The book of Psalms is the heart of the Bible. It is the book of praise, the book of signing – but also the book of comfort and even sometimes the book of anger. It is a book of testimony and a book of sorrow and hope in the midst of despair. (Morris, pg.5) The Psalms were written for signing. They were intended for public worship in the temple, in Israel and for us. The poetry was written over a period of one thousand years from Mosses into the time of Ezra. Also, they were written in the language of Human spirit, they reflect the feelings of a person at a certain time, or the utterances of the soul. (http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/psalm-construction.html ) The structure of a psalm is not the product of thought, but of what has happened. In every psalm, something happens between the suppliant and the One he supplicates. (Westerman, pg 3) In almost every psalm the element of conflict is either implicit or explicit. The great conflict of the ages is the struggle between truth and deception, between sin and righteousness, between the godly and ungodly, between the chosen nation and the heathen, and finally between God and Satan. The world is in darkness, but the light of God's promise continually illumines the way (Morris, pg. 12)
             In the Twenty-third Psalm, the reader understands the words of assurance and feels their claming tone. The restful waters, the green pastures, the secure path, the quiet undisturbed fold, all come to life in the reading and hearing of this psalm. One does not need to have much familiarity with the life or work of a shepherd to feel the power of the imagery of this psalm. It speaks to deep human need, even those whose personal experience has no point of contact with the images presented. (Miller, pg. 112) The psalm's shepherd, of course is none other then the Lord Jesus Christ. He frequently spoke of Himself as the shepherd (John 10:14, Matthew 25:32, 26:31, etc). He called Himself the g...