I stumbled upon an interesting article written by Denise Cross entitled, “For His Name’s sake” referenced from Psalm 23:3. Here the writer took a different perspective from mine, as she emphasized the importance of walking in the path of righteousness to honour and glorifies God’s Almighty name. That, I do agree wholeheartedly. We are the ambassadors of Christ’s heavenly kingdom on earth, therefore, as an emissary; we are encouraged to follow the Shepherd and walk in Christ’s footsteps so that His Name may be glorified. My opinion with regards to “He led me the path of righteousness for His Name’s sake” differed from being just compelled to walk righteously only. In the 23th chapter of the book of Psalm, King David uses the metaphor of God and a shepherd in his writing for its literal and figurative meaning. He, with the help of God the Holy Spirit, then connects the two using characteristics they both share. Not just that alone, The Holy Spirit wants us to know too that we, our characteristics are identical to sheep. That imagery is supported by many bible verses and references made both by our Lord Jesus and many other writers from both old and new testaments. The literal meaning of a shepherd is a person who cares, who guides and tends to sheep. So, this imagery of Shepherd and sheep emphasizes God’s care and love for His children. But we like sheep, have the propensity to quickly wander away and have to be nudged back into the fold by the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd gently re-directs our direction , in order that His name, Jehovah Tsidkenu cannot and should not be blemished by our waywardness and folly. It is about the stake of His great Name, His Abilities and above all, His Character as our Great Shepherd in this sojourn.
But it is refreshing to have different perspectives despite reading from the same verse in the Word of God. Enjoy reading this article just as I did…….
For His Name’s Sake, written by Denise Cross.
I’ve been reading through the psalms recently, and, when I got to Psalm 23, I must admit I thought it a bit too familiar to hold anything very new. After all, it is the psalm (and probably the only psalm) that I can recite from memory.
I got as far as the second part of verse 3, and the phrase ‘for His name’s sake’ caused me to stop and think. Why does it say ‘He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake’?
I began to wonder what that phrase really means. Remembering that a very wise person once told me that the best explanation of Scripture comes through Scripture, I decided to look up other scriptures that use the same phrase. John says in his second letters ‘I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake’ (1 John 2:12) And Psalm 106 verse 8 uses exactly the same phrase ‘Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make His mighty power to be known’.
Clearly the phrase means ‘for the sake of showing His abilities and His character’. So, returning to Psalm 23, it means that, when I am being led in ‘paths of righteousness’, it’s for the sake of demonstrating His character. But what do I demonstrate in my life? What if I don’t walk in a lifestyle of righteousness? Then it won’t be His true character that’s demonstrated, but a warped view of who He is, and what He’s like. He trusts each of us with an amazing opportunity to show His character through our own walk of righteousness.
What a challenge this verse is. We all have an awesome responsibility, because the way we do life reflects well, or badly, on the Shepherd’s name and character. Sadly, those who’re not believers often comment that Christians are no different in their lifestyle from non-Christians. They certainly notice how often believers exhibit unrighteous behaviour. What a terrible failure in making the name of Father God known to the entire world.
Suddenly this comforting Psalm, which has always been a favourite of mine, as it speaks of God’s generous loving provision, His protection and immeasurable care over our lives, had issued a hidden and rather unexpected challenge. It’s not a new idea, of course, but it was a strong reminder, that how I live my life is the way I demonstrate the character of my Shepherd.
I’ll be pondering this truth more in the days ahead, as we celebrate the coming of Jesus, Emmanuel. In particular, as I spend time with non-believing family members, I need to remember that demonstrating I’m walking in paths of righteousness is essential, ‘for His name’s sake’.