Psalm 23:3b-4a
He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death…
Today is Day 4 of a set of meditations from Psalm 23.
Each day we will prayerfully read through the entire psalm, each day focusing on a particular verse or set of phrases.
Repetition does not necessarily dry out a Scripture passage. The process of meditation upon the Word requires repetition, enabling us to go deeper.
Tim Keller wrote in his introduction to his devotional on the Proverbs,
“A proverb is like hard candy: If you just bite down on it, you get little out of it and may even get a broken tooth.
Instead, you must meditate on it until the sweetness of insight comes.”
If this principle applies to the challenging proverbs, then how much more does it apply to other portions of Scripture?
Too often familiarity with a passage leads to an environment where we turn off our thinking and thus miss truth hiding in plain sight. Slowing down and reviewing provides an opportunity for us to open up our souls to the working of the Holy Spirit in illuminating our inner being, revealing our anxieties, hopes, disappointments, sorrows, areas of deep suffering. The goal of Scripture meditation is transformation, and transformation requires focus and time.
Today we encounter the Shepherd as our guide, the one who knows us well, whose ear is ready to hear us. The one who is Yahweh!
So far Psalm 23 has been a meditation of a heart overflowing with peaceful joy remembering Yahweh’s nearness, goodness, faithfulness, and provision. The Shepherd provides a place of complete rest, refreshment, and restoration. We now hear a transition in David’s viewpoint, as he speaks of how the Shepherd guides us from a comfortable shelter out into the next pasture.
For Each Study, we will be going through six steps:
Relax and Refocus
Read
Reflect
Respond
Rest
Trying it on
Relax and Refocus
Find a spot where you can sit comfortably, away from other distractions as much as possible. Are you thirsty? Even if you are not aware of being so, you may be even a bit dehydrated. Support yourself in being able to be calm and focus by rehydrating. Drink some water with a pinch of salt or electrolyte water.
As you pull aside from all the responsibilities, the many cares, the overwhelming burdens of your day, remember that the Lord loves you and He cares about the matters which weigh you down. He cares for you! Yahweh, your all-powerful shepherd, can carry your cares for you while you look to Him, listen to Him through His Word.
The sheep hear his voice, and He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. When He brings all his own out, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
A stranger they will never follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.
I am the good shepherd, and I know my own and my own know me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father….
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish—ever; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
V. 3-5, 14, 27-28 LSB
What thought especially catches your attention from hearing these words? About who the shepherd is? About the sheep? Write down that thought, then take those thoughts and turn them into a prayer.
Pause and Pray
Oh, Lord Jesus, our faithful Shepherd, you are good. We praise you that everything about you is good and faithful! Your compassionate love provides for all our needs. Your goodness leads us into places of rest and refreshment, because you love and care for us. You are aware of our weakness and frailty, because you ultimately made us, but also because you took on a body and lived among us. How amazing it is that you know my name! How amazing that you can teach me to hear and follow your voice. Please meet with me! Please continue to reveal yourself to me so that I may be listening for you, always willing to follow you wherever you call my name and lead me out. Amen
Read
Psalm 23
1 Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing, for with Him I have everything that I need.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still water.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Notes:
Guides: the sense of the Hebrew used here is an active guidance, as in “He causes me to be guided.” The shepherd must faithfully and consistently guide the sheep for their safety upon the narrow track. Without keeping their footing, the sheep will encounter danger or destruction.
Paths: The Hebrew word is magdal. The pictures which we have in our imaginations of the lush green grass readily available for grazing is inconsistent to the topography and climate of Israel. To find adequate grass, each day the shepherd must move the sheep to reach appropriate grazing. One the western side of Isreal, the annual rainfall amount is about 16 to 20 inches. As the rain clouds dump precipitation on the western mountains, on the eastern side in the Judean wilderness, the annual rainfall is between 2 and 5 inches.
The shepherd’s paths circumnavigate the rocky, rough terrain of the Judean hillsides, creating a track or rut which curves and winds around the hillsides. The sheep consistently follow one another in a single file, their hooves cutting and compacting the topsoil, over time creating an increasingly stable route providing safe footing. These ruts are about 12 inches wide, just wide enough for one sheep to pass, walking single file, along the steep ascents of the wilderness. The shepherd must guide the sheep, because stepping off the path leads to danger.
“namesake” a name was more than simply identification, it was a person’s honor, aka “the glory of God,” living in a way which is consistent with Yahweh’s holy and faithful character
Valley The valleys of the Judean wilderness are steep, with tall high walls like a gorge. In some areas, the walls are so tall and the path so narrow that sunlight reaches the valley floor only during the peak of the day.
the shadow of death or “death-shadow,” deep darkness, of eyes heavy with weeping from distress, state of extreme danger.
Reflect
Listen, as you read this aloud to yourself. What catches your attention?
He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Questions to guide you in pondering the passage.
*After He refreshes us, tends to our needs, what is His plan for us?
After we have been provided food, water, rest, and safety, we need to be directed to the next pasture. After restoring us, He guides us into action. The sense of the Hebrew word “guides” is that of intensity, that the shepherd is continuallyguiding from pasture to pasture. Our Shepherd’s guidance isn’t merely passive, but is active, intensive, continual. Communion with Him prepares us for service.
*Are we clearing a new path, as we follow Him? Is this any new territory for Yahweh?
Consider: He is guiding us along paths which He has already taken. The valley of the shadow of death wasn’t simply limited to Passion Week and the events surrounding the cross. His whole life was one of suffering and danger. He may choose to lead us into danger, yet if He does so, wherever we go, He has already been there before us.
