| Christian Life and Doctrine | April 1989 |
Psalm 23 Series, Part 4
“He Restoreth My Soul”
—Psalm 23
“HE SAVES my life,” is the literal meaning of David’s poetic expression, “He restoreth my soul.” The soul is the living being. In the case of the Christian it is the new, spiritual life, the new creature, as Paul states it in II Corinthians 5:17. A restoration of life is necessary even before one can be a follower of the Good Shepherd, for we are all members of the fallen and dying race. Through faith in the atoning blood we receive justification to life, and upon this basis can be acceptable to the Lord.
We can all rejoice in this wonderful provision which was made for us through Christ, for without it we could not be sheep in his pasture at all. Apparently, however, restoration of the soul which David speaks of in our text is a provision of divine grace by which we are blessed after becoming followers of the Good Shepherd. As new creatures in Christ Jesus we have various enemies which are ever on the alert to do us harm, yes, even to separate us from our Shepherd and to destroy our new life. By listening carefully for the Shepherd’s voice, and following him closely at all times, we are protected from these enemies, and if inadvertently we fall into their clutches, he rescues us and restores our life.
As a shepherd boy in that rugged country of Judea, David was well acquainted with the dangers which threatened the sheep which were under his care. He knew that the enemies of the sheep were lurking around almost constantly, ready to rush in to destroy and devour the sheep. He knew that at times some of the sheep were overreached by these enemies, and but for his watchfulness and skill as a shepherd, would lose their lives. It was with feeling, therefore, that he could write of Jehovah’s solicitous and tender care, “He restoreth my soul.”
Dangerous enemies of the sheep in David’s experience were the wild animals which roamed the country. David encountered these in his experience as a shepherd, and on one occasion slew a lion which had attempted to make away with a sheep. But in addition to reflecting the background of his experience, David spoke prophetically of the manner in which the Good Shepherd cares for his sheep of this Gospel Age. In a warning to us, the Apostle Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”—I Pet. 5:8
Our adversary the devil is indeed a formidable foe, one with whom we would be utterly unable to cope without the help of our Shepherd; so Peter encourages us to look to the Shepherd, saying, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (I Pet. 5:7) How heart-cheering is the assurance, he careth for you. We would surely be devoured by the adversary were it not for the Good Shepherd’s care; and we can surely trust him to do for us all that we cannot do for ourselves.
But there are some things which we should do in cooperation with our Shepherd. The apostle says, “Be sober, be vigilant.” Failure to be sober and vigilant will leave us exposed to danger, a ready prey for the roaring lion going about to devour the Lord’s sheep. In the symbology of the Scriptures, spiritual soberness is contrasted with spiritual drunkenness, intoxication. As new creatures there are various ways in which we can become intoxicated, and thus expose ourselves needlessly to the attacks of the adversary.
We may become intoxicated with false doctrines concerning the plan of God and its proper place in our lives. Intoxication of this kind means that we no longer properly recognize the Shepherd’s voice. We hear other voices which lead us in strange paths, and away from the flock which is protected by the Shepherd. In this separation we are exposed to danger, and the more so because with this condition goes a measure of pride. We imagine we have something better than the other sheep. Off by ourselves, we may look at the flock and think of them as being in bondage, and congratulate ourselves that we are free to roam where we will and to follow any voices which appeal to us as sounding good. In this state of spiritual drunkenness we may feel happy, not sensing the danger to which we are exposed, until suddenly we realize that we have been overtaken by the adversary. If our hearts are right our Good Shepherd will restore our lives when we cry to him for help, but we should not think that divine mercy gives us freedom thus to wander in forbidden paths.
We may, if we are not on the alert, also become intoxicated with pleasure, with the spirit of the world, or with the cares of this life. Self-complacency is also a form of intoxication—a false sense of security in which we presume on God’s grace without doing our very best to hearken to the Shepherd’s voice and faithfully follow his leadings. Let us then endeavor to be sober, exercising the spirit of a sound mind by listening carefully to the Shepherd’s voice, which is the voice of truth—the truth of the divine plan.
Peter also says we should be vigilant. This means to be watchful, to be on the alert, that we may recognize the adversary’s attacks and be ready to resist him, steadfast in the faith. A sheep is a defenseless animal, and at first it may not seem in keeping with this illustration that the apostle says we should resist our great adversary who goes about as a roaring lion to devour us. But, as we have seen, while sheep are helpless when once in the clutches of a lion, they can help protect themselves by keeping close to the shepherd, and following closely the leadings of his voice. It may be this that the apostle evidently has in mind when he says, “Whom resist steadfast in the faith.”
If we are following faithfully the voice of truth we will find ourselves associated with the rest of God’s flock. This in itself is a protection. If we are on the alert, vigilant in giving heed to the Good Shepherd’s voice of truth, we will not be led into by-paths of danger by other voices. Thus we resist the adversary by refusing to give heed to the various ways by which he would lead us from the Good Shepherd’s care.
