“For his name’s sake” He restores my soul and leads me in the paths of righteousness… Of course this phrase is found in verse 3 of Psalm 23. We can pass through it quickly without meditating on its importance.
Psalm 23:1-6
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Exodus
One very interesting concept I learned from David Gibson’s book, “The Lord of Psalm 23” is that: “in Psalm 23 we are, in fact, hearing beautiful echoes of the Exodus story.” For example, regarding verse one (I shall not want) he directs us to look at Deut 2:7. For forty years, God acted as Shepherd to Israel, leading them through the sea and wilderness. And they lacked nothing (I shall not want).
For His name’s sake
Israel could trust in God because of who He is; because of His name’s name. In his devotional, “Psalms by the Day,” Alec Motyer observes of verse 3 (for the sake of His name),
This is our security and confidence: his leadership does not arise from or correspond to anything in us or that we have done; it arises only from what is in his heart and nature. (Page 59, Side note 41)
This is an important observation for us as Christians in terms of assurance for our salvation. For me it echoes the sentiment in Romans 8:38-39.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Israel
Psalm 23 is a source of comfort for Christians. Yet if it echoes Exodus, we ought to remember its original context and application. If God faithfully shepherded Israel in the past, then He will also fulfill His promises to Israel “for His name’s sake.” We especially see this in Ezekiel 36 where God promises to, one day, cleanse and restore national Israel. He is not speaking to the church.
“Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.” Ezek 36:22
Regarding God’s promises to Israel, Craig Blaising (Israel and Hermeneutics) notes,
Failure to complete a promise is a violation of one’s word. It is a serious matter…once the promise is made, a relationship has been enacted and an expectation has been grounded in personal integrity. (Cited by Michael Vlach in “Dispensational Hermeneutics,” page 51)
If God will not keep His promises to future Israel, neither can Christians be assured of their salvation.
Maranatha!
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