What does "he makes me lie down in green pastures" mean (Psalm 23:2)?

Psalm 23:2. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters." The effect of the knowledge of Jesus as the good and great Shepherd is rest of soul in Himself, and the quiet enjoyment of His love and grace. To know Himself is life — eternal life. To know His work is peace — perfect peace. "He maketh me to lie down." To sit down is to rest; but to lie down gives the idea of full, perfect, refreshing rest — complete repose. This is what the Shepherd provides — what He leads to; not, alas, what we always accept. We often wander in fields wherein is no pasture, and beside the troubled, not the quiet waters. But this comes from occupation with self and unbelief, not from the Shepherd's hand and care. He would have the feeblest of His flock to be free from all anxiety as to the future. The Shepherd's thoughtful love is enough. He has charged Himself with the entire care of all who follow Him. We have only to watch the direction of the Shepherd's eye, and confide in His unfailing care. "I will guide thee with mine eye" — "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee," are His own words. His sheep cannot want. They may often be greatly tried in their journeyings through the wilderness, and often be ready to faint and fail because of the way; but we must remember that the Lord's grace never fails, and that we must ever count on Him, and what we have in Him. He is with us always, even unto the end. We may quietly rest in Him. He maketh us to lie down in "green pastures" - in the midst of plenty — we rest in the abundance of His grace; and He ever leads beside the still waters.

Secondly (v. 2), in the wilderness path there are not only temporal wants, but spiritual needs. For the Christian the world around is an empty wilderness. There is nothing in all its passing vanities to feed the soul. Its pastures are dry and barren; its waters, only waters of strife. If "the LORD is my Shepherd," He will lead me into His green pastures and beside the still waters.

How quickly the pleasures of this world pall, even upon its votaries. The spiritual food provided by the Shepherd is ever fresh, for He leads into the "green pastures." Moreover, the Shepherd not only feeds, but satisfies, for He makes His sheep to "lie down in green pastures." No hungry sheep would lie down in the midst of plenty. It would first feed, and when full lie down. Furthermore, the Shepherd leads beside the still waters. The waters of the stream that makes most noise, and show, are ever where the rocks are most abundant and the waters shallow. The still waters are quiet but deep. The Shepherd can calm our souls, and quench our spiritual thirst with the deep things of God far removed from the noisy and shallow strifes that occupy men, and too often distract the Christian.

Not only does He provide for our temporal needs, but He satisfies us with spiritual blessings. He would set me free from earthly cares to fill my soul with heavenly joys. He not only brings His sheep to green pastures — pastures of tender grass — but there He makes them lie down. No hungry sheep will lie down in green pastures: the hungry sheep will feed in the pastures of tender grass, but the satisfied sheep will lie down and rest. So our Shepherd not only provides us with spiritual nourishment, but He can fill our souls with satisfaction and rest. He that comes to Me, shall never hunger."

W. B. D. The sheep is not here brought to green pastures to have need supplied, but because it has eaten well. Every want has been met, and amid peace and plenty, under the protection of the Shepherd, it lies down.

"He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters" — or, as we have it in the margin, pastures of tender grass, and waters of quietness. He thus provides suited blessings — needed sustenance, and rest and refreshment. But even this fails to convey the richness and bounty of the provision which He makes for His flock. The pastures are — pastures of tender grass, on which the sheep feed with appetite and delight, until they are satisfied; and when they are satisfied — as with marrow and fatness — they lie down by the cool and refreshing waters of quietness. As it is said in John 10 — "I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture" (ver. 9). What unfolding of the heart of the Shepherd — ministering thus to the need of His own, watching over them to minister to all their necessities. Happy are the sheep who are placed under such constant, loving, and faithful care!

There are just two sections in this psalm, the first dealing with the tenderness of the Shepherd's care on which the sheep may fully depend. The first verse is most precious in speaking of the personal relationship of the sheep to the Shepherd, — "The Lord is my Shepherd." This gives confidence to add, "I shall not want." He meets every need: nothing is lacking to the soul who trusts Him. The sheep is one of the most dependent of animals, always needing a shepherd. The Shepherd does not always keep them on the move, but makes them "lie down in green pastures (v. 2). This is after thy have been feeding, when they need time to ruminate, to digest what they have eaten. Spiritually speaking, just as sheep, we need time to meditate on what food we have received from the word of God. The pastures too are green, not hard to lie down on, the very color indicating restfulness. At proper times we need such rest.

