Coming from the Book of Psalms from the Bible, there is no accepted author. Although some believe many psalms were King David, many only accept the fact that the writer(s) was anonymous and inspired by God as they wrote.
The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want:
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside still waters,
He restoreth my soul, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no eveil, For Thou are near me.
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever I will dwell with him forever.
Due to the fact that this poem originates from the Book of Psalms, the reader should immediately be aware of the likelihood of there being a religious message and reference to God. The metaphor within the poem is clearly stated in the first line, “The Lord is my shepherd.” Comparing God to a shepherd does two things. The first thing is that it forms the metaphor which is expanded on throughout the poem. This metaphor explains that God’s followers are the sheep, and He will lead them to Heaven if they follow. He is always at the side of anyone in need to reassure them that all will be alright as long as they follow. He will keep them safe. Of all of the lifestyles and jobs to equate God to, a shepherd is most accurate because of the connotation that it carries. A shepherd is someone who is strong enough to lead a herd safely but still gentle enough to tend to a fragile lamb. The second thing comparing God to a shepherd does is convert the shepherd into a symbol. God the Father can be considered a shepherd because Jesus is most commonly described as the Lamb of God, and because we are the children of God just like Jesus, who is His literal child, we too can be seen as the lambs of God. The shepherd then, becomes a symbol for God.
A good, concise analysis which conveys the gist of the poem: God is like a shepherd because he leads, watches over, and provides. I like the way you pointed out that a shepherd has to be both strong and gentle. However, as this poem was written long before the time of Jesus, the order of metaphors should be reversed. Jesus could be called the Lamb of God because God was already thought of as a shepherd, not the other way around as stated in this analysis.
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