What is the meaning of, "I shall not want" in Psalm 23:1?

The Lord (Jehovah) is my Shepherd. Everything depends upon the relationship, whether we can truly adopt this language. Every one can say the Lord is a Shepherd; and hence all the significance of this statement is connected with the little word "my." To say "my" Shepherd is the language of faith: the word "my" is, therefore, the doorway into the psalm. How blessed if we can, then, adopt these words as our own, and say He is our Shepherd. And what follows? "I shall not want." We shall not want, not because we are sheep, but because He is our Shepherd. This conclusion flows, not from what we are to Him, but from what He is to us. It is very strengthening to the soul to see this clearly, for many of us are apt to begin with ourselves; and consequently, as we discover what poor, feeble, wayward creatures we are, we fall into doubts and anxieties. But when we begin with the Lord, consider what He is — what He is in Himself, as well as what He is in relationship to us, we obtain the well-grounded assurance that we "shall not want." For surely it belongs to the Shepherd to provide for the sheep. How foolish it were even in children to question their parents as to how their wants were to be met on the morrow! Much more foolish would it be on our parts — when we have such a Shepherd. Enough for our hearts surely to know that He is ours, and in that sweet confidence we can leave everything in His hands, "who shall feed (tend) His flock like a Shepherd" (Isa. 40:11). He is ours, and we have everything in Him; and hence the heart can rest in perfect peace — in the full assurance of His unfailing love, omnipotent power, and unwearied care.

"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!

46 Psalm 23 is so ordered by the Spirit as to apply to a dying Christ, or a saint who follows His footsteps, or the preserved remnant. It does not consider the sufferings of Christ from God, or from man, nor those of the faithful, save as mere facts and occasions of Jehovah's care. Its subject is "Jehovah is my Shepherd" - the constant unfailing care exercised by Him. It is a life spent under His care and eye, come what will, the experience it affords, and the assurance that Jehovah's love gives to the end and for ever. It is not what He gives which assures the heart, but Himself. "Jehovah is my Shepherd; I shall not want." Power, grace, goodness, interest in the faithful One, all assure; and assure in all circumstances and for ever and always. He has undertaken and has charged Himself with the care of His faithful ones. These cannot want. We have not to think of what may come, or what means may be employed. The Shepherd's care is our assurance. The natural fruit of this care is fresh and green pastures in security the peaceful enjoyment of the sure refreshings of goodness. But in fact man, specially the remnant, and Christ Himself, are in the midst of oppressing sorrow, and death, and in presence of mighty enemies. Is the soul troubled and bowed down? He restores it. Does it go through the valley of the shadow of death? does death cast its dark gloom over the spirit that must go down into its shade? He is there, greater than death, to guide and sustain. Are powerful and relentless enemies there to alarm and threaten? They are powerless before Him. He dresses a table for His beloved, where they sit down in safety, and secure. Divine unction is the seal of power when all is against us. Human weakness, death, and spiritual powers of wickedness, all are only the occasions to shew most evidently that Jehovah, the Shepherd, is the infallible safeguard of His people.

This is only what we might expect. If God undertakes to provide for any one, or for any people, the provision, must of necessity, be perfect. It is wholly impossible that God could omit any one thing needful. He knows all things, and can do all things. Nothing can escape His vigilant eye; nothing is beyond His omnipotent hand. Hence, therefore, all those who can truly say, "The Lord is my Shepherd," may add, without hesitancy or reserve, "I shall not want." The soul that is, in truth and reality, leaning on the arm of the living God can never — shall never — want any good thing. The poor foolish heart may imagine a thousand wants; but God knows what we really want, and He will provide for ALL.

"The Lord, (Jehovah Jesus,) is my shepherd." Could we admit, after these words, the shadow of a thought of want? Perish the doubt, that would dare to tread upon the heels of that glorious truth, "The Lord is my Shepherd." The following words, "I shall not want," are, for the logic of faith, only the natural and necessary conclusion of the first part of the sentence. They are twin-truths, so to speak, inseparable. Just as we would say on a fine spring morning, "The sun is risen, consequently there will be plenty of light and warmth." Once this statement repeated in the assurance of faith, "The Lord Jehovah Jesus is my Shepherd," you cannot help adding, "I shall not want." A natural man's way of thinking and feeling is just the opposite. He first feels his wants, and then bethinks himself of one to supply it. Faith thinks first of the One Who supplies every want, and then says, "I shall not want at all;" and if we, through grace, have learnt, in this time of many books and much knowledge, and yet of broken cisterns and confusion everywhere, to resort, with hungry hearts and thirsty souls, to Him Who said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink," and, "I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me, shall never hunger"; we shall re-echo, with all our heart, that glorious strain of praise and confidence:

Such is the Shepherd to whom a Father's hand has committed us; and, oh, how has He provided for us for time and eternity, by placing us in such hands — the hands of an ever-living, ever-loving, all-powerful Shepherd, whose love many waters cannot quench; whose power no enemy can countervail; who holds in His hand the keys of death and hell, and who has established His claim to the guardianship of the flock, by laying down His life for it. Truly we may say, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." How can we want while Jesus feeds us? Impossible. Our foolish hearts may often desire to feed on noxious pasture, and our Shepherd may have to prove His gracious care by denying us the use of such, but one thing is certain, that those whom Jesus feeds shall not want any good thing.

