The Bible Study Podcast, episode 363. Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of Psalms with Psalm 23.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen. We are continuing on in the study of the book of Psalms. We did Psalm 20 last week. I'm actually going to skip over Psalm 21 because it was kind of a familiar theme. Psalm 22, we actually did out of order a few weeks ago. And so I would refer you to that episode. And Psalm 23 we have also done, but it has been at least five years since we've talked about Psalm 23.

So I didn't think that it was too bad to go back and repeat that.

One of the reasons that I wanted to talk about Psalm 23 rather than skipping over it is that I was just in a memorial service today for a friend's mother who was 91 when she died,

who I had known also. And Psalm 23 was read. And I would think Psalm 23 is probably one of the

most common verses to be read at a memorial service. And we'll look at why that might be. I don't think

that's necessarily what it was written about,

but we definitely start to associate it with that.

And probably of all the Psalms, this may be one of the most famous.

And it is a Psalm again by David.

You may know the version that I grew up with from the King James Version.

The Lord is My Shepherd I shall not want. but it sounds like this in the NIV.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest

valley, I will 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 your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will

follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

It's interesting, first of all, to notice that one of the reasons, of course, that we use this

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