“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ”
Devotional - Luke Humphrey
Psalm 23 is all about the character of God. Specifically, it’s about the character of God in being a shepherd for his people. In these verses we see where our shepherd leads us. And the answer might surprise us.
He leads us in paths of righteousness.
First, we see that as God shepherds us, he leads us in paths of righteousness. This means that God leads us down the pathway that leads to life and fullness of joy. The path of wickedness leads to death, but the path of righteousness is the way to life itself. Our Shepherd wants us to experience the best of what he has for us. And this comes not through financial prosperity or through earthly comfort but through righteousness as we follow his commands.
He leads us through the valley of the shadow of death.
Second, God leads us through the valley of the shadow of death. And this comes as a bit of a surprise to us. The path of life often takes us through the valley of the shadow of death. Why does God lead us this way? I think the second half of verse four shows us the reason:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
God leads us through dark paths to communicate to us his continued presence. And when we see this for ourselves, we are able to fight against fear because we are able to see who God is in the darkness: he is our protector. David’s life is not free of death and suffering—anyone familiar with 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel can see how much suffering David experienced, often at the hands of those closest to him. But in the valley of the shadow of death, God is with him. And through his continued presence God is leading him down paths of righteousness that lead to life itself.
“What is sin?
Sin is rejecting or ignoring God in the world he created, rebelling against him by living without reference to him, not being or doing what he requires in his law—resulting in our death and the disintegration of all creation.”
Fighter Verses
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New City Catechism
© Crossway, newcitycatechism.com