Psalm 23 is one of the best-known and most-loved passages in the Bible—and rightly so, because it is a picture of God's love for His people. However, many people have misconceptions about what this psalm actually says because we don’t understand the context. Scripture shows that David was a shepherd in the desert wilderness, not lush pastureland as most people picture the setting of this psalm. When we read and understand it in its proper context, various phrases in this psalm take on whole new meanings in helping us grasp God’s faithfulness and love for us and some of the difficult “desert times” we go through in this life.

Scott Ashley

United Church of God Pastor, Beyond Today Managing Editor

Scott Ashley is managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado. 
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he has worked for 50 years.