The Leading of the Eternal God

Marcel Malgo

It is for His name’s sake that the Lord leads His own in the paths of righteousness.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3).

The Good Shepherd lets His sheep lie down in green pastures and leads them beside still waters to restore or refresh their souls. The Lord only wants what is best for His own, but it is not for our sakes that He leads us in paths of righteousness — it is so that His name is glorified for His name’s sake. Everything we have received from our Lord and everything the Good Shepherd is to us and has done for us is ultimately glorifying to His unique great name. Therefore, all the good things we receive from the Lord are not primarily for our own sakes but for His name’s sake. In other words, we are bestowed with so many heavenly gifts because they serve to bring glory to the name of our great God!

It is true; Jesus died for us, liberated us and saved us. But as true and wonderful as that is, however, Jesus Christ did not only become the Lamb of God for us, but first and foremost He laid down His life in obedience to the will of His Father in heaven for His name’s sake. Because God was robbed of His glory, He saw no other way than to send His beloved Son into the world to restore to His name the honor it was due. At the creation of man, the triune God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26-27). It continually impresses me that God created man in His own glorious image. But Adam and Eve obeyed the voice of the tempter and disobeyed the only commandment that God had given them and fell into sin (compare Genesis 2:16-17 and 3:1ff). As a result, the image of God that He had put into man was marred and spoiled and a terrible hadow was cast on the glorious relationship between God and man.

What did God have to do them? He had to restore His glory, but it took place first for His name’s sake, and second in order to save fallen man. Even born-again Christians can be so onesided in their thinking that they tend to ignore this fact.

Of course the words of John 3:16 remain true: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” What love is He talking about here? He is referring to the love that the Creator has for His beloved creation, which has suffered ever since the fall of man. We sometimes speak of the love of God as though it had only become active at Calvary. Yet it is the same love that reached its full development when God created man in His own image. What infinite love! What an extraordinarily extravagant act it was when God created man!

This is why the act of redemption on Calvary’s cross was about the restoration of God’s glory. The victory of the Lamb of God at Calvary was primarily a victory for the heavenly Father for His name’s sake.

God spoke to His covenant people through the prophet Isaiah: “thou hast wearied me with thine iniquites” (Isaiah 43:24). But this verse is directly followed by a glorious statement: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (verse 25). Why does the Lord say here that He will blot out Israel’s transgressions? For His own sake! This is the way it is today with all the other spiritual gifts. We receive them first because our great God is praised through them.

We are led in paths of righteousness because it is about God, and it takes place for His name’s sake, so that He will be glorified. People who lived under the Old Covenant were aware of this truth.

“Unto thy name give glory”

“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake” (Psalm 115:1). Also in Ezekiel 36:22, which deals with the redemption of Israel, the promise of a new heart and a blessed land, the Lord said, “I will not do this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake…” Or think about Daniel, who repented for his people and prayed, “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; for thine own sake, O my God; for thy city and thy people are called by thy name” (Daniel 9:19). We find the same words in Jeremiah’s prayer of repentance, “O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake” (Jeremiah 14:7).

This is also how it is with the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, who laid down His life for His sheep (John 10:11). He leads those who belong to Him in paths of righteousness so that He is glorified.

How greatly the Father in heaven is glorified when He is really able to lead His children, and when we are willing to be led by Him! When it becomes apparent in the life of a child of God that the Good Shepherd holds the reins in His hands and He is able to lead him in paths of righteousness, the result is the glorious praise that belongs to the holy name of our Lord.

The “paths of righteousness”

I believe there are four ways on the paths of righteousness in our lives:
1.The way of goodness and truth
2.The way of wisdom
3.The straight and narrow way
4.The way of life

1. The way of goodness and truth. All the ways of the Lord can be described as good and true: “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies”
(Psalm 25:10).