But there is the experience which surely follows to him who walks with God. "I am the Door: by Me if any man enter in he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Here is the soul's answer to that: "He maketh me lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside quiet waters." The words picture peaceful enjoyment of that which the Spirit of God ministers in unfailing freshness to the soul. The sheep, like other ruminants, — the clean animals of the law, — does not simply swallow its food and make an end of it. Lying down at rest, the gathered food is brought up again and deliberately and perfectly triturated and reduced. How much this process counts for with God, the Mosaic law bears emphatic testimony. The spiritual reality it is, of course, that counts. The lying down is not mere rest, but has to do with the assimilation of that which these "green pastures" indicate, and to which the "quiet waters" add how greatly! Restful employment with the soul-satisfying treasures of God's word, divinely provided, divinely ministered, — how little does it characterize even the people of God in the present day! And how little "clean" are their ways and thoughts, by reason of this!

But the lying down in green pastures, implies not only the divestment of heart and mind from surrounding influences, whilst feeding upon the Word of God, but also the repose of mind and heart afterwards, to digest the divine food the soul has thus enjoyed in undisturbed peace. As I said already: the same "tender herbs," full of flavour, vigour, and fragrance, which are our food, are to be our pillow, to rest and to digest; and mark, dear reader, such "lying down" and digesting of the food received, may take place in the midst of the performance of daily duties. They need not prevent our meditating on the things we have learned at the feet of Jesus. A sheep of Christ, thus made to lie down by Himself, need not be disturbed from its repose by the duties of daily life, however arduous they may be. On the contrary, such an one will perform them all the more faithfully. The serene light and sunshine, the freshness and peace of that pasture, will be carried into our daily earthly relationships and testify all the more of that peace, His peace, which the world cannot give.

Psalm 23:2. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures."

Now, we may safely turn, under the guidance of our gracious Shepherd, to His pastures, Oh! what boundless expanse of evergreen pastures, does He open and spread out before our wondering eyes! What a freshness of "tender herbs," [see margin] glistening in the sunshine of His presence, favour, and blessing. Come hither, ye poor starving sheep and lambs of His flock. Come, ye that hunger, come, ye that are thirsty, and behold the bright, boundless scene of exuberance, that bursts upon our view, as we approach it under His guidance. Not narrow meadows, with shrivelled, half-withered grass, hedged in by human religious creeds, prejudices and ordinances, confined within the narrow pale of a sect; but enter here with that liberty, wherewith Christ, your Good Shepherd, has made you free; and your soul shall be satisfied, as with marrow and fatness, and your mouth shall praise Him with joyful lips, Who is the door, and maketh His sheep to go in and out and find pasture. But there is more. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures." Blessed Shepherd! He not only leads the sheep to the pasture, and says: "There is the food! Now go and feed." But He makes us to lie down in the midst of that exuberant expanse of "tender herbs," to rest in the repose of perfect peace. But mark, Christian reader, "He maketh me to lie down." He alone, and none else, can do it. "He," Jehovah-Jesus, must be at the head of this second verse, as He heads the first, and as we shall find Him at the opening of the third. It is He Who does the whole work of feeding, and restoring, and comforting the sheep, as it was He Who did the work of salvation. It is the Shepherd Who sought the sheep, when it was lost, and carries it home on His shoulders, after He has found it. When the sheep was lost, Jesus loved it, and because it was a lost one, He sought it. After He has found it, He loves it, because it is a found one, and He carries it home on His shoulders. But here, it is neither the going of the Shepherd after the lost one, nor His carrying home the found one, but His making the feeding one "to lie down." His disciples, at His command, could make 5,000 hungry people "to sit down" upon the tender grass, to satisfy their natural hunger from His abundance. But neither they, nor any other servant of Christ, even if he be the most gifted preacher, teacher, or pastor, can make the feeblest lamb of the flock of God "to lie down" in the tender herbs of the green pasture of Jehovah-Jesus. Such a gifted under-pastor of Christ's flock may make the people to "sit down" under his ministry (as is the current expression), just as the Lord's disciples made those 5,000 to sit down upon the grass, but none but Christ can make them to "lie down."

It is a simple thing, but not simple for us - at least we are not simple enough for it. (See Psalm 23.) Jehovah is my shepherd. In Psalm 30 he says, "I shall never be moved. Thou, Jehovah, by thy favour hast made my mountain to stand strong. Thou didst hide thy face" - and where was this fine mountain then? But in Psalm 23 he cannot say, Jehovah is my shepherd, till he has been through all the power of evil. Not Jehovah has given me abundance of green pastures (though He does give them), but He is my shepherd, and then come the green pastures and still waters, but he is not looking at that only. "He restoreth my soul," if he had got into trouble. Then he goes on to death: "I will fear no evil"; Jehovah is the shepherd. If he meets enemies, Jehovah spreads a table for him in their presence, as Joshua did when they went into Canaan. Then he says, "He anointeth my head with oil." He reckoned on Jehovah, and learned to reckon through all the difficulties of the way. For His name's sake He leads in the paths of righteousness, and goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life; but he did not say that till he had been through all the power of evil. The point is, Jehovah is my shepherd, not, having good things.