He Restores My Soul
The basic meaning of the Hebrew word for “restore” means to return, implying physical movement or motion, and to revive the person emotionally, passionately, the entire person.
What is the “soul?”
What is meant is life, which consists of emotions, passions, drive, and appetites. It speaks of the entire person. The soul is different from the spirit.
Why does the Psalmist use “soul” instead of another term, such as “body?”
When we talk about the soul, it refers to the mind, will, and the emotions. It is where we are hurt and harbor out hurts.
Why does the Shepherd restore the Psalmist soul?
There are two reasons.
The first one is that the Shepherd wants to restore our soul to its former position of being submitted to our spirit. Our spirit should rule us, not our soul.
When our soul rules, we walk according to the flesh, and to our emotions. When this happens, we are not walking according to the Spirit. The Shepherd leads us by His Spirit in our spirit.
When we are Spirit led, our soul is in its proper place and not ruling us.
Our spirit is what is born again, so our minds need to be renewed to the ways of God.
In what specific ways is such a restoration accomplished?
It is accomplished by reading and meditating on the Word; by confession, by prayer, and becoming saturated in the Spirit.
The second reason is that in studying this Psalm we must always remember that it is a sheep in the Good Shepherd’s care that is speaking. It is essentially a Christian’s claim of belonging in the family of God. As such he boasts of the benefits of such a relationship.
This being the case, one might well ask, “Why then this statement, He restores my soul?”
Surely it would be assumed that anyone in the Good Shepherd’s care could never become so distressed in soul as to need restoration?
This does happen.
Let’s look at Psalm 42:11:
“Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance, and my God.” (NASB)
Only those intimately acquainted with sheep and their habits understand the significance of a “cast” sheep or a “cast down” sheep.
This is an Old English shepherd’s tem for a sheep that has turned over on its back and cannot get up again by itself. A “cast” sheep is a pathetic sight. Lying on its back, its feet in the air, it flays away frantically, struggling to stand up, but generally it lies there lashing about in frightened frustration.
It the owner does not arrive on the scene within a reasonable short time, the sheep will die.
It is not only the shepherd who keeps a sharp eye out for cast sheep, but predators are also watching. A cast sheep is easy prey and death is not far off.
When you are in this position, the devil pounces on you before you know it.
There was a time in my life several years ago that I experience a period of depression. It seemed like falling into a deep hole with not way out. Each day seemed like more weight had been added on my mind. But the Lord brought me out of it. Every person at sometime in their lives will feel like a “cast sheep.”
Matthew 18:11-12
"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?”
Many people have the idea that when a child of God falls, when he is frustrated and helpless in a spiritual dilemma, God becomes disgusted, fed-up and even furious with him or her.
This simply is not so.
One of the great revelations of the heart of God given to us by Christ is that of Himself as our Shepherd.
He has the same identical sensations of anxiety, concern and compassion for cast men and women as a shepherd has for his sheep
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That is precisely why He looked on people with such pathos and compassion. (Matthew 9:36)
It explains His magnanimous dealing with down and out individuals for whom even human society had no use.
It reveals why He wept over those who spurned His affections.
It discloses His depth of His understanding of undone people to whom He came eagerly and quickly, ready to help, to save, to restore.
Let’s take the example of Peter. Here is a man that denied Jesus three times and the Bible says that he wept bitterly after the rooster crowed and Jesus turned around and looked at him. Peter must have really felt bad, cast down, because of what he did. But you know, after the resurrection the Lord appeared to His disciples and was looking for Peter. We find Jesus restoring Peter in the 20th chapter of John’s Gospel.
So He comes quietly, gently, reassuringly to me no matter when or where or how I may be cast down.
Psalm 56:23: We are given an accurate commentary on this aspect of the Christian’s life in these words: “Thou has delivered my soul from death; wilt not Thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.”
We have to be realistic about the life of the child of God and face facts as they really are.
Most of us, though we belong to Christ and desire to be under His control and endeavor to allow ourselves to be led by Him, do on occasion find ourselves cast down.
We discover that often when we are most sure of ourselves we stumble and fall. (I Cor 10:12)
Sometimes when we appear to be flourishing in our faith we find ourselves in a situation of utter frustration and futility.
Admittedly this may appear as one other paradoxes and enigmas of our spiritual lives.
When we examine it carefully, however, we will not find it too difficult to understand.
As with sheep, so with Christians, some basic principles and parallels apply which will help us grasp the way in which a man or woman can be “cast”:
FIRST: There is the idea of looking for a soft spot.
