April 18, 2008

HE LEADETH ME

Psalm 23:3

The LORD is my shepherd.

As we have been meditating on this wonderful truth, I have been emphasizing that in order to understand the full impact of that claim, we have to understand shepherding from the context of the Middle East, and the model of sheep and shepherding that David experienced during his youth as a shepherd tending his father’s sheep in the Judean hills.

It is important to continue to keep this background in mind today as we come to the next statement in the Psalm in the second part of verse 3:

He leadeth me.

We must keep several things in mind. First is the point I have been emphasizing, that sheep in Israel were taken to graze in the marginal areas of land. They were taken to graze on land that was not suitable for farming and the growing of crops. In fact there is even a reference in the ancient literature of the use of muzzles on the sheep when they were being led through farming areas, to prevent them from grazing and damaging the crops. It was only when they were out of these areas that the muzzles were removed and the sheep allowed to graze. I don’t know how common that was, but it gives us the picture that the areas for sheep were away from the farms and the villages; up on the hills, on the edges of the desert.

Keeping that that context in mind, we must also remember that the sheep were not kept in fenced pastures or fields as they are in some parts of the world. They were grazed in areas that were not privately owned by any one person. It was open land. Keep in mind also that the grazing was often so scarce that one day’s grazing in one area would deplete the grass and plants, and they were forced to move on to find new, un-grazed areas the next day if they were to have enough to eat. So David would have found it necessary to keep his flock of sheep constantly on the move to find sufficient food and water.

Now let’s factor in the terrain. I would ask you to picture rugged hills, frequently cut by deep wadis or ravines. These hills often folded around and back on themselves, creating a maze that was very difficult to find one’s way through. Winding over, through, and around these hills were often many paths, cut by other sheep and other shepherds.

Some years ago, on one of our visits to Scotland, Esther Ruth and I were hiking in the hills above Tillicoultry, near the town of Stirling. We were following a well marked path that was to take us across the shoulder of several hills to another village. After a while we realized that the path we were on was not going to take us up on the brow of the hill for the view we wanted to see. But we saw another trail that was going in the direction we wanted to go. So we branched off on that path. We hadn’t gone very far before that path also veered away from our destination. So we retraced our steps and took another path that seemed to lead toward the top of the hill. It, too, soon deviated from our desired direction of travel. We did finally reach the vantage point we wanted on the top of the hill. But then we tried to pick the best path that would lead us back to the main trail to the next village. The problem was, there were lots of paths to choose from. We took the best worn and best traveled one. Before long, we found ourselves clinging to the edge of the hill and found that the path we were on just ended right there. We kept going back and trying other paths. All of them led to the same kind of dead-end. By this time we were out of time and energy to walk all the way to the next village. Now we simply wanted to find a way back down into the valley so we could get back to where we were staying. Path after path simply petered out, or ended on the edge of a steep slope. We finally abandoned the paths and bush whacked our way across country. It took us several hours, as we pushed through thistles, waded through streams and cut across pastures. I learned about electrified tape. I knew about electric fences, but that was my first experience with electric tape. It packs a pretty good jolt! After numerous other adventures, including one acrobatic tumble into a thicket of Scottish thistle, we finally made it back to the main road.

I learned a valuable lesson that day. Sheep paths don’t go anywhere. They just wander aimlessly to the next piece of good grazing, or at least to the place where the good grazing was yesterday or last year!

Now the hills of Judea are not usually lush and green, unless it’s right after the rain. But one of the resource books I used in preparing for this series showed several pictures of rugged terrain, bisected by countless “paths” cut by many sheep. So, how can the sheep know which path to take? Which path will lead them to new grazing or fresh water? Which ones will lead into some barren dead-end? The fact is, the sheep don’t know. But the shepherd does. And one of the principal jobs of the shepherd is to lead his sheep safely, day after day to the next pasture and the next water supply. This is the picture in David’s mind as he wrote this psalm.

Life is a lot like the Judean hills, isn’t it? It is often very confusing, offering a whole variety of paths to choose from and a host of voices calling us to go this way or that way. But how can we know which path will lead us safely to our destination, and which ones will lead us into frustrating cul de sacs, or even worse, into terrible danger? There is a verse in Proverbs that expresses the danger well. Proverbs 14:12: There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

In light of the difficulty of picking the right paths in life, it is very reassuring to read David’s words. The Lord is my shepherd…He leadeth me…

What a wonderful phrase that is. We sang it in the hymn, didn’t we? “He leadeth me, O blessed thought!” What a wonderfully comforting reality that is for us as believers!

Prayer for God’s leading is a common theme in the Scriptures. Let’s just consider a few examples. Look at Psalm 5:8: Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies – make straight your way before me.

Let’s look also at Psalm 27:11: Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

The longer I walk with God, the more I find my daily, almost moment by moment prayers being condensed into two words: “Lord, lead me!”

But I want to look more closely at this issue. When the Bible speaks of the Lord’s leading and guidance, what kind of leading is it talking about? What kind of guidance can we expect?

We tend to be especially concerned about God’s guidance and we ask for his leading when we are facing a major cross-road in life. The issue of guidance raises its head when we face things like a job or career change, or health concerns, or family needs or other major changes or uncertainties.