Paul expresses the thought of being vigilant when he writes, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” (Heb. 2:1) In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul stresses this thought of giving earnest heed to the truth. He says that we should “hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering.” He exhorts us not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together” for mutual helpfulness; and immediately following this admonition he cites the possibility of sinning willfully and of the dire consequences. The lesson is obvious. If we become careless of the truth, neglecting even our privileges of fellowship with the brethren, tragedy may result.—Heb. 10:22-27
All of the Lord’s true followers are sheep, and he is their Shepherd. But as we learned in a previous lesson, these sheep, in turn, have a responsibility toward one another. Some among them are used by the Chief Shepherd as under shepherds, and to the extent of our ability and opportunity we should all be on the alert to help our brethren. Thus the Apostle Peter writes: “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.”—I Pet. 5:2,3
This admonition was addressed to the elders, and of course those who serve in this capacity in the church do have a special responsibility, but in principle we should all take it to heart. We are all to have a watchful interest in one another to supply spiritual food in our fellowship at the meetings, etc. We are all to be ensamples to the flock. This should not be left merely to those who are elected to serve us as elders. Thus we cooperate with the Chief Shepherd in helping to protect the flock against the attacks of that roaring lion who goeth about to destroy and to devour.
This mutual interest of the Lord’s sheep in one another, acting under the direction of their Chief Shepherd, is again brought to our attention in Galatians 6:1. Here, however, it involves a case where one of the sheep has been overtaken in a fault. It may be a case of one struck down by the great adversary, the devil or perhaps our enemy, the world, has temporarily succeeded in getting the better of him; or it could be the case of one who has fallen a victim to his own sinful flesh. In any case, the apostle writes, “Brethren, if any man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
It is the Chief Shepherd that restoreth our souls when we have allowed ourselves to fall by the wayside for any reason whatever. We rejoice in this. At the same time, we should remember that our Shepherd may look to us to help in the restoration of healthy spiritual life to the fainting ones among his sheep. “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”—Rom. 15:1
James wrote, “He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19,20) Here the sinner is one who has erred from the truth and the apostle shows the blessed privilege we have of rescuing such an one. If, by the Lord’s grace we succeed, we have saved a soul from death—that is, in cooperation with our Shepherd, we have restored the soul of the erring one, bringing him back safely into the fold.
Our text, “He restoreth my soul,” implies a certain amount of failure, else soul restoration would not be necessary. In this matter, David could speak from personal experience, for although he was said to have been a man after God’s own heart, he had been guilty on more than one occasion of serious lapses into unfaithfulness to God and to divine law. David knew, as he elsewhere wrote, that a good man does at times stumble and fall down; but he also knew that the everlasting arms were ready to help such an one to rise up again.—Deut. 33:27
Psalm 37:23 reads, “The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord; and he delighteth in his way.” Here is a reference to one who hearkens to the voice of the Good Shepherd and endeavors to follow his leadings. It is thus that his steps are ordered of the Lord; and it is walking in these steps that makes him a good man. It is not his own righteousness that makes him good, for “there is none righteous, no not one.” (Rom. 3:10) But he is reckoned good by God because his heart is right, and because his unwilling imperfections are not imputed to him. God delights in all who are good from this standpoint, and through the Good Shepherd exercises his protective care over them.
This care is manifested particularly in times of greatest need. Writing further of those whom the Lord looks upon as good because they are directed by his Word, David says, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.” (Ps. 37:24) The fact that one may fall does not mean that he is abandoned by the Lord, for if his heart is right, and he cries unto the Good Shepherd for help, his soul will be restored. How blessed is this assurance! It is a similar thought to that expressed by the apostle when he urges us to come boldly to the “throne of grace,” there to obtain mercy and help in time of need.—Heb. 4:16
When we are in need of soul restoration we are indeed privileged to cry out to the Good Shepherd for help; but if we are to be heard it is essential that we recognize our failures, and penitently seek restoration to the fold of divine care. “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” wrote David, “and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10) It was essential that we have a right spirit in order to enter the narrow way. However, through the deception of the adversary, the allurements of the world, or by the pleasures or cares of the flesh, our spirits may not continue to be right.
A right spirit is one of purity toward God, of zeal for him, for his people, for his truth and the service of the truth. It is the spirit of joy and peace and love, and of kindness and mercy and patience in our dealings with our brethren and with the world. It is a spirit of alertness for the doing of God’s will, a spirit that seeks for opportunities to sacrifice time and strength and means in the service of God.
