In Psalm 23:1 David writes, or rather, sings as a song:

מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד יְהוָה רֹעִי לֹא אֶחְסָר

“A song of David, “The Lord is my shepherd, I have no lack.”

Sheep in a field do not often move in a straight way. They will nibble here, and then over there, wandering until they are gathered by the shepherd. As they munch away, they become oblivious as to this way or that, as they are being filled by the plentiful grass of the green pasture.

Then the sound of the shepherds voice breaks the silence, and the low rumble of hooves amidst the pasture land can be heard and felt. He is gathering them to lead them home.

David continues: “He leads me in, בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶדֶק, circuitous paths of righteousness for His names sake.”

The Language David uses is interesting, as he writes בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶדֶק, the way we are going is well-worn, even entrenched, but it is not direct as we may assume. Why? It is difficult, if not impossible for us, from the perspective of a sheep, to know what we are avoiding as we walk the way home. But we trust the shepherd, our friend, to lead us in straightness (righteousness), even if winding, for the sake of His reputation.

In this week’s Torah portion of כִּי תִשָּׂא/Ki Tisa, Moses experiences the heart of what David is expressing from the perspective of a sheep.

After the sin of the Golden Calf, when Moses pleads with the Lord to not destroy Israel, he asks of the Lord: וַיֹּאמַר הַרְאֵנִי נָא אֶת־כְּבֹדֶךָ, “And he said, “Please show me your glory.” In awe of the covenant Lord’s mercy and forgiveness, and His making a straightway from a wayward path, Moses desires to see the majesty of the Father’s heart.

The Lord says: you cannot see My face and live (Ex. 33:20), but I will set you in the cleft of the rock, and cover you with My hand, and then, when I pass by “you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen” (Ex.33:23).

As the mercy and forgiveness of God moves ahead of us, we who are protected in His Rock, covered by His hand, cannot see how He makes our wrong ways right, only that He has and will, as Paul so beautifully says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Ro. 8:28).

See, as the Good Shepherd moves ahead of us, and we respond to His voice penetrating the silence of His pasture, we, His sheep, follow Him. He, our Shepherd and Friend, Savior and Lord, leads us in this life “in circuitous paths of righteousness for His names sake.” We often do not, and simply cannot, understand how or why Yeshua/Jesus is leading us as He is, but we trust that it is the safest way.

I know many of you, dear readers, are asking the Lord, “Why are we going this way?” Again, at times we do not know how far we have wandered while munching in the field, and the most direct route to where we know peace and safety are, is not always the safest way.

In hindsight, after the glorious mercy and forgiveness does its work, then we can see how and why things were indirect, or even entrenched switchbacks.

Just remember that the Shepherd is with you, and it is His song you are singing. How does David end this most familiar of psalms?

“Surely goodness and mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

When you think worry or fear that is pursuing you, as He leads you, David says, it is actually the security of His goodness and mercy that is your rearguard along the way to His house, where you will rest forever (Jn. 14), with your Shepherd and Friend.

Be well. Shalom.