Psalm 23:3
3 He restoreth [shuwb] my soul: [nephesh] he leadeth [nachah] me in
the paths [ma`gal] of righteousness [tsedeq] for his name's [shem] sake.KJV-Interlinear
3 He
restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's
sake. NASB
God restores the soul of
the positive believer. Restores,
'shuwb', means to turn back, refresh, recover, to revive, to fill up.
Visit the homes of two
totally different people. The first being a drug user, totally disconnected
from reality, a loser as it were, and the other person being a very wealthy and
responsible home maker. In their respective kitchens you would find virtually
nothing of usefulness in the first persons home, empty cabinets, empty
refrigerator, trash everywhere, general disorganization, no recipe books, no
prepared meals, no grocery lists, nothing. This is certainly not the place to
raise a family much less ones self.
In the second persons
home, you would find a very well equipped kitchen. All the new and latest
cooking and preparation gadgets, recipe books, a well stocked pantry, and all
cabinets full to over flowing. A wide variety of spices would be available at
ones finger tips, bulk food products, prepared foods, cookies and such snacks,
a wide variety of juices and beverages in storage and on ice. Lots of variety
and choices ready for any midnight kitchen raid.
Such is the difference
between the soul of the negative person (whether an unbeliever or a negative
believer in Christ), and the soul of the positive believer.
God restores ones soul,
the very foundation of ones life. Note that it does not say that God restores
ones body, nor ones spirit. Both the body and the spirit are mechanisms for
allowing one to function in their respective environments.
The body with its
biological life, allows one to interact with the world. We can walk and talk,
and touch, and hear, and see life because of the existence of our physical
bodies. Without them we would not have the ability to do much of anything if
anything. The physical body is the conduit connecting the life in our soul to
the physical world around us. The soul possesses limitless attributes and
abilities. The physical body, beginning
with the brain, imposes limitations on our abilities. Some people have more or less ability
limitations than others. That is because
our physical bodies are inherently limited in scope and range.
One day, when we receive
our resurrection bodies, our abilities will increase dramatically. Note that at resurrection the body is
replaced, not the soul.
The spirit is the means
of our interaction with God. Without the human spirit we have no relationship
nor even the means of a relationship with God. The human spirit is the third
component in our essence which is received at the initial moment of our belief
in Christ. Into it is imputed eternal life. We are in effect, reborn into our
spiritual life.
But the soul is the basis
for our life. Into the soul is exhaled from God the spark of life, 'neshamah'
as the bible phrases it, or the breath of life, and at the moment of our birth,
we inhale the breath of life. Here human life is imputed into the soul and we
are born alive.
Our soul is empty. Our
life is dead. And it takes God and God alone to restore that which is lacking
in our lives. We receive restoration from eternal spiritual death when we
believe in Christ.
We receive restoration of
fellowship when we confess our sins to God. We receive restoration to the fullness
of our life, spiritual growth, when we study His Word. We receive restoration
to health and blessing and more, when we apply His word, which we have learned,
to our daily lives. God, through doctrine, restores, revives, re-orients us
completely.
He does all of this
through His guidance of our lives in 'paths of righteousness'. God is
righteousness. God is the living word. Bible doctrine is God guidance to His
wisdom. Our advancing to spiritual maturity and beyond, is that guidance.
Remember the seven
spirits which stand before the throne of God? They will be studied in Isa. 11,
as well as our study in Rev. 1, which we have already completed. These are also
charted on the Bible Study Chart page, in the online library. These are the
basic components of advancing through the spiritual life. This then is His
guidance in paths of righteousness. Our learning and application of His word to
our daily lives, while in fellowship.
'For His names sake.' Because of His integrity and reputation. Because
of the steadfast, complete, and unimpaired adherence to His code (Bible
doctrine). Gods reputation is the correct and truthful perception that all
creatures should come to know Him. God is perfect. In Him there is no sin, no
deficiency, no error of any kind. God has given us a long established code by
means of which we are to grow up spiritually, by which we are to live our
lives, and by means of which we are to separate ourselves from the jungle of
this world.
God has magnified His
word above His name. His Word is paramount in our lives. It is our link to God.
Apart from Gods Word, we would have no knowledge regarding Him. We would have
no existence at all.
Apart from Gods word,
which can only be learned through a daily study program, there is no
restoration of ones soul. Thus with no restoration at all. There is only gloom and doom in ones destiny.
God does all the work, but only when we open our attitudes up to Him and accept
His instruction.
When God rested on that
seventh day, all of His preparations were complete. His plan was set and now placed into motion.
God has provided
everything necessary for you to get through your life, and to get you to
spiritual maturity. It is only for you
to recognize his provision and accept His provision by means of your obedience
to His process.
Without God or doctrine,
you are an incomplete person. With God and doctrine, you are restored,
refreshed, revived continually.
