‘He makes me to lie down in pastures of luscious grass, He leads me beside the waters of rest.'
The oriental shepherd goes ahead of his sheep, seeking out good pasturage for them. And once he finds it he brings his sheep to rest that they may enjoy it. They are enabled to lie down in ‘pastures of luscious grass'. There, feeding safely and well, they can settle down fully content with his provision. This picture of the shepherd causing his sheep to lie down was used by Jeremiah in his prison cell as a picture of the future restoration of Israel (Jeremiah 33:12). It is a reminder of the Lord's continual and full provision for His own. Compare here also Ezekiel 34:13-16 which describes what the Shepherd God will do for His people.
And when they are thirsty, He leads them to the waters of rest where they can drink to their full without fear. The idea behind ‘leading' is of ‘gentle guidance'. Compare Isaiah 40:11, ‘He will gently lead those who are with young'. The ‘waters of rest' will result in sheep which are fully satiated and at peace. They are conscious that all their needs have been supplied. The same idea is contained in the idyllistic picture of Paradise, ‘they will hunger no more, nor thirst any more, nor will the sun strike on them or any heat' (Revelation 7:16). It is also found in Isaiah 49:10 from which Revelation 7:16 is taken, and which then adds ‘He Who has mercy on them will lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide them'. But Isaiah has in mind more the blessings of the coming of the Messiah. However, the difference in this Psalm is that this is promised even in David's time as a present experience. It is to be the continual experience of those who love Him, who are to experience relaxation and full contentment in the presence of God, for ‘in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength' (Isaiah 30:15). As Isaiah says elsewhere, within His purposes ‘My people will live continually in a peaceable habitation, and in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places' (Isaiah 32:18).