Sept 25 - Psalm 23:3b

He leadeth me

in the paths of righteousness

for his name's sake

Psalm 23:3b

KJV

God is the good shepherd, and this verse tells us three things that he does for us in this role …

He leads us. What does this mean?

•      First, he knows clearly where he’s going.
•      Second, he knows where we should go too.
•      “He leads me” reveals that God is active and proactive. He is not a disembodied diety; he’s a purposeful leader.
•      That I’m a sheep, according to the Psalm 23 image, means that I really need God as my leader. Why? Because I’m very prone to stray.

Second, God has direction that he’s leading – toward “the paths of righteousness.”

•       The Proverbs tell us that “fools (think sheep) think their own way is right” (12:15). We are “stubborn” (3:35). We “despise wisdom and instruction” (1:7, all NRSV).
•      Fools – think sheep – “forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness” (Prov 2:13 NRSV).
•      The Good Shepherd has a different road for us to travel – “the paths of righteousness.”
•       God pointing us along this road is an act of grace and salvation because whoever “walks in integrity will be safe, but whoever follows crooked ways will fall into the Pit” (Prov 28:18 NRSV).

Third, God has a purpose for leading us along the path of righteousness. It is for his name’s sake.

•      We who call ourselves by his name are called to represent his name.
•      We represent his name poorly if our “paths are crooked” (Prov 2:15 NRSV).
•      We testify to his authority if our lives reflect his righteousness.
•      We draw others to his grace when we live with winsome integrity.

In Christ’s Love,

a ship who needs a rudder,

a sheep who needs a leader