Now the question is: Does God care about these kinds of issues, and does he promise to lead us in making these kinds of decisions? Clearly the answer to these questions is, “Yes!” God cares about every facet of our lives, and he invites us and wants us to take every concern and question to him.

But I would stress that this is not the primary kind of guidance that is talked about in Scripture, and it is not the most important kind of leading we need.

Let’s take the next part of this statement in Psalm 23:3.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.

What does this phrase tell us? First of all, this is more than simply saying that God will help us make the best choice. The word righteousness here comes from a root meaning straight. It has a very strong moral and ethical component. It is a word that is used most often to describe God himself. God is righteous and holy and utterly without sin or any contamination of unrighteousness. And he desires us as his followers, to demonstrate that same righteousness. He wants us to live lives that are straight and consistent with his standards and his holiness.

So when David writes here: “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness,” he means that “God leads us to do the righteous thing.”  He will help us to make the choice that is morally and ethically right and consistent with God’s standards and God’s own character.

Let me say it this way: A request for God’s guidance should always be first and foremost a request for moral and ethical guidance. And true guidance from God will always be consistent with his righteousness. The prayer: “Lord, show me your will,” should be understood as being identical to, “Lord, show me what is right.” And once it is clear what is right (or righteous) then we can also be assured that that is God’s will. The righteous thing to do is always the right thing to do! The righteous path is always the right path.

The New Testament also echoes this same emphasis. Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.”  Find out what is right and do that, and everything else will fall into place.

And in the Lord’s Prayer, one of the basic requests is for God’s moral and ethical guidance: Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil.

Why am I laying such emphasis here? I am emphasizing it because this truth is often ignored by Christians who should know better. I am amazed in counseling how often people will try to get my approval or agreement to some course of action which is clearly wrong by Biblical teaching. And the reason they give is that they’ve prayed about it and God has led them or given them peace about doing it. I am sorry, I don’t believe that! God’s leading is always consistent with his righteousness.

We need to change our focus when we think of God’s will and God’s leading. So often we only become concerned about God’s will or his guidance when we’re in a crisis or at a crossroads in life. We should seek God’s leading at those times. But God is also concerned about all the many paths we walk that make up the pattern of our lives; all the small, daily moral and ethical choices we make.

“Lord, help me to do the right thing and make the right choice in this relationship, in that business practice, in my choices of entertainment, in my selecting of friends, in the way I use my time,” and on and on. He leads me in paths of righteousness. But I have to follow the paths he shows me. If I am not seeking and following his leading in all those myriad small choices, how can I expect to get the big decisions right in the moment of crisis or when I come to the major cross-roads of life?

In the final phrase in this verse, David shows us that there is more at stake in our choices and decisions than just our happiness and convenience.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Does that sound rather strange to you? What is David telling us? “For his name’s sake” is like saying “for the sake of his reputation and his glory.” Think of it this way. People look at a flock of sheep and they draw conclusions about the shepherd. You see, if we belong to God, if we are his sheep and he is our shepherd, then his reputation is at stake in what we do, how we live and the choices we make. My life, my choices, my actions are not just about me. As Christians, we bear the name of Christ. What we do reflects on him. Do our lives, our decisions, the paths we choose cause his name to be profaned or to be honored?

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Two final applications, and I’m done.

First, maybe you are wondering how the Shepherd leads us. He can use a variety of methods. He can use circumstances. He can use the godly counsel of Christian friends and mentors. He can lead by the still small voice of the Holy Spirit within. But let me remind you of the primary source of God’s guidance and leading. (Hold up the Bible.) You know what it says in Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. It’s a different analogy, but the issue is still guidance, is it not? We read the first 16 verses of Psalm 119 for the Scripture reading this morning. I would challenge you to read the rest of the psalm and pick out all the ways God’s word is related to guidance and to righteousness. God’s guidance may come in a variety of different forms, but it will always be consistent with his Word. Christians today are often desperate for a “word from the Lord”. Here we have a whole book full of God’s words, and one of the things this book does is to describe the “paths of righteousness.” The better we know God’s Word, the clearer God’s leading will be and the easier it will be to discern the wrong paths and the wrong voices that call out to us to go with them.

Psalm 119:9 says it clearly: How can a young man keep his way (path) pure? By living according to your word. Verse 11 expands on the theme: I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. To follow the analogy of sheep and the shepherd, we sin when we leave the path of righteousness. We can prevent that by hiding God’s word in our hearts.

The final application is just a simple principle of life. Sometimes in order to go forward, we have to go back. Maybe you have left the path of righteousness. You know you’ve done it. You even know when you did it. God and his word told you to go left and you went right. I don’t know what the choice was or what it was about. But you do and God does. Now you’re enmeshed in a maze of increasingly complex choices. It is possible that there are no right choices in front of you. You need to turn back, go back in mind and spirit to that place where you left the right path. The Bible calls that repentance. Confess your sins. Change what you can change. Make restitution where possible and appropriate. It may be very painful and difficult, but there is no other choice. Sometimes in order to go forward you have to go back. Then with a clean heart you can begin to walk again in the paths of righteousness.