The 23rd Psalm is one of the best-known and most-loved literary works in the world, and it may well be the best poem ever written. It is also a fine example of the power of figurative language: We read deep things into the vision of ourselves as sheep, led to green pastures and good water by a kind shepherd. It’s empowering to feel the confidence to go fearlessly into the valley of the shadow of death, and to feel the love and caring of a table prepared by the Lord and a cup so full it overflows.

What people don’t know, however, is that this language actually has precise internal meanings, and that when we see them there is an even deeper beauty in the poem. That’s because what it actually describes is the path to heaven, and the fierce desire the Lord has to lead us there.

The first step is to let the Lord be our shepherd – to accept His teaching and His leadership. The green pastures and the still waters represent the things He will teach us for the journey. Then He begins working inside is, setting our spiritual lives in order, so that we desire to do what’s good and to love one another. That’s represented by restoring our souls and leading us in the paths of righteousness.

But we will still face challenges. We still live external lives, out in the world, and we are subject to desires that arise in those externals, in our bodily lives. That’s the valley of the shadow of death. But the rod and staff represent truth from the Lord on both external and internal levels, ideas that can defend us against those desires.

And if we keep following, the Lord will prepare a table for us – a place inside us that he can fill with love (the anointing oil) and wisdom (the overflowing cup). Thus transformed, we can enter heaven, with love for others (“goodness”) and love from the Lord (“mercy”) and can love and be loved to eternity.

One of many beautiful things about this is the fact that it is the Lord who really does all the work. In the whole text, the only action taken by the sheep is walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Other than that, they follow the Lord, trust the Lord, accept the blessings of the Lord. And that is really true! In external states (in the valley) we might seem to be doing the work ourselves, but internally, spiritually, we simply need to give ourselves to the Lord and let Him bless us.

The underlying idea here is that the Lord created us so that He could love us, in loving us wants us to be happy, knows that our greatest happiness will come from being conjoined to Him in heaven, and Himself wants nothing more than to be conjoined to us. So everything He does, in every moment of every day for every person on the face of the planet, is centered on the goal of getting that person to heaven. He wants each and every one of us in heaven more than we are capable of imagining. We just need to cooperate.

(References: Apocalypse Explained 375 [34], 727 [2]; The Inner Meaning of the Prophets and Psalms 273)

60. Now follow some things concerning the Coming of the Lord collected from the prophecies of the Old Word; namely:

Jehovah God said, Lo, I come; in the roll of the Book it is written of Me (Psalm 40:7).

Jehovah God said to the serpent,... Be thou cursed;... I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; and He shall trample thy head, but thou shalt injure the heel (Gen. 3:14-15).

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come: to Him shall the cleaving of the peoples be (Gen. 49:10)- the prophecy of the father, Israel, concerning his sons.

A Star shall rise out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise up out of Israel (Num. 24:17).

Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet out of the midst of thy brethren, like unto Me; Him ye shall obey,... and I will put My words in His mouth;... whence it shall come to pass, that the man who will not obey His words, I will require it of him (Deut. 18:15-19).

The Lord Himself giveth you a sign, Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name, God with us (Isa. 7:14).

Unto us a Boy is born, unto us a Son is given, on whose shoulder shall be the government; His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace: of the increase of His government... there shall be no end (Isa. 9:6-7).

There shall come forth a shoot out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch out of his root shall bear fruit;... upon Him shall rest the spirit of wisdom and intelligence, the spirit of counsel and might (Isa. 11:1-2).

In that day the nations shall seek the Root of Jesse, which standeth for an ensign of the peoples, and His rest shall be glory (Isa. 11:10).

Send ye the lamb of the Ruler of the land, from the rock toward the wilderness:... His throne is established in mercy, and one shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hastening justice (Isa. 16:1, 5).

It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God for whom we have waited that He may deliver us; this is Jehovah for whom we have waited: we will exult and rejoice in His salvation (Isa. 25:9; 26:8-9).

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make plain in the desert a path for our God.... The glory of Jehovah shall be revealed; and all flesh shall see it together (Isa. 40:3, 5).

O Zion, thou evangelizer, get thee up upon the high mountain; O Jerusalem,... thou that evangelizest, lift up thy voice with strength; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God. Behold, the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold His reward is with Him.... He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs in His arm, and carry them in His bosom; He shall gently lead the sucklings (Isa. 40:9-11).

My people shall know My name in that day; for I am He that doth speak; Behold Me. How delightful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that evangelizeth, that causeth them to hear peace, that evangelizeth good, that causeth them to hear salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy King reigneth.... They shall lift up the voice and sing; they shall see eye to eye that Jehovah is returned to Zion. He hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem:... all the ends of the land shall see the salvation of our God (Isa. 52:6-10).

Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; His reward is with Him, and the recompense of His work before Him (Isa. 62:11).

Shout for joy and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; behold, I come, that I may dwell in the midst of thee;... then many nations shall cleave to Jehovah (Zech. 2:10-11).

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh to thee, just (Zech. 9:9).

Behold, the days come... when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, who shall reign a King and prosper, and He shall execute judgment and justice in the land;... and this is His name,... Jehovah our Righteousness (Jer. 33:5-6; 23:15-16).

Behold, I send My angel, who shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, and the Angel of the covenant whom ye desire, behold, He shall come (Mal. 3:1).

Thou Bethlehem Ephratah, it is little that thou art among the thousands of Judah; out of thee shall One go forth unto Me, who will be Ruler in Israel, and whose goings forth are from of old, from the days of eternity.... He shall stand and feed the flock in the strength of Jehovah,... and shall increase even to the ends of the land (Micah 5:2, 4).

I anoint My king upon Zion.... I will proclaim concerning the statute, Jehovah saith unto Me, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee; ask of Me, and I will give the nations for Thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Thy possession.

Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish in the way; . . . Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him (Psalm 2:6-12).

Behold, the God of my salvation! I will trust and not be afraid. . . . Cry out and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee (Isa. 12:2, 6).

In that day a man shall look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have regard to the Holy One of Israel (Isa. 17:7).

My Beloved had a vineyard in a horn of [the son of] oil (Isa. 5:1). Jehovah Zebaoth, Him shall ye sanctify.... He shall be for a sanctuary, although for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offence,... and for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitant of Jerusalem (Isa. 8:13-14; Matt. 21:42-44; Luke 20:17-18).

The people that walked in darkness shall see a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them shall the light shine (Isa. 9:2).

Out of Zion... God shall shine forth; our God shall come, and shall not keep silence (Psalm 1 2, 3).

The vision is yet for the appointed time, and speaketh out to the end; yet it shall not lie: though He tarry, wait for Him; because He will surely come, He will not delay (Hab. 2:3).

O Jehovah, I have heard Thy fame; I have revered, O Jehovah, Thy work,... make it present in the midst of the years. . . . God shall come from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. His brightness shall be as the light; rays [coming forth] from His hand; and there is the hiding of His strength (Hab. 3:2-3, 4).

Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I will lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-[stone] of well-established foundation;... then I will set judgment to the rule, and righteousness to the plummet (Isa. 28:16-17).

The Lord, appearing above the mercy-seat (Ezek. 1:26-28), is described as to the Word, and is called "Lord Jehovih" (Ezek. 2:4; 3:11, 27; 4:14; 5:7, 11; 6:3, 11; 7:2, 5; 8:1). In Isaiah liii, throughout, the Lord is treated of, and the state of His life in the world is described by the following expressions:

That He had no form nor comeliness; He was despised and not esteemed; He was wounded on account of our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; Jehovah caused the iniquities of us all to meet in Him; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter; He was cut off out of the land of the living; because He placed their guilt on His soul His days should be prolonged; also, for them He poured out His soul even unto death; He was numbered with the transgressors, and interceded for the transgressors (Isa. 53:1-12).

I have called Him forth in righteousness.... He shall build My city; and He shall send away My captivity, not for price nor for reward.... Verily, Thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel the Saviour (Isa. 45:13, 15).

I have caused My righteousness to draw near,... and My Salvation shall not tarry (Isa. 46:13).

As for our Redeemer, Jehovah Zebaoth is His Name, and the Holy One of Israel (Isa. 47:4).

O Jehovah, our Lord, how excellent is Thy Name in all the earth! giving to it honour above the heavens.... Thou hast caused Him to lack little compared with the angels, but Thou hast crowned Him with glory and honour; Thou hast made Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands, Thou hast put all things under His feet (Psalm 8:1, 5-6, 9).

God... shall come down like rain among the herb.... He shall have dominion also from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. The barbarians shall bow themselves before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust; the kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring their present; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer their gift; all kings shall bow themselves to him, all nations shall serve him; for he shall deliver the wretched, who hath no helper.... He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence:... His name shall be to eternity; he shall have the name of a son ¹ before the sun, and men shall be blessed in him.

Blessed be God, the God of Israel:... blessed be the name of his glory... the whole earth shall be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen (Psalm 72:6, 8, 10, 12, 18-19).

I have made a covenant with My chosen.... Thy seed will I establish even to eternity, and I will build up Thy throne from generation to generation;... and the heavens shall confess Thy wonders (Psalm 89:3-4, 5).

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