Know that the Lord, he is God.
The shortest theology lesson in the Psalms. Know it, and the rest of the psalm makes sense.
The episode in a glance.
- 01'Know' isn't suggested — it's commanded.
- 02'He made us, and we are his' — creator and owner in one phrase.
- 03'The sheep of his pasture' — image of dependent, cared-for belonging.
- 04Worship in v.4 flows from this knowledge, not from feeling.
Read along.
Psalm 100:3 — 'Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.'
'Know.' Not 'feel.' Not 'guess.' Know it as a settled fact. The Lord is God. He's not one option among many. He's the one.
And here's the proof: 'He made us, and we are his.' The maker has the rights. You're his by creation, even before grace adds to it.
'The sheep of his pasture' is a tender image. Sheep need a shepherd. They get fed, led, protected. That's not a demotion — that's a description of being cared for.
When you know this, the worship in verse 4 — enter his gates with thanksgiving — stops being effort. It becomes the natural response of a sheep who knows its shepherd.