Alexandra Johnson

Sara Musgrove

ENGL 102

19 February 2018

“Psalm 23 Teaches People that The Lord is Their Shepard”

Introduction: The poem ‘Psalm 23” otherwise known as “The Lord is My Shepard” is a well-known Bible verse written by King David CITATION Kni17 l 1033 (Knight). This certain chapter in “Psalm,” it shows a great deal of humility and morality showing the audience as they read that the Lord is always there for us, and that he is their “Shepard” through life, leading them throughout the darkness and hard times CITATION Gen01 l 1033 (Psalm ). The setting shows symbolism of real world experiences that reflect how the narrator’s inner soul is feeling. The setting also helps the audience understand how the Lord (The Shepard) will be there if you have faith in him, and he will provide comfort those in need of guidance through dark times. “Psalm 23” teaches people the Lord is their Shepard through morality and humility, showing real world events that reflect how the inner soul feels, and through the books name in general CITATION Gen01 l 1033 (Psalm ).

Body Paragraphs

Format

The Setting is symbolic of what happens in the outside world reflects what happens in people’s inner soul

This poem is told from the point of view of sheep with the Shepard leading and telling the sheep what to do.

The sheep represents the people of earth

The Shepard represents the Lord

The poem takes place in the outside world

Everything that happens in the outside world is what the speaker feels in his soul.

This explains why the setting doesn’t seem realistic.

“Paths of Righteousness” CITATION Gen01 l 1033 (Psalm )‘The valley of the shadow of death” CITATION Gen01 l 1033 (Psalm )Death is a scary mountain casting a dark shadow on the speaker below.

The Title

In the language the book was originally written in (Ancient Greek), “Psalm” directly translates to “Praise Song” CITATION Dou10 l 1033 (Harper)Psalm is sometimes called “Hymns of Praise” CITATION Ale l 1033 (Varughese)Some say it probably doesn’t have a legit title other than “Psalm 23” But some like to call it ‘The Lord is my Shepard”

In John 1, God is called “The Good Shepard” CITATION Jud01 l 1033 (John).

Conclusion: Through prior knowledge of knowing what “Psalm” means and knowing what chapter 23 of Psalm is known as “The Lord is my Shepard”, the audience can conclude that this poem will be humble and show faith in the Lord. “Psalm 23” shows humility because the author was a king, and is speaking as a follower of Christ, rather than a leader who shows pride CITATION Gen01 l 1033 (Psalm ). This poem also shows morality in that if you have faith, and follow the Lord throughout your struggles, you can find comfort in him during those times of struggle. All these things show the audience how having faith that the “Lord is their Shepard” and if they follow him, they will find comfort in him.

Works Cited

BIBLIOGRAPHY Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary. 2010. Dictionary.com. February 2018.

“John.” The Holy Bible. Salt Lake City, Utah, USA: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 2001. Book.

Knight, Kevin. King David. 2017. Encyclopedia. February 2018.

“Psalm .” The Holy Bible. Salt Lake City, Utah, USA: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 2001.

Varughese, Alex. “Types and Original Uses of Psalms.” (n.d.). Pdf.