… Ever since I heard of your illness, and the Lord's mercy in sustaining and restoring, I have been intending to write to bless the Lord with my very dear sister, and ask for some words to strengthen my faith, in detail of your cup having run over in the hour of need. Is it not, indeed, the bleating of Messiah's sheep "I shall not want?" "shall not want," because the Lord is our shepherd; "shall not want," because our shepherd is the Lord! Our shepherd, the all-sufficient! nothing can unite itself to him, nothing mingle with him; nothing add to his satisfying nature; nothing diminish from his fulness. There is a peace and fulness of expression in this little sentence, known only to the sheep. The remainder of the Psalm is a drawing out of this, "I shall not want." In the unfolding we find repose, refreshment, restoring mercies, guidance, peace in death, triumph, an overflowing of blessings — future confidence, eternal security in life or death, spiritual or temporal, prosperity or adversity — Time or eternity. May we not boldly say, "The Lord is my shepherd;" for we stand on the sure foundation of the 22nd Psalm. How can we want when united to him! we have a right to use all his riches. — Our wealth is his riches and glory. — With him nothing can be withheld. Eternal life is ours, with the promise all shall be added; all He knows we want. Our shepherd has learnt the wants of his sheep by experience, for He was himself "led as a sheep to the slaughter." — Does not this expression, dictated by the spirit, imply a promise, and a full promise, when connected with his own words, I know my sheep: by what painful discipline He was instructed in this knowledge, subjected himself to the wants of every sheep, every lamb of his fold, that he might be able to be touched with a feeling of their infirmities. The timid sheep has nothing to fear; fear not want, fear not affliction, fear not pain; "fear not," according to your want shall be your supply — "The Lord is my portion," saith my soul, therefore will I trust in Him; does the silly sheep cry to be kept from want? it may well be answered, ye know not what ye ask; it knows not of what it would rob itself in receiving the supply provided for that particular want. In the midst of danger, we have no cause of alarm, we have been taken hold of by Omnipotent love, "shall never perish." "It is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." All to be expected of a shepherd, shall be found in one, who so loved us, as to lay down his life for us. Dear sister, have you a want, keep it not, carry it to Him, it shall be on the mercy-seat to be considered; in due time shall be written on it, "to be provided for." Have you a want for any dear to you? He has promised you shall not want; if your demand is not exactly answered, you shall receive something better; it shall be satisfied. His fulness is as much at our disposal, as if in our own hands. He keeps it in himself, that every blessing may be richly doubled. Moses said to the children of Israel in the wilderness, "the Lord thy God knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness those forty years. The Lord thy God hath been with thee, thou hast asked nothing.'' Our wants are fathomless! our help infinite! none but God can tell the uttermost a God can do. Oh let us, who are the sheep of his pasture, give him thanks, and show forth HIS praises by venturing on this confidence. There is no want to his flock; the young lion may lack and suffer hunger, but the good shepherd's helpless, foolish sheep, shall not want any good thing. He is our shield against every foe, he is our guide in every danger, no good thing can he withhold — Grace now! glory hereafter! But it is you must tell me these truths, for you bring them fresh from the furnace. How blessed when he takes his bit of clay, and forms it into a vessel fit for the master's use, especially if he choose for us to be a vessel of consolation to his little ones. We like the office, but we do not wish the forming: for we can only comfort with the comfort wherewith we have been comforted. Oh! what a blessing, we are not left to ourselves, that when we drag the skein of our life into the most desperate tangles, mercy will sit down patiently to unravel … What a blessing to be allowed to fall in every possible way, that self-opinion may come tumbling down, and that we may learn to leave our righteousness behind, and come to Jesus in our sins, instead of leaving our sins behind, to come in our righteousness; and how blessed we are, not allowed to appear to others what we really are, full of pride, vanity, selfishness, selfseeking. Oh! what motive within motive, deceits, hypocrisies, lying in our very representations of Christ! we desire all should read, I am comely. Is it so with you?