It is possible for the right spirit which we possess to change. One of the faults Jesus found with some of his people was the fact that they had lost their first love. (Rev. 2:4) Here is a lesson which all of us may well take to heart. It is so easy to lose that right spirit with which we started out in the narrow way. A root of bitterness, a bit of discouragement, a measure of selfish ambition or of false pride, or the spirit of listlessness, can readily creep over us, and almost before we are aware of what is taking place, the right spirit of consecration to God and devotion to him and to his cause, is measurably buried or suppressed. If we recognize what has occurred, or is threatening, we should seek the throne of grace. David expresses the proper attitude, saying to his God, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.”—Ps. 51:11
Ah yes, that right spirit which we had when we first became sheep in the Lord’s pasture was one which was in tune with God’s own Spirit, his Holy Spirit. In consecration we gave ourselves to the Lord, and he blessed us with an infilling of his Holy Spirit. We were thus at one with him, and we felt his presence near to us. It would be tragic indeed to lose his Holy Spirit, so when we pray for him not to remove it from us, we should cooperate with him by emptying our hearts of all self-will that there may be room for his Spirit to dwell therein and to continue guiding us in his ways.
“Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation,” David continues. (Ps. 51:12) If perchance some earth-born cloud has hidden us from the view of our Shepherd we should be quick to cry out to him for the restoration of his favor. If we do, we can be assured that he will restore our soul, and with that restoration will come the original joy of the Lord which was ours when we possessed that right spirit. Would that all of the Lord’s people who may have had in any measure the joy that was theirs when first they found the truth and the Lord, might take these essential steps to have their souls restored and their joy revived!
When one has lost a measure of that right spirit which he once possessed, he is to some extent spiritually sick. He may not realize his danger, nor be inclined to take the necessary steps in order to be restored. But the watchful eye of the Good Shepherd is always on the alert to see the needs of his sheep, particularly those who may be in danger. He knows that the sick ones, and those caught by the enemy are not able to come to him for help, so he goes to them. Yes, he seeks them out, and bestows his special care upon those who need him most.
And it is well to remember in this connection that the Good Shepherd carries on his work through under shepherds; and that in the final analysis he looks to all of us for cooperation and expects that we will be glad at any time, and under any circumstances, to lay down our lives for the sheep. Thus the Good Shepherd’s care is an example of the interest we should have in our brethren, particularly those who may stand in need of soul restoration.
There may not be much we can do for these, but we can pray. Perhaps their greatest need is that someone pray for them. If we have opportunity we can remind them, either personally, or by means of the printed message, of the beauties and joys of the truth. By precept and example we can admonish them to return to their first love, assuring them that their original joy will return when the right spirit which they once possessed is renewed. Thus to be interested in the Lord’s sheep is a token that we have the Lord’s Spirit.
“We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak” wrote Paul, “and not to please ourselves.” (Rom. 15:1) In some ways it might be more pleasing to associate only with the strong among the Lord’s sheep; but if we have the right spirit, the Spirit of the Good Shepherd, we will gladly help to bear the infirmities of the weak. But we must not expect the weak ones to come to us—they may be too weak for that. Instead, we are to go to them, no matter how great a sacrifice may be entailed in so doing. The parable of the lost sheep illustrates the principle involved in our opportunity to help the needy ones among the Lord’s sheep. In this parable the Good Shepherd is said to leave the ninety and nine which were safely in the fold, and to go out into the wilds to seek the sheep which was lost in order that it might be restored to the fold.
It is evident from this that it would be wrong to suppose that we are to center our attention principally and only upon the sheep which are already safely in the fold of the Good Shepherd. True, these are not to be neglected, but our interest is to be as wide as that of the Good Shepherd, which means that we are to be willing to make sacrifices in order to reecho his voice far and near, that the weak ones among the sheep, and those who have temporarily fallen by the wayside, or have been overreached by an enemy, may have their fainting souls restored and their joy in the Lord renewed.
God’s abounding grace and his enduring mercy are beautifully highlighted in our text, “He restoreth my soul.” It emphasizes human limitations and weaknesses by assuring us of the divine provision for dealing with them. But the full value of the lesson is lost if it fails to impress us with the opportunity which is ours of exercising mercy toward erring ones, and of doing all in our power to help renew a right spirit within them. If upon self-examination we find that we lack this proper attitude toward the Lord’s sheep everywhere, even the sickly among them, then we may well wonder if perhaps we have not ourselves lost our rust love. It is well in this connection that all of us remember the admonition, “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”—I Cor. 10:12
To be assured that soul restoration is available for erring ones among the Lord’s sheep enhances our appreciation of God’s love and mercy, but does not justify us in becoming lax in our own efforts to follow the Good Shepherd faithfully. The more we know of God’s love, the greater the incentive to be faithful to him. But despite our best efforts, we will daily come short of the perfect standard he has set for us. In this sense, therefore, we are daily in need of soul restoration. Daily we need to seek divine forgiveness. Daily we need the care of the Good Shepherd. Appropriately then, all the consecrated followers of the Lord can say of him that he is their Shepherd, and that he restoreth their souls.
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