He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 23:3 (ESV)
Our Shepherd leads us along the right paths. Let’s face it, like dumb sheep, we are all prone to wander off the right path. If our Shepherd didn’t lead us, we would soon choose another path in which to walk. But God has promised that we will never perish, that nothing can snatch us out of his hand (John 10:27-30), that he will never cast us out (John 6:37), that he will glorify us (Romans 8:30), that he will sustain us to the end (1 Corinthians 1:7-9), that he is faithful to keep us blameless (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24), that he will establish and guard us against the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3 ), that he is able to keep us from stumbling and present us blameless (Jude 1:24), and that he will complete the work he began in us (Philippians 1:6).
And should we ever “wander off” we can take comfort that we haven’t wandered off so far as to be removed from the influence of God’s presence. The psalmist wrote, If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. (Psalm 139:9-10) God will never permit the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22).
How does our Shepherd keep us on the right paths? He disciplines us. God disciplines all those whom he loves, it is a sure sign that we belong to him (Hebrews 12:6-7). By design, God permits hardships to come into our lives not only to teach us to trust in him, but also to teach us not to sin; that we may share in his holiness (Hebrews 12:10). For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)
David wrote, For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me. (Psalm 31:3) As Christians we represent the name and character of God. The ultimate reason God leads us in paths of righteousness is so that we will properly represent his name. At the forefront of everything God does is the sake of his name. God is jealous for his holy name (Ezekiel 39:25) and does not want it to be profaned (Ezekiel 20:14). God has commanded us not to take his name in vain (Exodus 20:7), which we do when our behavior betrays the character of the God we claim to serve. However, when people around us see the character of God is our lives his name is glorified (Matthew 5:16).
Solomon wrote, In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death. (Proverbs 12:28) Only in God’s path of righteousness do we find eternal life. God makes known to us that pathway to eternal life through his son Jesus Christ. Of Jesus Paul wrote, For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross, taking our sin and imputing his righteousness to us, is God’s path of righteousness and eternal life.
The loving care of our Shepherd is aptly represented in the words of Isaiah. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11)
Is the Shepherd leading you?
Scriptures for meditation:
Psalm 5:8; 25:11
Ephesians 4:1
Philippians 1:27
Colossians 1:10
1 John 2:12
Revelation 2:3