This Psalm, like most other promises and prophecies in the Old Testament, is to be applied literally to the Jewish people, still "beloved for their Father's sake," and spiritually, to the Christian church. On examination we shall find Christ was also the Shepherd of the Old Testament; and it is in this character they wait for him, though they know it not. For proof of this a few texts will suffice, Jer. 23. 3, 4; Ezek. 34. 23, 24. Micah. 5. 2. This is yet to be fulfilled by him, born in Bethlehem Ephratah, when the chief Shepherd shall appear; therefore is the cry of Israel. Psalm 80. 1. "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that feedest Jacob like a flock; thou that sittest between the cherubim, shine forth." "They shall lie down in green pastures," Isaiah, 49. 9, etc. also Jer. 31. 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 32. 36, 43. Observe how sovereignly he comes down with his mercies, not because of deservings, but necessities. This shall be for his name's sake, that it may not be polluted among the heathen, his name is in them. See Ezek. 20. 14, 22, 44, fulfilling the 3rd verse. Hosea 14. to end, Micah. 7. 8, 9. Take it literally, it is applied to the Jews, v. 18, 19. When the Shepherd shall shine forth, (Psalm 80.) then shall they feast in the midst of their enemies. Isaiah 25. 6, 8. But as applied spiritually to the believer, there is a peace and fulness of expression in this little sentence understood only by him. The whole remainder of the psalm is but a drawing out of this "I shall not want." In the unfolding we find, 1st, repose and refreshment. 2nd, restoring mercies and guidance. 3rd, peace in death. 4th, triumph and overflowing blessings. 5th, future confidence and eternal security either in life or death, spiritually or temporally, in prosperity or adversity, in time or eternity; for standing on the sure foundation of the former psalm, the suffering, resurrection, and promise of Christ, the believer can boldly say, "The Lord is my Shepherd." The believer shall not want, because his shepherd is the Lord. The believer shall not want, because the Lord is his Shepherd. His Shepherd is the All-sufficient, nothing can unite itself to Him, nothing mingle with Him — nothing add to His satisfying nature — nothing diminish from His fulness. His treasury of gifts has been dearly purchased when he has paid the uttermost farthing. When justice, who held the key of mercy, said enough; when by the blood of the covenant, the Father became debtor to his Son, the Father presented to him His church. Like the good shepherd he went forth into the regions of darkness to search his sheep, and seek them out; found her in the depth of hell, yet loved her there as he never loved before; (for his love gains utterance from his people's wants,) she, and only she, rose with him. The shepherd brought his sheep on his shoulder through the grave and gate of death triumphantly exclaiming, "O grave, where is thy victory?" The grain of wheat fallen into the ground died and brought forth-much fruit. The rolling away the stone from the door of the sepulchre was, as it were, the signal of the load of sin being rolled away which kept shut in his treasury of gifts. Neither is he ever weary of the wants of' his little flock; for each gift, each supply, is a declaration of the Father's satisfaction in the soul's travail of his beloved Son. Being united to him, quickened with him, his church cannot want, she has a right to use all his riches, her wealth is his riches in glory. With Him nothing can be withheld; eternal life is hers with the promise that all things shall be added, all He knows she wants. The Shepherd has learnt the wants of his sheep by experience, for He was himself led as a sheep to the slaughter. This expression being dictated by the Spirit, implies a promise, it is a full promise, when connected with his own words, I know my sheep. He was disciplined by most painful lessons into this knowledge; He subjugated himself to the wants of every sheep, every lamb of his fold, that he might be able to be touched with a feeling of their infirmities; therefore is the bleating of Messiah's sheep, I shall not want. Timid sheep, fear not want, fear not affliction, fear not pain, "fear not;" according to your want shall be your supply. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I trust in him. When the silly sheep cries to be kept from want, it may well be answered, ye know not what ye ask; it knows not of what it would rob itself, in the supply provided for that particular want. His flock in the midst of danger have no cause to fear. They have been taken hold of by Omnipotent love. My sheep, says Christ, "shall never perish," etc. "It is the Father's good pleasure to give them the kingdom." All to be expected of a shepherd, shall be found in this Shepherd, who so loved as to lay down his life for his sheep.

In contrast with this the Psalmist says, "The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing" (Ps. 34:10). The Lord is the One who meets the soul in every possible circumstance. He uses the lions as an illustration, because the lion is the master of creation. "A lion is strongest among beasts, and turns not away for any" (Prov. 30:30). Spite of that even they might hunger, but "they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." Now there is a little difficulty perhaps with some as to this. You say, I have sought a good many things, but I did not get them. It does not say in our Psalm that they sought the things, it says they sought the Lord. We all of us would like many things which we regard as good for us. But by-and-by we shall be thankful that we did not have them. It has been the curse of his life to many a saint that he obtained what he longed for at sometime. The coveted thing was not good; but determination laid hold of it. "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:12). Lay hold of that, dear friend, and if something you have desired is withheld, be sure it was not good for you. If you accept this your heart will say to Him, Blessed be Thy name, I am sure it was not good for me, Lord. There is great sweetness in this, "They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing."

Even "the young lions lack and suffer hunger" their strength is not sufficient to supply their needs; but those who dependently seek the Lord shall not lack anything that is good for them. Of course, it is the Lord who decides what is good.

W. B. D. Certainly; otherwise how could he say, “I shall not want”? If a child is hungry, it comes to its mother to have its want supplied. It knows that its want will be met, so that it can say, “I shall not want.” When Paul had wants he turned to the Shepherd, confident in His care, and as a result He could say, “I have all things and abound.”

Remark. What we lack sometimes may not be good for us to have. It says, “They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing” (Ps. 34:10).