The metaphors of Psalm 23 are mixed within, as David 's life had ups and downs, but his spiritual beliefs remained the same. The time that David wrote the Psalm is uncertain, but it is thought that a young man could not of written so calmly, so David must of wrote the psalm in his later years. Psalm 23 follows David 's life in the form of metaphors and poetry. The psalm is divided into two parts, the first being God’s image as a shepherd, and the second as a Host. We are both the sheep in His pasture and the guests at His table. Beginning with Psalm 23’s first verse of the first half: “The lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want,” David, the writer of the psalm, talks about his early life where he was a shepherd-boy. …show more content…
Metaphors follow him traveling through hard years of warfare, battle, and sorrow, where he finds God as his guardian. Some believe that David compares himself to a weak, defenceless, and foolish creature, while God is a provider and caretaker. God himself allows himself to be compared to a figure who sets forth love and care. David knew that he belonged to god, alike to a sheep belonging to a shepherd. When David writes, “I shall not want,” he means that he has everything he needs. This is a metaphor that can be related to shepherds having everything they need if their sheep are all safe. When David was a shepherd, he made all the needed stops for his flock. There is no reason to think that David limited his actions for his own needs. God lacks nothing if we have unwavering faith. The second verse says, “he makes me lie down in green pastures.” Green pastures refer to either pastures that sheep may graze in or the truth of the scripture. The sheep do not have to fear bare ground without seamlessly green grass to graze while their …show more content…
David gives the imagery of a table with an abundance of items, and they are prepared with care before him. God gave him all the necessary confidence and abundance of things for the fight between him and Goliath. The goodness of the table will still be prepared in front of David’s enemies, which is surprising because the image of the table is thought of to be highly important. The hosts care is not diminished by who the guest is, and shows us the image of God in his goodness. Relating the verse to David, when a soldier in in the presence of his enemies he eats quickly, alike to how he fights, but when the Host prepares a table they eat solely as if they were friends. The following verse: “You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows,” talks about the despite the danger of enemies, David enjoys the Host. The is anointed with oil on top of his head. Anointing the head with oil was a practice in biblical days to honor a person and/or dignify them. It is said that your cup can be overflowing with faith like Daniels. David then writes, “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,” which refers to the Host brining David goodness and mercy through his life. This psalm implies that we will sin because we are not perfect, but God will