All of the ways in which the Lord leads His own, whatever they may look like, are ways of mercy and truth; His motives are never negative. On the contrary, behind all the ways in the life of a child of God, even the difficult ways, are the best intents of the Lord, full of mercy, truth, faithfulness and grace. It is what the Lord promises His own in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” It can be very comforting to know this and believe it because this promise gives us His peace in many a storm in our lives.

But the Lord’s ways are only ways of blessing for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies: “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies” (Psalm 25:10). Only those who have the “key” (such as “keep his covenant and his testimonies”) to the door (“all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth”) and use it, will experience the goodness, truth, faithfulness and mercy of the Lord.

2. The way of wisdom. We read about this way in Proverbs 4:11: “I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.” Personal guidance is sometimes a difficult thing for a Christian to accept, and we often ask what is the wise thing for us to do. Even as children of God, we often come to a crossroad and ask ourselves which way the Lord wants us to go. We wanted a clear answer to some questions in our lives, but the answer never came. These decisions are surely some of the most difficult times in our lives. In spite of this, a Christian may experience God’s guidance in various ways. It is a fact that the Lord wants to guide us in the way of wisdom and lead us in right paths. In other words, God will always give His children clear guidance.

Wherein lays the problem, then? Many of us are too complicated in our faith lives. Sometimes we brood too long over a certain matter in which we lack clarity at the moment instead of simply adhering in faith to the Word of God. It is not primarily about our experiencing God’s guidance, but whether we unconditionally believe in Scripture, which promise us wisdom, insight, guidance and leadership at the right time. We can leave the ultimate result, when the Lord gives us the necessary guidance at the right time, to Him. But we can completely rely on Him to give us this guidance at the right time and according to His plan.

When the Good Shepherd leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake this also means that He wants to teach us in the way of wisdom and lead us in right paths. The Good Shepherd Himself guarantees that “of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 10:30).

Our Savior, the Good Shepherd, is wisdom in person. So God has made Him wisdom to whoever has come into contact with Jesus. This again means that a way out of every blind alley is guaranteed. Here it is only about the question of faith. Do we really believe that we will receive everything we need for our lives in and through Christ, or do we doubt it? What does faith mean here in practical terms? It means that we let the Good Shepherd teach us in the way of wisdom without any reservation. To believe means to be free of striving ourselves and to let ourselves fall into the open hands of the Lord. The Good Shepherd wants to bring His sheep to the point where we have complete trust in Him and follow Him blindly. Jesus Christ is Wisdom in person, who raised her voice even in the Old Testament:

Doth not wisdom cry? And understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. O ye simple, understand wisdom: and ye fools,be ye of understanding heart. Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things (Proverbs 8:1-6).

Let me say it again. This is not primarily about whether we really experience God’s leading visibly and clearly, but whether we believe in the unconditional leading of the Good Shepherd in our lives. Take this to heart in childlike faith: if the Good Shepherd leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake, then He will teach us the way of wisdom and lead us in right paths. In the epistle of James we read these glorious words of comfort: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

3. The straight and narrow way. Do we always take the straight and narrow way? Christians can claim the promise recorded by the prophet Isaiah: “The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just” (Isaiah 26:7). The Revised Standard Version translates this verse in the following way: “The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.” That sounds wonderful, but how can we know that the way has been made smooth before us?

It is often the fact that we walk on uneven and difficult paths. This is because we do not walk by faith but by sight, and we continually look at the difficulties instead of laying everything into the hands of the Good Shepherd. Those who continually focus on the rough places and obstacles in their path will fall. Have you fallen in a puddle when you were desperately trying to avoid it? Why is that? Because we can become so fixated on something that we lose our balance out of sheer concentration on them and tread right in the middle of the puddle. The same is true in the spiritual sphere. If we continually look at the inexplicable things in our lives we will fall over and over again. When we look away in faith, however, and leave everything in Jesus’ hands, we will find our ways become smooth. In other words, if the Good Shepherd leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake, we will find that the paths are often uneven and difficult, but these ways will become smooth and straight when we walk in faith beside the Good Shepherd. Then we will experience that He makes the way of the just level.

