In Psalm 23 David refers to God as his shepherd. This begs the question: In what way is God like a shepherd? David teaches that God is like a shepherd in at least five ways. In this post we’ll look at the third way. David says:
God is my shepherd in that he guides me.
David writes in Psalm 23:3b, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” In this verse David is pointing out a sheep’s need for guidance. Sheep need a shepherd to guide them because they aren’t the smartest creatures in the world. One will walk in a circle and all the others will follow until they are all walking round and round in a circle thinking they are going somewhere. David here recalls how God as shepherd, has guided him through life, bringing him safely from one destination to the next.
For example, when Saul was chasing David from place to place in the wilderness God would guide David clear of Saul’s reach. We read in 1 Samuel 22 how David was hiding in the wrong spot and how God sent a prophet named Gad to tell David to leave Adullam and head to Judah where he would be safe.
I’m so thankful God guides us through life because I am notoriously bad with directions! I recently tried to get to Gardner MA which is an hour and a half north of where I live. Somehow I ended up just outside of Boston which is an hour and a half east of where I live! More than most, I need God to be my Shepherd and guide the way!
God told David in Psalm 32:8 “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” God promised to guide David in Psalm 32 because David had made God his Shepherd in Psalm 23. This is how it works. When you make God your Shepherd, he makes it his responsibility to guide you through life. Be careful not to spend your whole life walking in circles, thinking you’re going somewhere – make God your Shepherd today! If you’ll make God your Shepherd, you can say, like David: God is my Shepherd in that he guides me.