The Lamb King: Death and Resurrection, Psalm 23
You’ve no doubt heard of the Lion King. But have you heard of the Lamb King? Both titles refer to the same individual. Let me show you.
Psalm 23 foreshadows and describes the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The intended meaning of Psalm 23 can be found by examining its surrounding context, that is to say its literary context, which is Psalm 20-24. So, Psalm 23 has a context and is located within a chain of other Psalms. It must be interpreted within that chain.
Psalm 23 Has a Context
It might be a surprise for you to read that Psalm 23 has a context. Traditionally, Psalms have been read in isolation from one another and interpreted without consulting its neighbors on either side. That tradition is rather recent in history and is known as “form criticism,” and is the approach to the Psalms that I was taught in seminary.[1]
Form criticism approaches the Psalter as a jumbled collection of unrelated prayers, complaints, and songs, an approach that has been held to dogmatically for a century. For example, Psalm 22, the Psalm just prior to Psalm 23, is classified as an “individual lament,” an evaluation that completely ignores the prior Psalms (Pss. 20-21) and the Psalms to follow (Psalm 23-24). Most evangelicals interpret the Psalms in this jumbled up fashion. It is highly likely that you, too, were taught this form critical approach like I was.
The Psalms are Intentionally Linked Together[2]
But the form criticism approach to the Psalms directly contradicts the textual evidence in the Psalter itself. The Psalms are all connected together like a long chain, composed of related links at every conceivable level: thematic, lexical, semantic, linguistic, phonological, and consonantal.
Each of the five main sections of the Psalter[3] introduce and support a single theme that is addressed throughout. The theme is repeated over and over again from one Psalm to the next. And within each of the five main sections, there are sub-units composed of four to five Psalms. Psalm 20-24 is an example of such a sub-unit. Within that smaller sub-unit is Psalm 23.
Let’s briefly look at each of the four links in the subunit.
Link 1: Psalms 20-21 — A King is Promised Salvation
Psalms 20 and 21 focus on the ups and downs of a king. The king is promised salvation, blessing, joy, glory, and faithfulness (20:7-10; 21:4-8). Observe how many times the word “salvation” is mentioned in Psalms 20-21. Salvation is defined more specifically with terms like “coronation,” “eternal life,” “majesty,” and “splendor.” But also observe how this same king is assured that the enemies who plotted against him will be destroyed (21:8-13). But what kind of an attack did the king experience?
Link 2: Psalm 22 — The King Dies at His Enemies’ Hands
Psalm 22 picks up where Psalm 21 left off and explains the enemies’ attack and the king’s agonizing response to the attack in graphic detail. The king asks:
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Psalm 22:1
In other words, during the attack the king experienced in Psalm 21, he was wondering what happened to the prior promises of salvation made to him. Why had his God forsaken him?
Psalm 22 explains in detail the viciousness and painfulness of the persecution the king experienced: observe how graphic was the attack: scorned, despised, mock me, insults, bulls surround me, roaring lions[4] tear their prey, dogs have surrounded me, they pieced my hands and feet, they divide my garments and cast lots for my clothing.[5]
Psalm 22 shows that the king suffered death in the attack. It contains two explicit mentions of the king’s death:
You put me into the dust[6] of death (Psalm 22:15c).
But his life he did not keep alive[7] (Psalm 22:29).
So, the persecuted king of Psalm 20-21 experiences death in Psalm 22. But surprisingly, the Psalm then concludes with the same king praising the LORD with his brothers and sisters:
I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. Psalm 22:22[8]
In other words, something drastic happened to the dead king. He was dead and silent in the dust of death. What happened so that he can vow to praise the LORD in the congregation?
Link 3: Psalm 23 — The King is Raised from the Dead
Psalm 23 will explain what happened to the dead king. In other words, Psalm 23 picks up where Psalm 22 left off and answers our question.
Observe first, that there is a major change is how the king is depicted. Up to now, he has been described as the king, beginning with Psalm 20. But in Psalm 23, the king is portrayed as a lamb and the LORD as his shepherd. The Psalm goes on to reaffirm God’s goodness and faithfulness to the suffering king in spite of his violent death.
The Lamb/king is portrayed as a resurrected lamb in God’s eternal Edenic paradise. How did he get there? The Psalmist provides an additional detail to explain the drastic turnaround occurring between Psalm 22:12-21 and 22-31. He now answers the question in Ps. 23:3:
“He caused my life[9] to return”.