He knows His sheep and does not unnecessarily weary them, even when guiding us along paths of righteousness means being leading them into the valley of the shadow of death.
*Considering the character of our Shepherd, when we face changes in our lives, what kind of interpretation can we have of these events?
*As He leads in paths of righteousness for His glory, considering His character, how can we interpret the outcome for us?
As His sheep, we can and continually need to trust the shepherd, trusting fully, to face change. As for us, He leads his own, providing guidance as to how to live for His glory and our own good. He is the Shepherd who knows us by name, we can confidently follow Him.
*Is the Christian life one of living in the fold with the sheep or is it a journey with the Shepherd?
The life of discipleship is a road and not living in fold. He calls us to walk in the ways of the Lord, following the narrow paths of faithfulness.
He knows His sheep and does not unnecessarily weary them, even when guiding us along paths of righteousness means being leading them into the valley of the shadow of death.
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
*How is it that we walk in the paths of righteousness? How are we able to be faithful sheep, living in following the Shepherd without getting off course, getting lost, getting devoured by an enemy?
*What does the shepherd not do? If you were to rephrase these ideas to express the opposite of who and what the Shepherd is, how would you say it?
*Which comes first? Works of righteousness or the restoration of the soul?
Psalm 1 presents two paths, the way of the blessed man and the way of the wicked. The righteous, blessed man walks in the counsel of Yahweh’s Word, delighting in it. Meditating upon it. Soaking it up like a tree with deep roots beside a stream. She is living as a dependent sheep, always listening for the Shepherd’s voice.
The righteous man does not stop, hang out with, nor align himself with those who are in opposition to Yahweh; he doesn’t listen to them. The righteous woman is the one whose ear is open to, anticipating, listening and following the Shepherd.
What voices have you been listening to which are influencing you?
*What sources/voices have you been listening to which are influencing you?
Podcasts, YouTube sources, blogs, people in your various spheres of life, these are all voices in your life. Your friends and neighbors? What music do you regularly listen to and have the lyrics memorized?
*What voices are hindering you from communion with the Shepherd? What voices are you hearing which are not leading you into truth about God, about yourself, about your world?
*Are you experiencing nourishing conversations with others? Are you regularly replaying past, painful conversations with others? Are you allowing yourself to be shaped by the messages which others have spoken about you? What messages are you speaking to yourself about who you are?
Scribble down your thoughts, your questions, then give them to Yahweh, the Shepherd.
Pause and Pray
Yahweh, by your Spirit, enlighten my understanding to observe how I speak to my soul. Show me where I am speaking lies to myself, whether I am repeating the lies of others or the ones I have created. Please enable me to start the process of believing your compassionate, tender love for me, a love that would never intentionally nor unintentionally ever speak words to destroy my soul. I praise You that your love for me is more grace filled, richer, more of a pursuing love than anything that I could ever imagine. How often I lived as a lost sheep, thinking that I was alone in the world, that I had no shepherd watching out for me. That although I did not have human support that somehow You were not caring for me. I praise you for your patience and kindness towards me in seeking after me, drawing me to yourself.
I lift up someone I know to you, that they may come to know your love all the more richly and deeply. That wherever they have questions and uncertainties about you, that You would reveal yourself in all your wonderful glory to them. That you would shine the glory of your face upon them and give them your peace, so that they will, in turn, shine the light of your glory upon others. Amen.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
*Does God promise us that we will not ever walk through suffering?
*He promises to guide us in paths of righteousness. Is this incongruous with suffering?
*As He is guiding us, He goes before us on the narrow path. What can we see from our vantage point? What does He see?
*What are you speaking to your soul? How are your words shaping your emotions? What are you allowing to control the shape of your soul?
Respond
*What do you most want to say to Yahweh as a result of this meditation? What questions do you have for Him?
Pause and Pray
Where are the eyes of your heart focused? Are you focusing upon the truths that Jesus speaks about himself, or are you distracted by the other voices which speak lies about his character?
The Holy Spirit gives us words to express our heart to Him:
Search me, O God, and know my heart
Try me, and know my anxious thoughts
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
Psalm 139: 23- 24
Rest
What if the opposite of these were what is actually true? How would you then perceive Jesus? David Powlison penned an “Antipsalm 23,”
He does not lead me.
He is not with me.
He is not interested in me, nor are His intentions for me ever good.
When I go into the valley of the shadow of death, I really am heading into death,
and I’m going there completely alone in the darkness.
Praise Yahweh that He is truly more glorious than our darkened heart might believe! Take a moment to soak in what has most struck you so far about Jesus as your shepherd. Write down these thoughts. Perhaps you will find yourself moving into worship or quiet rest in His presence.
Trying It On
Where do you have tension or uncertainty in your life right now? Where do you feel like you are alone in your circumstances?
What are you telling yourself as to who your shepherd is? Who you are as a sheep? What his heart, his plan and purpose is for you?
Oh, Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, You say that you will lead me through the darkness of the suffering which I will encounter in this life. You say that you will not leave me nor forsake me. You say that you will be with me and will comfort me. I praise you that you are greater and more wonderful than I can ever fathom. By the power of your Spirit, enable me to believe what you say about who you are and to walk boldly into the challenges which you send my way. May I shine for your glory, even while walking through the dark paths of the valley of the shadow of death. Enable me to put my trust fully in you, according to the riches of your power, Lord Jesus. Amen.
If you would be willing to chart the course which the Shepherd has taken you on, do reach out to me through the contact button. I have a worksheet which I will send you and will follow up with you to discuss it.
Shalom