Between the Shepherd and His sheep.

It's no coincidence that Psalm 23 is so famous worldwide. The Lord made it so. To get a glimpse into who Christ is to you who believe Him, consider the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. Without the shepherd, the sheep is lost and as good as dead. Once a sheep is cast (falls on its back,) no amount of effort on its part can right it. It cannot get back on its feet by itself. It needs someone to right it and make it whole. In the cast position, it becomes easy prey for devourers who begin to eat it while it is still alive- the story of many in the church who are still trying to "get right with God" by human effort at doing right (keeping the law.)

But in Christ, we have His righteousness as a gift! Christ our Shepherd gave Himself to set us right with God. He Himself has said: "for without Me you can do nothing." This is grace. Psalms 37:24 says of the righteous: "When he falleth, he is not cast down, For Jehovah is sustaining his hand."

Bear in mind Romans 3:10 "There is none righteous, not even one;" so the sheep who will not be cast down is the one who is made righteous by the obedience of Christ. See Romans 5:19.

Remember 1 Peter 5: 

"7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

These verses are often quoted separately so when we hear verse 8 alone, we think it's up to us to save ourselves from being devoured! We who can do nothing without Christ. The way to escape this devouring is to cast all of our cares on Jesus our Shepherd. Consider the New Covenant realities of Psalm 23 that we have in Christ today:

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

Did you notice that Christ our Shepherd does ALL that is required for we His sheep to have rest and live right, even causing us to be so relaxed as to eat in the presence of our enemies (every single challenge?) Every victory that we have is totally contingent on His provision, for instance, "I will fear no evil" because even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He never leaves us nor forsakes us. His rod is always there to protect us; His staff always there to guide us. We can NEVER go astray because He is our Shepherd.

This ties in with Isaiah 35 that speaks of the Lord's "Highway of Holiness" on which is found only the redeemed of the Lord. Verse 8 says of His redeemed: "Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray." What a blessing for believers. In Christ, there is no escaping His goodness and mercy.