The sheep that choose the comfortable, soft, rounded hollows in the ground in which to lie down very often become cast.
In such a situation it so easy to roll over on their backs.
In the Christian life there is great danger in always looking for the easy place, the cozy corner, the comfortable position where there is no hardship, no need for endurance, no demand upon self-discipline.
The time when we think “we have it made’” so to speak, is actually when we are in mortal danger.
There is such a thing as the discipline of poverty and privation, which can be self-imposed to do us a world of good.
Sometimes if through self indulgence, I am unwilling to forfeit or forego the soft life, the easy way, the cozy corner, then the good Shepherd may well move me to a pasture where things aren’t quite so comfortable, not only for my own good but also His benefit as well.
SECOND: There is the aspect of a sheep having too much wool.
¨ Often when the fleece becomes very long and heavily matted with mud, manure, burrs, and other debris, it is much easier for a sheep to become cast, literally weighted down with its own wool.
Wool in Scripture depicts the old self-life in the Christian.
It is an outward expression of an inner attitude, the assertion of my own desire and hopes and aspirations.
It is the area of my life in which and through which I am continually in contact with the world around me.
Here is where I find the clinging accumulations of things, possessions of worldly ideas beginning to weigh me down; drag me down, hold me down.
It is significant that no high priest was ever allowed to wear wool when he entered the Holy of Holies.
This spoke of self, of pride, of personal preference and God could not tolerate it.
If I wish to go on walking with God and not be forever cast down, this is an aspect of my life in which He must deal with drastically.
In dealing with our old self life, there will come a day when the Master must take us in hand and apply the keen cutting edge of His Word to our lives. (Hebrews 4:12)
It may be an unpleasant business for a time.
No doubt we’ll struggle and kick about it.
We may get a few cuts and wounds.
But what a relief when it is over.
The pleasure of being set free from ourselves.
THIRD: There is the aspect of cast sheep simply being too fat.
Over fat sheep are neither the healthiest nor the most productive.
It is the fattest that most often are cast.
Their weight simply makes it that much harder for them to be agile and nimble on their feet.
Once a shepherd even suspects that his sheep are becoming cast for this reason, he will take long range steps to correct the problem.
Turning to the Christian life we are confronted with the same sort of problem.
There is the man or woman, who because they may have done well in business or their careers or their homes, feel that they are flourishing and have “arrived.”
They may have a sense of well being and self-assurance, which in itself is dangerous.
Often when we re most sure of ourselves we are the most prone to fall flat.
In the warning to the church in Revelation 3:17, God points out that though some considered themselves rich and affluent, they were actually in desperate danger.
The same point was made by Jesus in His account of the wealthy farmer who intended to build more and bigger barns, but who, in fact, faced utter ruin.
Material success is no measure of spiritual health.
Nor is apparent affluence any criteria of real godliness.
And it is well for us that the Shepherd of our souls sees through this exterior and takes steps to set things right.
He may well impose on us dome sort of “diet” or “discipline” which we may find a bit rough and unpalatable at first.
But again we need to reassure ourselves that it is for our own good, because He is fond of us and for His own reputation as the Good Shepherd.
In Hebrews 12, we read how God chooses to discipline those He loves.
At the time it may prove a tough routine.
But the deeper truth is that afterward it produces a life of repose and tranquility free from the fret and frustration of being cast down live a helpless sheep.
The toughness it takes to face life and the formidable reverses, which it brings to us, can come only through the discipline of endurance and hardship.
In His mercy and love our Master makes this a part of our program.
It is part of the price of belonging to Him.
We may rest assured that He will never expect us or ask us to face more that we can stand. (I Corinthians 10:13)
But what He does expose us to will strengthen and fortify our faith and confidence in His control.
If He is the Good Shepherd, we can rest assured that He knows what He is doing.
This is and of itself should be sufficient to continually refresh and restore my soul.
I know of nothing that so quiets and enlivens my own spiritual life as the knowledge that “GOD KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING WITH ME.”
He restores my soul.
He Leads Me In The Paths Of Righteousness For His Names Sake
The Hebrew word for guides (leads) denotes an orderly conducting of an animal (or a group of people) to an intended destination either by forcible driving or by leading.
“Guides” is qualified by three prepositional phrases. The first two “in the paths of righteousness” indicates the direction of the guidance. The third, “for His names’ sake,” denotes the reason for the guidance.
“Paths” is plural rather than singular. The paths in which the Psalmist is guided are described as “paths” of righteousness.
Why is the term “paths” used in this connection both literally and figuratively?
