What Does “He Restores My Soul” Really Mean?
Biblical Insights on Psalm 23:3
Psalm 23:3 is the most comforting portion of the Bible to turn to for the soul that needs to be restored. But what does the psalmist mean by : “He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”?
To understand this verse, let’s do a quick recap of the previous two verses.
A Quick Recap (of Psalm 23:1 and 2)
The most beloved and well-known chapter in the Bible is Psalm 23 because it highlights the special relationship that we share with the LORD (Yahweh), the creator of heaven and earth. He’s our shepherd, and we are the sheep of His pasture.
It is however intriguing that the Bible refers to us as sheep, creatures not particularly known for their intelligence, agility or strength. However, what may appear as a weakness is, in fact, a strength. It is better to be a sheep under the care of a good shepherd than a powerful lion. As we read in Psalm 34:10 while young lions lack and suffer hunger we shall not want / lack nothing
It may seem that the people of the world are stronger, wealtheir, wiser and better-off than believers (1 Cor. 1:26-27). They are the lions and we are the sheep. They are the Goliaths and we are the Davids. But we, who have God as our shepherd wield an unfair advantage over the world: that’s Psalm 23:1.
The second verse tells us about Yahweh’s provision for our physical needs. ‘He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.‘ He provides not only food and water but much more! The sheep can relax and lie down in green pastures with no worries whatsoever because the Great Shepherd keeps watch over them (Psalm 121:5).
Key Takeaways
Our primary focus should NOT be on the phrases “want/lack” or “green pastures” and “still waters”; instead, our focus should be on the Shepherd. He is the central figure in Psalm. He is my shepherd…. He makes me lie down and it is He that leads. After all, you wouldn’t want a wolf make you lie down in green pastures, or lead you beside still waters, would you?
Our Lord does not exploit His sheep, no matter how dumb and defenseless they may appear. A hireling is a ‘gimme, gimme’ sort of person – he cares only for what he can gain from the sheep. In contrast, the good shepherd truly cares for the sheep, not for what he can gain from them, but because He loves them. He so loves the sheep that he lays down his life for them (John 10:11).
Psalm 23:3 – “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
What does ‘HE restores my soul’ mean?
The word ‘restores’ is often used interchangeably with ‘refreshes’, ‘revives’ or ‘renews’ in certain translations, leading to misinterpretations of the verse. To grasp its true meaning, we must turn to the Hebrew – the word יְשׁוֹבֵ֑ב (ye-shubb) means to turn back, return or retreat. In Luke 15, the shepherd ‘restores’ the lost sheep by bringing it back into the fold, and similarly, the father ‘restores’ the prodigal to his former ‘sonship’.
The emphasis should, once again, be placed on the shepherd who restores. The lost sheep is utterly incapable of restoring itself and the same holds true for the prodigal.
Throughout the Bible we encounter numerous examples that underscore the fact that we cannot restore (save) ourselves. Just as with the lost sheep and the prodigal, Lazarus could not ‘restore’ himself and his loving sisters were powerless as well. Only our Lord Jesus Christ possessed the ability to restore Lazarus back from the dead.
From a spiritual perspective, it is God alone who can restore the soul of a sinner and return it to a sinless state. Nicodemus understood it. He couldn’t return to his mother’s womb and be born again: it’s God’s doing (born again = born from above).
Psalm 23:3 – “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.’
What does ‘paths of righteousness‘ mean?
The word “righteousness” here is not exactly the opposite of unrighteousness or sin. It is צֶ֝֗דֶק (ṣe·ḏeq) which means “the right” or “that which is right”
We, the sheep, are not smart enough to know what paths to take or which path is the best for us. Earthly shepherds, even those who claim to be sent by God, lead us on the “wrong paths” and we wander from mountain to hill, going astray (Jeremiah 50:6).
An old hymn encapsulates the plight of the sheep succinctly –
”Which way shall I take?” shouts a voice in the night,
“I’m a pilgrim a-wearied, and spent is my light;
To the right? To the left? ah, me! if I knew—
The night is so dark, and the passers so few.
The good shepherd does not save the sheep and leave them to fend for themselves. Our Lord not only restores (saves) us, but also leads us in the paths of righteousness (sanctifies and keep us on the right track).
Another noteworthy thought from this verse is “He leads me” — our loving shepherd does not drive us with a whip or drag us through the right paths nor does he push us in the right direction. He’s with us, walks before us and leads us!
Psalm 23:3 – “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
What does ‘for His name’s sake‘ mean?
The shepherd leads us in paths that are right for the sake of His name and reputation. Some may wrongly perceive this negatively, but this phrase gives (the restored sheep) the greatest comfort because it gives us assurance that we will remain restored/saved.
God will not lose His children (who are purchased by His precious blood) nor give an opportunity to the wicked one to malign His name and reputation by saying He saved them but could not keep them on the right path until the end.
We are confident of this – He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:12, Philippians 1:6). We don’t have to carry the good work to completion. He will do it.
If we are faithless, he remains faithful because he cannot disown himself (i.e. he remains faithful for his names sake) – 2 Tim 2:13 .
In conclusion, this is helps us understand Psalm 23:3 with clarity.
1. He restores = He saves (we cannot save our selves).
2. He leads me by paths of righteousness = He sanctifies the believer.
3. For His name’s sake = Our salvation is assured. He will not lose any of His sheep (John 6:39).
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
VERSE FOR MEDITATION
Really we should focus on Shepherd.
He always be with us in every aspects
Thank you anna