Psalm 23:3 English Standard Version (ESV)

He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

This verse is broken down into three sections.

Restoration of the soul is first. The soul is comprised of the mind, will and emotions. All three must be addressed in order to restore our souls to that relationship we had in the garden before the fall. Anything less is not acceptable.

The mind is polluted by the world. Correction of thinking is required to remove error. Constant exposure to truth is required to combat error. While we are the Lord’s anointed and have the Spirit of truth, we still live in the world and lying attacks do not stop. Correction also includes a right understanding of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is our guide not the instructors of this world. They may speak truth but it is the Spirit within us that confirms truth and identifies error.

Will can only be restored by recognizing God’s will and choosing His will over our own. A willful mind is akin to rebellion and will not be tolerated by our Lord. Correction will follow.

When it comes to emotions the garden experience only had two. Love for God and love for one another. The only acceptable response to the outpouring of love, mercy and forgiveness is to love Him back.

As for leading us in paths of righteousness, this returns us to His Lordship, His choices and our submission through obedience of faith. Being led requires us to hear, understand, trust and then obey. All of that is done through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The third aspect is His name sake. All things are done to glorify God and not ourselves. Humility does not reject honor, it rejects fame.

Paul said it best when he declared “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.” Gal. 2:20 ip

Psalm 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.

This verse about the character of His anointed takes on two aspect. One is carnal and the other spiritual.

As Lord He has the right to make us lie down. The imagery of green pastures is carnal in the sense of provision while encouraging a relaxed posture. It gives way to images of a picnic on a grassy knoll. It should be restful, pleasant and satisfying.

The imagery of still waters is one of the power of the Holy Spirit at work somewhere else outside of our placement on the pasture. We may see the movement of the Holy Spirit but it is not for us to follow it down stream to see where He will enact God’s will.

The flesh is curious to see and understand. The Spirit encourages us to relax and just allow the waters to flow without fear or anxiety over where He goes and what He does next. He enacts the will of God. We should not take on the attitude that we have accomplished anything.

The important message here is relationship over performance. Our Lord cares more about us than our service. While we do get anxious in service and performance, the Lord emphasizes relationship first.