Psalm 23:3a
The LORD (his shepherd) caused the king to return from the dust of death to life in an Edenic paradise.[10] The persecuted and murdered king of Psalm 22 was raised from the dead by the power of the Shepherd. Psalm 23:4 is seen as a direct response to the death in Ps. 22:29: “But his life he did not keep alive.” The king’s death in Psalm 22:29 is overruled by his resurrection to life[11] in Psalm 23. The resurrected king in Psalm 23 is portrayed as a resurrected Lamb who was slain in Psalm 22.
Link 4: Psalm 24 — The King Ascends to Glory
The king’s story is not finished, though. Psalm 24 picks up where Ps. 23:6 left off — “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” — and describes the king’s glorious entrance in that house, that holy place, the mountain of the LORD. Psalm 24 describes the king’s impeccable worthiness to enter it.
Recap
Let’s recap: The king is promised salvation in Pss. 20-21. However, the king is persecuted and meets his demise in Psalm 22; yet, surprisingly, he can promise to proclaim the LORD’s name with his brothers in the congregation.
What is the explanation for a dead king making promises? The explanation is provided in Psalm 23:3. The LORD, his shepherd, caused his life to return. The Lamb, once slain, is now alive in an Edenic Paradise. He will live in the Lord’s House forever.
Psalm 24, then, further explains his ascension and his impeccable credentials to enter the LORD’s house, the mountain of the LORD. The LORD’s promise of salvation made to him in Psalm 20-21 are finally fulfilled.
Psalms 20-24 Anticipate the Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ.
This four-link chain describes Jesus’ relationship with His Father. Promises were made to Jesus. But persecution and death first came by the hand of his enemies. Yet that was not the final chapter in the Jesus’ story. He was raised to new life by His Father. He ascended and returned to glory and the Mountain of the Lord.
Jesus Himself underscored the same pattern:
“Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” Lk. 24:25-27.
“Everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Lk 24:44
Jesus is the Lamb-King
And, do you remember how Psalm 23 portrays the dead king as a resurrected Lamb? The apostle John picks up that same portrait of Jesus as a resurrected Lamb:
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their number was ten thousand times ten thousand—thousands times thousands—
12 all of whom were singing in a loud voice:
“Worthy is the lamb who was killed
to receive power and wealth,
and wisdom and might,
and honor and glory and praise!”13 Then I heard every creature—in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them—singing:
“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power forever and ever!”Revelation 5
Thank you for reading.
NOTES
[1] Most Christians accept the view—but without knowing its source—of Hermann Gunkel. Gunkel explicitly rejects the canonical and coherent arrangement of the Psalms. See An Introduction to the Psalms, pp. 166, 181-85.
[2] Credit for the description of Psalms 20-24 as a Messianic unit—foreshadowing Jesus Christ—goes to Dr. Robert L. Cole, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, General Editors, Michael Rydelnik and Edwin Blum (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2019), pp. 529—558.
[3] 1. Psalms 1-41; 2. Psalm 42-72; 3. Psalm 73-89; 4. Psalm 90-106; 5. Psalms 107-150.
[4] The mention of lions and dogs anticipate the sheep metaphor in Psalm 23. Both lions and dogs are natural predators of sheep.
[5] These are clear indications of inescapable death. The clothes are no further use to the king. He will die.
[6] Dust is a metaphor for death and defeat in much the same way that the Genesis author use it to describe the curse, the diet of the serpent. The serpent would eat dust, a sign of defeat. Genesis 3:14; cf. Isaiah 65:25. The animals that kill each other today, will in the new creation live at peace; yet, in this future period of peace, snakes will still eat dust. Their diet will never change. The curse on the serpent will never be lifted.
[7] The English translations, HCSB and ESV render this verse (29c) in a reflexive way: “to those who cannot keep alive.” But the reflexive idea is foreign to the context of Psalm 22. The suffering king is not making attempts to keep himself alive. Rather, he has been asking God to spare his life in the face of the attack of his enemies. So, in 22:29c, it is God who has allowed him to die at the hands of his enemies.
[8] The author of Hebrews attributes this verse to the resurrected Jesus in Hebrews 2:12.
[9] English translations render the Hebrew verb as a Qal stem, to restore.” But the verb is in the active transitive form, a Polel stem, meaning “to bring back,” “to return.” With the active transitive form, the meaning is “to cause to return.” The LORD caused the king’s life to return from the dead.
[10] The green pastures of Psalm 23:2 is parallel to the lush pasture of Zion described in Joel 2:19, 24. Once a wilderness, the land is transformed into a lush paradise with green pastures, animals, fruit trees, and vines.
[11] Both Psalm 22:29 and Psalm 23:4 use the same exact Hebrew term for life: nephesh.