers to God’s Messiah, whose life tracks with the journey (or pilgrimage) of the psalm. Green’s christological reading mirrors the gospel narrative in six short verses: “Psalm 23 establishes the outline of Messiah’s story. His final destiny will be glorious: a return to the abundance of Eden in the Lord’s temple, with (defeated) enemies arrayed before him (v. 5). Before this climax, however, Messiah must pass through the valley of the shadow of death—perhaps a brush with death, or some deathlike condition.”155 The astute reader knows that the psalmist does not actually die in the psalm, so how can it prophetically speak of Christ who dies on the cross? A Christian reading of 23:4 transposes the psalmist’s near death experience into the actual death of Christ by reading the psalm in light of the gospel story.156 In other words, a grammatical-historical interpretation does not permit an actual experience of death by the psalmist, but a christological interpretation that reads the psalm in light of Jesus’s story does in fact result in the death of the Messiah. Additionally, because Ps 23 follows Ps 22, which the NT ties inextricably to the cross of Jesus Christ, the canonical placement of the two psalms recalls Jesus’s journey from suffering to salvation. In order for Christ to fully rest in the peace of Ps 23, he must first pass through the daunting road of Ps 22.157

It is beyond my purpose here to engage all the exegetical observations of each verse of Ps 23 to Christ, the sheep.158 But when read in light of the gospel, the twenty-third psalm speaks of Christ’s journey—his life, death, and resurrection—where the LORD is his shepherd who provides for his daily needs and restores his life by delivering him from death, and exalts him into the presence of the LORD in the heavenly temple (Heb 8—9).159 Psalm 23 is a summary of the gospel in the OT. A Christian reading of the psalm proclaims that its fullest meaning rests in the relationship between Christ and his Father, evoking the passion and new life of Jesus, as well as the gifts of the Lord’s Table.160 Suffice it to say here that both views—Jesus is my Shepherd and The LORD is Christ’s Shepherd—coalesce as christological interpretations of Ps 23, a psalm about God’s Anointed One.

102. Longman, How to Read Psalms, 116.

103. Ibid., 117.

104. Longman, Psalms, 133.

105. Ibid., 134–35.

106. Mays, Preaching, 119.

107. De-Claissé-Walford, et al., Psalms, 241.

108. Ibid.

109. Longman notes the rod and the staff are implements that the shepherd uses to fend off predators and to goad the sheep in the right direction and toward provision (Psalms, 136).

110. Mays, Preaching, 119; McCann, Theological, 130; McCann, Psalms, 768.

111. Mays, Preaching, 119.

112. McCann, Theological, 129.

113. Longman, Psalms, 137. I have written elsewhere on microstructuring within the Psalter where smaller groups of psalms with common themes are placed consecutively for various purposes. Psalms 26—30 are commonly referred to as the “sanctuary psalms” because each psalm mentions the sanctuary or temple. Some have expanded the group to include Pss 23—30 for the same reasons, Ps 25 being the exception. Thus, Ps 23 fits the larger group as a “sanctuary psalm,” but to a lesser degree than Pss 26—30 (Fletcher, “Sanctuary,” 97–119).

114. DeClaissé-Walford, et al., Psalms, 239.

115. McCann, Theological, 131.

116. Mays, Preaching, 118.

117. Ibid., 119.

118. Ibid.

119. McCann, Theological, 128.

120. Brueggemann and Bellinger, Psalms, 123. Brueggemann and Bellinger observe, “We may picture a sheep living without water or grass, exposed to wild animals, and therefore at risk. This protective, attentive shepherd changes all of that and the sheep is given a life of well-being” (ibid.). Some commentators see the term for “restore” (shuv) as the language of repentance. Thus, the verse conveys returning to God in repentance for the purpose of being restored (DeClaissé-Walford, et al., Psalms, 241–42). While the term at times conveys repentance (Hos 14:1; Joel 2:12), Ps 23 is not a “penitential psalm,” and to spiritualize the text in such a way goes beyond its original shepherding imagery. Nevertheless, the two views need not contradict each other, and, as Derek Kidner notes, may even converge, so that the rescue of a sheep pictures the deeper renewal of the person of God in his or her spiritual helplessness (Psalms 1–72, 110).

121. McCann, Theological, 128.

122. Mays, Preaching, 120. I use “traditions” and “memories” to refer loosely to both oral and written materials, but am conscious of not arguing for a genetic connection between specific biblical texts per se. We simply cannot be precise about the dating of Ps 23, or the other passages in their final form that I reference in this context. I think it best to assume an interpretive milieu from which the psalmist and other OT authors drew when reflecting on Israel’s redemption at the exodus, and these have been woven throughout the biblical witness. I have adapted my list of passages