There are two contrasting paths that are a common image rival ways of life in Hebrew wisdom and literature.
There is the path of the wicked (Proverbs 4:14) who forget God and their paths are crooked. (Proverbs 2:15)(Job 8:13)
The alternate path is called the path of God and of light. Compare Psalm 17:5; Psalm 25:4, and Job 24:13. This path entails living by the commands or instructions of the Lord. ((Psalm 119:35. 105)(Proverbs 10:17)
The reward of following this path is life, are found in Proverbs 2:19; Proverbs 5:6; Proverbs 10:17; and Psalm 16:11.
Go back to the leading of the Israelites out of Egypt and through the forty years in the wilderness. The Lord didn’t come up behind them with a bullwhip or cattle prod to move the people. The fire was by night and the cloud was by day leading them where He wanted to go. When it stopped, they stopped. When it moved, they moved.
A guide in a city or, wherever they may be, is always out in front leading the tourists to the right places. He knows where he is going. He knows where everything is. He knows where to stay away from.
Sheep are notorious creatures of habit. If left to themselves they will follow the same trails until they become ruts; graze the same hills until they turn to desert wastes; pollute their own ground until it is corrupt with disease and parasites.
A commonly held but serous misconception about sheep is that they can just “get along anywhere”.
The truth is quite the reverse.
No other class of livestock require more careful handling; more detailed direction, than do sheep.
If the flock was to flourish and the owner’s reputation was to be held in high esteem as a good manager, the sheep had to be constantly under his meticulous control and guidance.
Instead of being managed and handled with intelligent care, being left to struggle for themselves; left to the whims of their own destructive bits, the land can become “sheeped to death.”
Because of the behavior of sheep and their preference for certain favored spots, these well-worn areas become quickly infested with parasites of all kinds. In short time a whole flock can become infested.
The final upshot is that both land and owner are ruined while the sheep become thin, wasted, and sickly.
The intelligent shepherd is aware of all this.
Not only just for the welfare of this sheep and for the health of his land, but also for this own sake and reputation as a rancher, he must take the necessary precautions to safeguard against these adverse animal traits. Such habits, in themselves, comprise very serious hazards.
The greatest single safeguard in which a shepherd has in handling his flock is to keep them on the move. They dare not be left on the same ground too long. They must be shifted from pasture to pasture periodically.
Why?
It prevents overgrazing of the forage.
It avoids the rutting of trails and erosion of land from over use.
It forestalls the infestation of the sheep with internal parasites or disease, since the sheep move off the infested ground before these organisms complete their life cycles.
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In a word:
There must be a predetermined plan of action.
There must be a planned rotation from one grazing ground to another in live with right and proper principles of sound management.
This is precisely the sort of action and the idea David had in mind when he spoke of being led in paths or righteousness.
In this following of a precise plan of operation lies the secret for healthy flocks and healthy land.
Here is the key to successful sheep husbandry.
The owner’s entire name and reputation depends on how effectively and efficiently he keeps his charges moving onto wholesome, fresh forage.
THE ONE WHO DIRECTS HIS FLOCK ALONG THIS COURSE IS SURE OF SUCCESS.
The success enjoyed in sheep ranching must be attributed to this care in managing the flock.
Coupled with this entire concept of management, there is of course the owner’s intimate knowledge of his pastures:
He has been all over this ground again and again.
He knows its every advantage and every drawback.
He knows where his flock will thrive and he is aware of where the feed is poor.
So he acts accordingly.
A point worthy of mention is that whenever the shepherd opens a gate into a fresh pasture, the sheep are filled with excitement.
How they enjoy being led onto new ground.
As we turn to the human aspect of this theme we will be astonished at some of the parallels.
It is no mere whim on God’s part to call us sheep.
Our behavior patterns and life habits are so much like that of sheep it is nigh embarrassing.
First of all Scripture points out that most of us are a stiff-necked and stubborn lot.
We prefer to follow our own fancies and turn to our own way.
Isaiah 53: “All we are like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.”
And this we do deliberately, repeatedly, even to our own disadvantage.
There is something almost terrifying about the destructive habits and self-determination of a human being. It is inexorably interlocked with personal pride and self-assertion. We insist
We insist we know what is best for us even though the disastrous results may be self-evident.
Just as sheep will blindly, habitually, stupidly, follow one another along the same little trails, until they become ruts that erode into gigantic gullies, so we humans cling to the same habits that we have see ruin other lives.
Turning to “my own way” simply means doing what I want. It implies that I feel free to assert my own wished and carry out my own ideas.
