He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:3b)
The first verse of Psalm 23 is the key verse, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. As David looked back over his life, he realized how the Lord had patiently and adequately led him. The rest of the psalm is an outworking of how faithful the Lord had been to David. He provided for David rest: He makes me to lie down in green pastures. Only the Lord can take away the fear, aggravation, tension, and hunger which allow His children to lie down in sweet contentment.
He also provides refreshment: He leads me beside the still waters. Whether it is from the morning dew, the deep well, or the quiet stream, our Good Shepherd is able to refresh us with the water of the Word through His Spirit.
And the Lord provides restoration: He restores my soul. When we are weak, He gives strength. When we are sorrowful, He gives joy. When we sin, He gives cleansing
Today we see that He provides replenishment: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Left to themselves, sheep would feed over the same ground and follow the same paths. Soon the ground would have no grass, even the roots being pawed up. The paths would become ruts, and then gullies. Erosion would take its toll, disease would flourish, and the sheep would be thin and sickly.
Sheep need guidance, perhaps more than any other livestock. Left to their own whims, they leave devastation and death in their wake. Therefore, sheep must be kept on the move. They must go from pasture to pasture to prevent overgrazing, the development of parasites, and erosion.
That is the idea here. There must be a plan of action, rotating the sheep to new pasture lands for the sake of the sheep, the land, and the reputation of the shepherd. When the gate is opened to new pasture, the sheep are delighted, and kick up their heels at the thought of fresh forage.
We are so much like sheep that it is embarrassing. Primarily, we are stubborn lot. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way. (Isa 53:6) There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death. (Prov 14:12). Amid all the chaos and confusion of our lives, Jesus Christ comes to us and says: If any man will follow me, let him deny himself daily, and take up his cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)
If we would be led to fresh foliage, abundant life, and holiness, there are some paths that we need to follow. The first is love. I need to love the Shepherd, the Lord Jesus. He laid down His life for me. I obey Him out of love. Am I willing to lay down my life for others?.
The second path is discernment. I need to be careful of strange paths. There are all kinds of false teaching in this world. Measure everything by the right path—the Bible, God’s Word.
Third, I must walk the path of submission. I need to forego my own paths. Can I pocket my pride, take a back seat, let God and others have their way?
There are other paths which we will not take time to dwell on, but I will mention them: service, contentment, obedience, and humility. The Good Shepherd will lead His own in all of these paths of righteousness if they will but allow Him to do so. If you do not know the Lord Jesus, come to Him now in repentance and faith.