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A psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside still waters; he restores my sole.
He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil;
For you are with me; your rod and your staff - they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
Psalm 23 is a well known psalm. Traditionally it is read as a pastoral psalm, speaking of the provision, protection, and presence of God. It is a psalm for the triumphalist.
Perhaps it is to well known.
What if... we reject a triumphalist reading and ask more of the text? What if... we take the center of the triumphalist reading and flip it on its head?
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil;
For you are with me; your rod and your staff - they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup overflows
In the most difficult place, with enemies everywhere,
There is a banquet
I am anointed
God is with me
AND God led me there.
At the heart of worship is a call for love and justice, a rehearsing of our commitment to God and love and justice, and a response to God's provision.
And at the heart of worship is a conversation about being human, about being in a relationship with God and each other.
Ultimately, worship is an expression of radical hospitality: God for us, and God through us for others.
Could it be, then, that Psalm 23 might be read as a call to peacemaking, to reconciliation, to relationship, and to healing?
Consider a possible context for the backdrop of Psalm 23. In 1 Samuel 17 David fights and defeats Goliath, which launches David into the public eye, and places him such that the people can sing of Saul's victory over 1000s but of David's victory over 10,000s. With Saul's wrath bearing down upon him, David flees, procuring Goliath's sword as he gathers some bread along the way. After running for a long time, David finally is granted a place to stay and live in Gath among the Philistines.
Perhaps, it is not unreasonable to read Psalm 23 in light of David, bearer of Goliath's sword whom he killed, finding a place to dwell among the Philistines.
Psalm 23 would thus be read as an activist psalm: a call to be powerfully present in the task of making peace between enemies through the application of goodness and mercy.
Where God leads me, into the heart of darkness,
Where God sets a table, an abundant banquet of goodness and mercy,
So that my enemies may be welcomed and offered generous hospitality,
Because we are called to share in God's goodness and mercy.
Re-telling Psalm 23 as a call to peacemaking
Jehovah is my shepherd, I don't want anyone or anything else.
God gives me a place in the world where I can fully be me.
God continually makes me new.
God leads me where I need to go, for my good and for the sake of God's name.
So when I find myself walking into darkness and death, I will not be afraid.
Your care and your cause are powerfully present.
See where I am, in the presence of my enemies.
You set out food and wine, enough for a banquet!
And you anoint me to live out the goodness and mercy that comes with and from living in your presence.
May this be how I choose to live all the days of my life.