Proverbs 14:2; 16:25: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
In contrast to which Christ the Good Shepherd comes gently and says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
(John 10:10) “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
The difficult point is that most of us don’t want to come.
Why?
We don’t want to follow.
We don’t want to be led in the paths of righteousness.
Somehow it goes against our grain.
We actually prefer to turn to our own way even though it may take us straight into trouble.
The stubborn, self-willed, proud, self-sufficient sheep that persists in pursuing its old paths, and grazing on its old polluted ground will end up a bag of bones on ruined land. The world we live in is full of such people.
Broken homes, broken hearts, derelict lives and twisted personalities remind us everywhere of men and women who have gone their own way.
We have a sick society struggling to survive on beleaguered land.
The greed and selfishness of mankind leaves behind a legacy of ruin and remorse.
Amid all this chaos and confusion Christ the Good Shepherd comes and says: “If any man will follow me, let him deny himself daily and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34)
But most of us, even as Christians, simply don’t want to do this:
We don’t want to deny ourselves.
We don’t want to give up our right to make our own decisions.
We don’t want to follow.
We don’t want to be led.
Most of us, if confronted with this charge, would deny it. We would assert vehemently that we are “led of the Lord.” We would insist that we would follow wherever He leads.
We sing songs to this effect and given mental assent to the idea.
But as far as being led in paths of righteousness is concerned, precious few of us follow that path.
Actually this the pivot point on which a Christian either “goes on” with God, or at which point he “goes back” from following on.
There are many willful, wayward indifferent, self-interested Christians who cannot really be classified as followers of Christ.
There are relatively few diligent disciples who forsake all to follow the Master.
Jesus never made light of the cost involved in following Him:
He made it painfully clear that it was a rugged life of rigid self-denial.
It entailed a whole new set of attitudes.
It was not the natural, normal way a person would ordinarily live and this is what made the price so prohibitive to most people.
In brief there are 7 fresh attitudes that have to be acquired.
They are the equivalent of progressive toward movement onto new ground with God.
If one follows them, they will discover fresh pasturage, new abundant life; and increased health, wholesomeness and holiness, in their walk with God.
Nothing will please Him more and most certainly no other activity on our part will or can result in as great benefit to other lives around us.
The 7 Attitudes are:
ATTITUDE NUMBER ONE: INSTEAD OF LOVING MYSELF MOST I AM WILLING TO LOVE CHRIST BEST AND OTHERS MORE THAN MYSELF
Love is deliberate act of my will.
It means that I am willing to lay down my life, lay myself out, and put myself out on behalf of others. (I John 3:16)
The moment I deliberately do something definite, either for God or others that costs me something, I am expressing love.
Love is:
Selflessness
Self-sacrifice
In contradiction to selfishness
Most of us know little of living like this or being “led” in this right way.
Once a person discovers the delight of doing something for others, he has started through the gate being led into one of God’s green pastures.
ATTITUDE NUMBER TWO: INSTEAD OF BEING ONE OF THE CROWD, I AM WILLING TO BE SINGLED OUT, SET APART FROM THE GANG.
Most of us, like sheep, are pretty gregarious. we want to belong.
We don’t want to be different in a deep, distinctive way, though we may wish to be different in minor details that appeal to our selfish egos.
Christ pointed out that only a few would find His way acceptable.
To be marked as one of His would mean a certain amount of criticism and sarcasm from a cynical society. Many of us don't want this.
Just as He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, so we may be.
Instead of adding to the sorrow and sadness of society, we may be called on to help bear some of the burdens of others, to enter into the suffering of others.
Are we ready to do this?
ATTITUDE NUMBER THREE: INSTEAD OF INSISTING ON MY RIGHTS, I AM WILLING TO FOREGO THEM IN FAVOR OF OTHERS.
This is what the Master meant by denying one’s self. It's not easy, nor normal, nor natural to do this.
Even in the loving atmosphere of the home, self-assertion is pretty evident and the powerful exercise of individual rights is always apparent.
The person who is willing to pocket his pride, to take a back seat; to play second fiddle without a feeling of being abused or put upon, has gone a long way onto new ground with God.
There is a tremendous emancipation from “self” in this attitude. One is set free from the shackles of personal pride. It's prettyhard to hurt such a person.
He who has so sense of self-importance cannot be offended or deflated.
Somehow such people enjoy a wholesome outlook of carefree abandon that makes their Christian lives contagious with contentment and gaiety.
ATITUDE NUMBER FOUR: INSTEAD OF BEING ‘BOSS’ I AM WILLING TO BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HEAP.
