The Lord Is My Shepherd
The Lord Is My Shepherd
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
Therefore, there are enemies. And he also says to Him: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4).
So there is a valley of the shadow of death, and there are enemies. Yet he feels that the Lord is with him.
The phrase “the Lord is with me” does not mean that He will prevent the valley of the shadow of death from me, or prevent the enemies. Not at all. All these troubles exist, yet He is with me, and I rejoice in the midst of tribulations.
But before speaking about the valley of the shadow of death and about afflictions, he first spoke about the beautiful experiences, saying:
“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.”
He leads me to green pastures. Truly, when God created man, He placed him in a garden. And the bride in the Song of Songs says that He shepherds her among the lilies (Song 6:3). But what are the green pastures, O David? He says:
The green pastures are the means of grace in which I live.
They are also the seven sacraments of the Church. God has prepared for me all the means of grace. I feel that I am walking in green pastures, nourished by spiritual things just as I am nourished by material things, rejoicing. “He makes me lie down in green pastures”: in the work of grace, in the work of the Holy Spirit, in the work of the Church.
The phrase “green pastures” also refers to another meaning:
It indicates that the one who walks in the way of the Lord feels delight in his path, and that the commandment of the Lord is not burdensome (1 John 5:3), nor are virtues oppressive to the soul.
Rather, the children of God feel that the commandment of the Lord is radiant, enlightening the eyes (Psalm 19). Each of them says that God shepherds his spiritual life in green pastures. And he also says:
“And He leads me beside the still waters.”
Water in the Holy Scripture symbolizes the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Lord says: “He who believes in Me… out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” He said this concerning the Spirit whom those believing in Him were about to receive (John 7:38–39). It is water that gives life, so the believer becomes like a tree planted by streams of water (Psalm 1). To this living water He leads me.
That is why the Church blesses the people with water at the end of every Divine Liturgy.
And the first still water you entered in your life was the water of Baptism.
It washes you from all the old things, “the washing of regeneration” (Titus 3:5). And as Saint Ananias of Damascus said to Saul of Tarsus after the Lord’s call to him: “Why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16).
It is the water of rest. It gives you rest from all old sins, and rest from the old man (Romans 6:6). This is the first still water for the son of God. And what comes after it?
There are other kinds of still waters.
Sometimes you sin, and the water of tears washes you and becomes water of rest.
The Lord Jesus said to the Samaritan woman that the water of the world: “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst” (John 4:13–14).
This is the water of rest that satisfies a person. Therefore, the psalm says, “My cup runs over.” If your soul is thirsty for this water, then “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
There is a water of rest of which David the prophet spoke in the psalm: “My soul longs for You, O God, as the dry land longs for water… As the deer pants for the streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God” (Psalm 42:1–2).
You, O Lord, are the living water. You are the fountain of living waters (Jeremiah 2:13). You are the water of rest that satisfies me.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures, and leads me beside the still waters.” That is, when I walk with You, I find complete rest and complete joy—not as some think that whoever walks with God becomes weary or is deprived of the pleasures and blessings of the world. Not at all. When I walk with You, O Lord, I rest in green pastures and beside the still waters.
And what does he say after this?
He says:
“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness.”
David the prophet says in humility that although God leads him to green pastures, He leaves him to the freedom of his will. And by the freedom of his will he may stray and sin. So what does the Lord do with him in this state?
He says: “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness.”
The paths of righteousness mean all the ways that lead to righteousness.
“He restores my soul”:
Every human being is liable to error and has his weaknesses. No one is without sin, even if his life on earth were only one day. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). We are the little sheep grazing in the wilderness, wandering here and there. They may be attracted by a grassy land and hurry toward it. If the shepherd sees that it has gone far from him, he brings it back.
The original state is that we abide in Him. If we stray from Him, He brings us back to Him.
We are a breath from His mouth that dwelt in this dust. We are not of this world, but are strangers in it. Our goal is God, in the heavenly homeland where we live with Him. If we love this world and cling to its lusts, God seeks us and restores us to Himself. Therefore, the psalmist says: “He restores my soul.”
