The Right Path
By J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:3b)
When I was younger, I did a lot of deer hunting. May dad and I would take two or three trips each winter to deer leases throughout Texas. I have a lot of fond memories from those hunting trips. One of the things I enjoyed most was spending the afternoons walking around the ranch looking for critters. The primary hunting times were at dawn and dusk because deer are nocturnal, and they like to bed down during daylight hours. Being an adventurous teenager, and with not much to do in the afternoons, I would take my .22 rifle and head off for a hike in the woods to see if I could rustle up a squirrel, or an armadillo, or maybe a rattlesnake.
As I walked around the ranch I would notice small, narrow, well-worn trails running to and fro through the brush, trees, and thicket. They were about as wide as a bicycle tire. These were deer trails. Deer tend to take the same route over and over again as they crisscross the property. Typically, deer find the most nonthreatening pathway and stick to it. Over time, they wear a path in the grass and weeds. When deer get off the beaten track, that is when they get in trouble. The goal of hunting (in Texas anyway) is to entice deer out of the brush and over to the corn feeder. Once there, they become an easy target for the hunter.
In Psalm 23, David tells us that a good shepherd keeps his sheep on the “paths of righteousness.” The Hebrew word “righteousness” is actually “rightness” or “correctness.” A better translation of this verse would be the “right paths.” In other words, a shepherd’s task is to make sure that the sheep stay on the beaten path. They were to use the tried and trusted trails. A good shepherd was aware of the trouble spots. He was aware of places in the wilderness where wolves or other natural predators of sheep might be lurking. So, he would lead the sheep on the right path…the safe path…the best path.
A shepherd’s standing in the community depended upon how many sheep he successfully brought back into the fold each night. A shepherd who consistently lost one or two sheep per trip would soon develop a bad reputation and would lose his employment. In the Hebrew culture one’s name was closely associated with his character. When David writes that the shepherd kept his sheep on the correct path “for his name’s sake,” what he meant was that the shepherd’s very reputation was at stake.
Reflecting on this task of a shepherd David reminds us that God, our Shepherd, promises to lead us on the beaten path. Like the deer trails of the Texas hill country, the beaten path is the safest path. God sees what lies around each corner of our spiritual journey. He will not lead us into danger. Indeed, is any place dangerous when the Lord is at our side? And more than any human shepherd, the Lord can be trusted. He is “Yahweh,” the Great I Am.
His very name is at stake. If God says it, He will do it. His success rate in leading His sheep in the right path is 100%. With such a great Shepherd, we would have to be fools to stray off of the straight and narrow. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.” (Proverbs 12:15) Are you staying on the right path?
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:3b)
When I was younger, I did a lot of deer hunting. May dad and I would take two or three trips each winter to deer leases throughout Texas. I have a lot of fond memories from those hunting trips. One of the things I enjoyed most was spending the afternoons walking around the ranch looking for critters. The primary hunting times were at dawn and dusk because deer are nocturnal, and they like to bed down during daylight hours. Being an adventurous teenager, and with not much to do in the afternoons, I would take my .22 rifle and head off for a hike in the woods to see if I could rustle up a squirrel, or an armadillo, or maybe a rattlesnake.
As I walked around the ranch I would notice small, narrow, well-worn trails running to and fro through the brush, trees, and thicket. They were about as wide as a bicycle tire. These were deer trails. Deer tend to take the same route over and over again as they crisscross the property. Typically, deer find the most nonthreatening pathway and stick to it. Over time, they wear a path in the grass and weeds. When deer get off the beaten track, that is when they get in trouble. The goal of hunting (in Texas anyway) is to entice deer out of the brush and over to the corn feeder. Once there, they become an easy target for the hunter.
In Psalm 23, David tells us that a good shepherd keeps his sheep on the “paths of righteousness.” The Hebrew word “righteousness” is actually “rightness” or “correctness.” A better translation of this verse would be the “right paths.” In other words, a shepherd’s task is to make sure that the sheep stay on the beaten path. They were to use the tried and trusted trails. A good shepherd was aware of the trouble spots. He was aware of places in the wilderness where wolves or other natural predators of sheep might be lurking. So, he would lead the sheep on the right path…the safe path…the best path.
A shepherd’s standing in the community depended upon how many sheep he successfully brought back into the fold each night. A shepherd who consistently lost one or two sheep per trip would soon develop a bad reputation and would lose his employment. In the Hebrew culture one’s name was closely associated with his character. When David writes that the shepherd kept his sheep on the correct path “for his name’s sake,” what he meant was that the shepherd’s very reputation was at stake.
Reflecting on this task of a shepherd David reminds us that God, our Shepherd, promises to lead us on the beaten path. Like the deer trails of the Texas hill country, the beaten path is the safest path. God sees what lies around each corner of our spiritual journey. He will not lead us into danger. Indeed, is any place dangerous when the Lord is at our side? And more than any human shepherd, the Lord can be trusted. He is “Yahweh,” the Great I Am.
His very name is at stake. If God says it, He will do it. His success rate in leading His sheep in the right path is 100%. With such a great Shepherd, we would have to be fools to stray off of the straight and narrow. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.” (Proverbs 12:15) Are you staying on the right path?
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