To use sheep terminology, instead of being “TOP RAM” I am will be to be a “TAILENDER”.
When the desire for self-assertion, self-aggrandizement, self-pleasing give way to the desire for simply pleasing God and others, much of the fret and strain is drained away from daily living.
A hallmark of the serene should be the absence of “drive”, at least “drive” for self-determination.
The person who is prepared to put his personal life and personal affairs in the Master’s hands for His management and direction has found the place of rest and in fresh fields each day.
These are the ones who find time and energy to please others.
ATTITUDE NUMBER FIVE: INSTEAD OF FINDING FAULT WITH LIFE AND ALWAYS ASKING ‘WHY’, I AM WILLING TO ACCEPT EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE OF LIFE IN AN ATITUDE OF GRATITUDE.
Human beings, being what they are, somehow feel entitled to question the reason for everything that happens to them. In many instances life itself becomes a continuous criticism and dissection of one's circumstances and acquaitances.
We look for someone or something on which to pin the blame for our misfortunes.
We are quick to forget our blessings, and slow to forget our misfortunes.
If one really believes his affairs are in God’s hands, every event, no matter whether joyous or tragic, will be taken as part of God’s plan.
To know beyond doubt that He does all for our welfare is to be led into a wide area of peace and quietness and strength for every situation.
ATTITUDE NUMBER SIX: INSTEAD OF EXERCISING AND ASSERTING MY WILL, I LEARN TO COOPERATE WITH HIS WISHES AND COMPLY WITH HIS WILL.
It must be noted that all the steps outlined here involve ” the will.”
When a man or woman allows his or her will to be crossed out, canceling the “I” in their decisions, then instead the Cross has been applied in that life.
This is the meaning of taking up one’s cross daily, to go to one’s death, no longer my will in this matter, but His will be done.
ATTITUDE NUMBER SEVEN: INSTEAD OF CHOOSING MY OWN WAY, I AM WILLING TO CHOOSE TO FOLLOW CHRIST’S WAY, SIMPLY TO DO WHAT HE ASKS ME TO DO.
This basically is simple, straightforward obedience. It means I just do what He asks me to do.
I go where He invites me to go.
I say what He instructs me to say.
I act and react in the manner He maintains is in my own best interest as well as for His reputation, if I am His follower.
Most of us possess a formidable amount of factual information on what the Master expects of us.
The person who decides to do what God asks him has moved onto fresh ground, which will do both him and others a world of good.
Besides, it will please the Good Shepherd no end.
God wants us to walk with Him.
He wants us to move on with Him.
He wants it not only for our welfare, but for the benefit of others as well as His own dear reputation.
Perhaps there are those who think He expects too much of us.
Maybe they feel the demands are too drastic.
It would be if we had to depend on self-determination or self-discipline to succeed.
But if we are in earnest about wanting to do His will and to be led, He makes this possible by His own gracious Spirit who is given to those who obey.
For it is He who works in us both to “will and “to do” of His good pleasure.
For His Name’s Sake
Why does He do this for His Name’s sake?
Because of His nature.
God’s love and care are wholly in keeping with His character.
His name, “YAHWEH ROHI” denotes His “pastoral” character.
He will not lead me somewhere that is contrary to His “pastoral” character.
This illustration is taken from Oswald Chambers “My Utmost for His Highest”:
In the Old Testament, a person’s relationship with God was seen by the degree of separation in that person’s life. This separation is exhibited in the life of Abraham by his separation from his country and his family. When we think of separation today, we do not mean to be literally separated from those family members who do not have a personal relationship with God, but to be separated mentally and morally from their viewpoints. This is what Jesus Christ was referring to in Luke 14:26.
Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding or reason, a life of knowing Him who calls us to go. Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest traps we fall into is the belief that if we have faith, God will surely lead us to success in the world.
The final stage in the life of faith is the attainment of character, and we encounter many changes in the process. We feel the presence of God around us when we pray; yet we are only momentarily changed. We tend too keep going back to our everyday ways and the glory vanishes. A life of faith is not a life of one mountain top experience after another, like soaring on eagle’s wings, but it is a life of day in and day out consistency, a life of walking without fainting. (Isaiah 40:31) It is not even a question of the holiness of sanctification, but of something which come much further down the road. It is a faith that has been tried and proved and has withstood the test. Abraham is not a type or an example of the holiness of sanctification, but a type of the life of faith, a faith, tested and true, built on the true God.
Abraham knew God as his YAHWEH ROHI. He allowed himself to be led not knowing where he was going.
