Psalms 23 - Part IV

Next verse says, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Psalms 23:2b

The various paths of life have been contemplated by philosophers, theologians and poets throughout history and our universal desire to feel like we are traveling on a road that makes sense and has purpose is an important element to living with satisfaction. On the other hand, feeling lost, stuck or dissatisfied in life brings heartsickness and regret—these are the bitter pills swallowed when we realize how much time has been wasted walking down a wrong road.

In Dante Alighieri’s famous 14th century epic poem, The Divine Comedy, the opening tells of a Christian man who, in the middle of his life, realizes that he has strayed from the good path:
Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost.

Dante sounds like a sheep that has lost his shepherd.

He goes on to vividly describe the awful feelings of both terror and bitterness at the memory of finding himself in this place, and admits that he does not remember how he got there because he was slumbering when he abandoned the true way. He says that being lost in that place was as bitter as death.

This is an excellent description of the feeling of disorientation and almost dizzying groping for direction when life turns out badly. The flow of modern culture, peer pressure, personal preference, bad decisions, familial expectations and the path of least resistance can combine to create a tyranny of gravity that brings us downstream in life and dumps many of us into Dante’s forest. That’s why no decision is always a bad decision and courage is mandatory for a child of God.

“He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

If you feel lost and alone today, cry out to the Good Shepherd. He will wash your wounds, quiet your confusion, give you fresh hope and set your feet on a beautiful, sunlit path:

I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth--Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD. Psalms 40:1-3

The Shepherd leads His sheep in paths of righteousness ‘for His name’s sake.’ The great purpose of God is bigger than any one of us. It is ‘for His name’s sake’ that He actively watches over His Word to perform it. It is in God’s personal interest to safely lead His sheep because He has invested His Son’s life in ensuring the success of His plan. When you adopt God’s purpose you inherit the full resources of Heaven and all of the promises of God become your arsenal for success.

He is literally more committed to your success than you are because His name, His reputation and His success is the top priority, the most valuable substance and the highest authority in the universe. It is Almighty God’s central purpose to make a name on earth for His Son, Jesus Christ.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

There is no greater purpose, no greater cause and no greater reward promised to the children of men than to those who follow the Good Shepherd. When we follow the Good Shepherd, we look beyond the confines of this life into eternity itself and we join God the Father’s sworn purpose.

Further down, in the opening lines of the Inferno, while still in the forest Dante follows a dark valley to a mountain foot and then looks up and can see the sun shining far away up on the mountaintop. Just the sight of the sunlight begins to immediately quiet his fears.

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." John 8:12

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the Light of the World, will lead you in the paths of righteousness if you put your life in His hands. But remember, it is not primarily for the personal fame or aggrandizement of any sheep that Jesus promises paths of righteousness; it is for His name’s sake.

God bless you, I wish you the best. I want only good things for God’s entire household; however God did not’t send Jesus primarily for our personal gain. He came for His own name’s sake. And, the sooner a child of God can come to terms and their ego can live with that, it is a wonderful liberating place to dwell.

Also important to our perspective is the fact that a shepherd is not of the same mind as his sheep. The shepherd, in fact, is a different species and has his own higher agenda than his sheep. The main responsibility of sheep is to learn to trust the shepherd whether they understand his agenda or not.

The Good Shepherd’s agenda, by the way, is destroying His enemies and so exalting His name. When we accept this, it is infinitely liberating because we realize that life is not all about self. Life lived for self is slavery in the despotic kingdom of Me. It’s all about my self esteem: the greatness I can attain, the fame I can gain, the wealth I can amass, the power I can garner, the comfort I can pad myself with—it is the kingdom of Me.

The pressure is great in the kingdom of Me because each person only has several decades at the most to reach the top of the mountain and after that, it is all down hill. In the kingdom of Me I have to measure myself by everyone around me to know if I am doing well or not. When I am following the Good Shepherd, He leads me in paths of righteousness that He has chosen for me and He rewards me for my simple obedience even more than my self-glorifying sacrifice or my relative success in comparison to others.

When it is about Jesus, I live as His servant—I love Him, follow Him, I get to work for His good and for the good of His kingdom all the days of my life. And it doesn’t matter where He asks me to serve. I’ll serve with all vigilance, and I’ll serve with a heart of gusto, praise and joy.

Why? Because it’s for His name’s sake and I am but His humble servant. This is a purpose bigger than me! Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). As I follow the Good Shepherd, I become part of the inner circle of eternity—and there is no higher thing to desire in all the universe.