The phrase “He restores my soul” indicates God’s work in guiding us.
It is not I, O Lord, who am able to restore my soul and lead it to repentance. For if I were able to do that, I would have turned it away from sin from the beginning. “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice… I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin” (Romans 7:19, 23).
Therefore, I cry out and say: “Turn me, and I shall be turned, for You are the Lord my God” (Jeremiah 31:18).
You, O Lord, are the One who restores my soul and leads me in the paths of righteousness.
“He leads me in the paths of righteousness”:
Guidance to righteousness is the work of the Good Shepherd, to whom we say in the psalm: “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths” (Psalm 25:4), and “Show me the way in which I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8).
In truth, I do not know my way. Rather, I say with the prophet Jeremiah: “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).
You, O Lord, know the path that suits me, and it is the path that agrees with Your good will.
You are the One who leads me in the paths of righteousness, for His name’s sake.
Some raise a dispute about the translation of one of the prayers of the Divine Liturgy. Some pray, as in the Holy Euchologion, “Teach us the ways of salvation,” and others translate it as “Teach us the way of salvation.” Which is correct?
From God’s side, there is one way by which the whole world is saved, and that is redemption by blood, which the Lord accomplished on the Cross.
But He taught us the ways by which we receive salvation.
Among them is faith, as He said: “That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). And as it was said to the Philippian jailer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31).
Among the ways of salvation is Baptism, as the Lord said: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). And as the Apostle Peter said on the day of Pentecost to the Jews who believed: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). And as Ananias of Damascus said to Saul of Tarsus: “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16). And as the Apostle Paul said: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).
Among the ways of salvation is repentance, as the Lord said: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5). In addition to this, there are the other sacraments necessary for salvation, such as the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which we say of in the Divine Liturgy: “Given for us for salvation, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life to all who partake of Him,” and also the Sacrament of Chrismation, by which the Holy Spirit dwells within us and guides us into all truth. These are the ways of salvation necessary for each of us. But here he says:
“He leads me in the paths of righteousness.”
What, then, are these paths of righteousness that I walk in as an individual, which suit my life, my nature, my mentality, and my gifts? Many times a person stands before diverging paths, all of them good, yet he does not know which one the Lord chooses for him: consecration, monasticism, priesthood, or ordinary service? The service of teaching, the service of the poor, or the service of the family and raising children? Service to others, or a life of silent example in meekness and humility—or all of these together? In all this he turns to God, saying: “He leads me in the paths of righteousness.”
I do not know in this particular matter: should I speak or remain silent? Should I rebuke regardless of what befalls me, or warn? Or should I quiet myself and pray? Should I offer my tithes and firstfruits in this direction or that? All I know is that I have entrusted my life into God’s hand, and He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
“For His name’s sake”:
I do not walk in the paths of righteousness for the sake of people, nor for my own sake. I do not want to be righteous in my own eyes, nor righteous in the eyes of people. “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory” (Psalm 115:1). Lead me in the paths of righteousness, so that His holy name may not be blasphemed because of me, as the Apostle James warns us, saying: “Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?” (James 2:7).
So that people may not say: Are these the children of God? Are these the children of the Church and Sunday Schools? Are these the ones who confess, partake of the Holy Mysteries, and attend spiritual meetings?
When David the prophet sinned, and Nathan the prophet came to make him aware of his sin and convey to him a message and punishment from God, he said to him concerning the punishment: “By this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” (2 Samuel 12:14).
Lead me, therefore, in the paths of righteousness, so that I may not cause the enemies of the Lord to rejoice over me. I am supposed to give them a good example by my deeds.
Lead me, O Lord, in the paths of righteousness, in my spirit and my body, as Your Apostle Saint Paul said: “Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20). And as You said in the Sermon on the Mount: “That they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Yes, for Your name’s sake, as we say every day at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer: “Hallowed be Your name.”
I am therefore with God, and He is the One who shepherds me. If I walk in His way, He leads me to green pastures and to the water of life. And if I stray from Him, He restores my soul and leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
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