It is and remains a wonderful fact that those who look away from the inexplicable things in life and look to Jesus will find that their way becomes smooth and straight. Even the Psalmist had learned to look away from his troubles and focus his eyes on the Lord. He testified, “They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed” (Psalm 34:5). In another place he wrote, “I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope” (Psalm 16:8-9). So how can our way become smooth and straight? How can we become a happy and well-balanced Christian? By not only walking beside the Good Shepherd (“…because he is at my right hand…”), but continually looking to Him: “I have set the Lord always before me.” When we practice this, we will find that our heart is glad and we will not be put to shame. In other words, we will not stumble over the uneven places in our life and come to fall (which would be very bitter), but go on our way through life rejoicing, in spite of the many uneven places, obstacles and things that could cause us to stumble.

This truth from the Old Testament is confirmed in the letter to the Hebrews and surrounded by the following words: “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). Our fight of faith is not in fearfullytrying not to fall on account of the uneven way, but in continually having our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, the Hero and Victor of Calvary, the Risen Lord. Only this attitude of faith will lead to our often uneven way through life becoming smooth and straight. The following are three texts from the Psalms and a verse from the New Testament:

“Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net” (Psalm 25:15).
“Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us” (Psalm 123:2).
“But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord…” (Psalm 141:8).
“When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only” (Matthew 17:8).

May we, from this moment on, go through our lives undaunted by its unevenness but “look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

4. The way of life. Even the Psalmist prayed confidently, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). From these words we see that this was not just about an earthly path but much more. The Psalmist wrote: “In thy presence is fullness of joy,” and “At thy hand there are pleasures for evermore.” He is talking about the eternal joy that all the blood-bought ones will one day have with their Good Shepherd.

Some people may be asking, “Did the people in the Old Testament have an eternal hope?” Yes, they did, and not only the above-quoted Psalmist but even Job, who in his great suffering exclaimed: “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another” (Job 19:26-27). Here he is talking about an eternal hope that could not be more glorious.

Returning to Psalm 16:11, we read, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life…” and immediately afterwards he writes of eternal pleasures, which means every path on which the Good Shepherd leads us for His name’s sake is always about eternity. Or, to put it in other words, every path that we tread here on earth as the Lord’s way, every path that we tread because He has told us to tread it, has the glorious goal of the eternal dwelling place in heaven. Children of God have a wonderful hope! Every day that we consciously spend with the Lord in our earthly bodies, however fragile and shaky they may be, brings us nearer to the goal: every hour that we live leads us towards heaven. “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18). The “perfect day” is a prophetic expression for that which will come — the eternal, heavenly homeland. And the obedient believer who has been made just through Christ goes on his way daily with the Lord unto the perfect day. That means until he is with his Savior at last. And every day that he walks with his Good Shepherd and Lord allows him to experience and enjoy a little more heavenly light. This is why his path is “as the shining light, that shines more and more.”

The way of eternity

The paths of righteousness on which the Good Shepherd wants to lead His own for His name’s sake leads continually heavenward. We have a prophetic picture of this in John 6:16-18 (or Matthew 14:22-23 or Mark 6:45-52). Jesus, the Good Shepherd, commanded His disciples to get into a boat and to row over the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. Although it was dark and very difficult to row because of the strong wind that whipped up the waves, the Lord helped them reach their destination, the village of Capernaum where Jesus lived at that time — a picture of the heavenly place where the Lord Jesus lives now. So children of God may know that whatever happens we are always on our way home where the Good Shepherd lives, we should meditate much more on this wonderful truth so that with Paul, we can conclude: “For our light afflictions, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

David addressed the Lord in Psalm 119:35: “Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.” When we need to know the will of the Lord so that we can walk in the way of His holy will, then say to the Good Shepherd, “Lord, I want to be led in the paths of righteousness for I delight in them.”

MidnightCall Magazine

March 2010

News From Israel Magazine

March 2010

The Leading of the Eternal God

“Unto thy name give glory”

The “paths of righteousness”

The way of eternity