Paths of Righteousness

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” - Psalm 23:1

Let me paint you a picture.

You are a sheep. Grazing in the pasture, enjoying everything you need. You see your Shepherd rise from his place, and you stop what you’re doing to watch what he’ll do. He takes up his staff and begins to lead the way to the next destination. Without a second thought, you follow, completely trusting, completely dependent, and completely confident that He’s going to take you somewhere wonderful.

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.” - Ezekiel 34:11

As I read Psalm 23 recently, this is the image the Lord impressed upon me. I’ve read this psalm many times, even memorized it, yet this is the first time I’ve read it and seen a journey. And not just some made up fictional adventure - the journey that every believer is on right now. 

You see, as believers, we get to rest in the joy of knowing that God is our Shepherd. But, that doesn’t mean we just sit in the green pastures all the time. He’s leading us somewhere. We have to get up, follow Him, and stay on the path.

“He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” - Psalm 23:3

The path of righteousness is not always easy. It’s a path that weaves in and out of blessing and trial, peace and pain, but its destination is well worth the journey. If we follow obediently behind our shepherd, he won’t steer us towards isolation, but to those green pastures. We just have to trust that he knows the way.

The word used for path here refers to a circular path that treads the earth as it goes. Life is cyclical. Everything has its season, and the journey we’re on is a cyclical pattern of seasons until the return of Christ to redeem all things.

We tend to think of life as a straight line. We’re born, we live, we die. Point A to point B. Then somewhere along the line Jesus will come back and rescue us. But that’s not quite it.

When you really sit down and think about it, what in life is as simple as a straight line? Everything operates in cycles, just the way God designed it. From ecosystems to seasons, to the galaxy we’re in, it all moves in cycles. The Bible even teaches us this: 

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” - Ecclesiastes 3:1

This journey described in Psalm 23 is no different. It paints for us a picture of seasons that we will go through good, bad, then good again. Just like the seasons come and go each year, so will the paths of righteousness lead us through these different places over and over until Christ returns to redeem all things.

As we follow our Shepherd, we can expect to encounter all kinds of things. It would only make sense that the enemy is going to try to throw resistance at you when you are walking faithfully on the path that leads to life in Christ. That’s the last place he wants you to end up.

There’s going to be times of sorrow, times of doubt, times of attack, and times of betrayal. That doesn’t mean that we have left the path or that we’re on the wrong path. Rest assured, the paths of righteousness may go through dark places, but it doesn’t end there. 

“I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths.” - Proverbs 4:11

“I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice.” - Proverbs 8:20

Just as the sheep following its shepherd who doesn’t doubt that the dry and parched desert is not the destination, but just another stop along the way, so we can trust our God to lead us through the difficult seasons of life. 

They are not the destination, just another stop along the way.

The paths of righteousness will also lead us to times of refreshing, times of rejoicing, times of victory, and times of peace. When they do, we cherish those times and continue to lean into the Lord so we can be strengthened for the next dark valley.

Psalm 23 takes us on a journey, and that’s what we’re going to walk through together. So, take some time today to reflect on where you are on your journey. Where are you on the path of righteousness? 

Are you coming out of a dark valley or going into it? Are you sitting down at the victory feast in the presence of your enemies? Are you resting and being restored in green pastures?

Wherever you are, praise the Lord, because you know He’s leading you to dwell with Him in His house forever.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” - Psalm 23:6