For His Name's Sake
Psalm 23:3, “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Oh how often do we miss many of God’s golden nuggets because we pass over them too swiftly! How unfortunate that so many times we fail to see the full measure of import in the small things in Scripture! For instance, when we read the 23rd Psalm, and in particular, the phrase set before us here in verse 3, we often become so focused upon the leadings of the Shepherd and the “paths” which He has chosen for us and the “righteousness” which He has purposed to work in our lives, that we neglect the precious treasure contained in the closing words of this phrase!
“For his name’s sake”! Oh the precious gems that sparkle in these four simple words! These are not merely intended to be an adjunct to the truths expounded in Psalm 23:3, but instead, they are the apex, the zenith, the capstone of all that we have seen in this precious psalm thus far and also of all that we shall see in the verses that remain! You see, these words provide the answer to one of the most difficult questions that plagues the human heart; they speak to that one request which we so often long to pour out before God when we don’t understand His ways. This is the answer to the question “Why?” But not merely the “Why?” of the “paths of righteousness”, but also of the “pastures” and “waters”, of the “valley” and “table”, of the “rod”, the “staff”, and the “oil”! The grand and glorious purpose of it all is realized in this one simple refrain, it is all “for his name’s sake”!
Oh how clearly this fits into the whole scene of God’s masterpiece of creation! You see, God made all things “for his name’s sake”! Think about it! When you gaze into the skies and see the vast handiwork of God, to what end does it bring your heart? When you see the sun and moon suspended in space; when you see the beauty of the stars glittering like diamonds amid the black backdrop of the night, what are they saying to you? Psalm 19:1-3 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where there voice is not heard.” All these things which God has made are intended to “declare the glory of God”! In other words, He made them “for his name’s sake”!
Yes dear friend, there is not a place in this world where man can go, nor is there a kindred, tribe, or tongue among all the people of the earth to whom the wonders of the heavens aren’t declaring the glory of Him who “hath made all things” (Psalm 16:4), and who is “upholding all things by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3)! The God of all Creation has designed every facet of it all to bring Him glory and to magnify His name! In fact, the Bible even goes so far as to say that the creation reveals “his eternal power and Godhead” (Romans 1:20). Therefore, God’s glory is the cry of all creation!
Think about it! When the psalmist pondered the magnitude of God’s masterpiece, he declared, “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:3) Oh how small man is indeed when compared to the wisdom and works of such a mighty and marvelous Creator! And yet, though the heavens caused David to feel so insignificant, still they magnified the grandeur of the God who made it all! This is why the psalmist goes on to say, “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is THY NAME in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:9)
You see, this was the plan of the Creator for His creation from the very beginning! He designed it all so that the summer and winter, the rain and sunshine, the dew of the morning and the dark of the evening, the mountain peaks and the valleys, the sun, the moon, and all the host of heaven would join together and harmonize in the anthem of the ages: “To God be the glory great things He hath done”! And this song of His creation shall one day give way to the song of the redeemed, for we too shall gather about the throne of the One that is the Maker and Master, the Sovereign and Sustainer of this universe, and we shall together lift our voices to cry “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, AND FOR THY PLEASURE THEY ARE AND WERE CREATED” (Revelation 4:11)! And what is this “pleasure”, this wish, and this desire of God in all that He hath made? It is all “for his name’s sake”!
But the words in our psalm abound with even more precious worth, for they not only fit into the general plan of God for His creation, but they also define the particular purpose of God concerning man! You see, man is the pinnacle of God’s creation, and just like all other things which He created, God has made man to bring glory to His name! Isaiah 43:7 reveals this in some measure, for it reads, “Even everyone that is called by my name: FOR I HAVE CREATED HIM FOR MY GLORY, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” We were “made”, “formed”, and “created” by God for His glory!
So what does this mean for us specifically? What is the essential idea behind the phrase “for his name’s sake”? What does it really mean to give God “glory”? Let’s begin with the very basic concept of giving glory to God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” The word “glory” comes from the Greek word (doxa), and it means thought or opinion; it relates to one’s view of or judgment about a thing. In other words, when I “do all to the glory of God”, I am to live in such a way that people have a right opinion, right thoughts, and a proper perspective of God!
But let’s take it a step further. First, we need to understand that it is impossible for an unregenerate sinner to give “glory to God” apart from having a relationship with Him. Remember that Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD”! According to the Bible, those who are unsaved are still “dead IN trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:2). Jesus said of the unbeliever, “IF YE BELIEVE NOT that I am he, ye shall DIE IN YOUR SINS." (John 8:24) Because the sinner is still “in trespasses and sins”, he cannot possibly give glory to God, for sin will always “come short of the glory of God”! Thus, salvation is the first necessary step to God getting glory from any man’s life!
However, not only is it true that the unsaved cannot give God glory, but it is also true that the believer that is “walking in darkness” and does not “have fellowship with him” (1 John 1:6) cannot give God glory. Notice that 1 John 1:6 does not use the word relationship, but “fellowship”. This is because nothing can undo the relationship that a believer has with God through Jesus Christ! We are eternally “sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13), and we are “sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30)! However, sin can and does hinder our “fellowship” with God when it is not confessed (1 John 1:9).
This is why Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, THE LORD WILL NOT HEAR ME”. How can one who is out of “fellowship” with God be giving others a right opinion and perspective of Him while they “walk in darkness”? You see, “God is light, and in him is NO DARKNESS AT ALL.” (1 John 1:5) This makes it impossible for the person who is walking “in darkness” (1 John 1:6) to give a right view of the One in whom is “no darkness at all”!
So here is what we can clearly see: to give God glory means to give others a right opinion about Him in “whatsoever ye do”! We also see that in order to do that, we must “walk in the light, as he is in the light” (1 John 1:7)! Therefore, if any of us at present are walking “in darkness”, the only way back to a life that gives glory to God is to “confess our sins” (1 John 1:9)! This is exactly what Joshua expressed to Achan when he confronted him about the sin which Achan had both committed and concealed. He said, “My son, GIVE, I pray thee, GLORY to the Lord God of Israel, and MAKE CONFESSION UNTO HIM” (Joshua 7:19)! If you are not right with God, you can begin again to “give…glory to the Lord” when you “make confession unto him”.
And why, child of God, why is this so vital? I think the answer to this question is clearly revealed in 2 Corinthians 4. In that text Paul warns the Corinthian believers that, “our Gospel…is hid to them that are lost” (2 Corinthians 4:3). You see, “the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the GLORIOUS GOSPEL of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) And notice that it is indeed “The Glorious Gospel”! It is interesting that the word “glorious” is from the same Greek word that is used in 1 Corinthians 10:31, where we are commanded to “do all to the glory of God.” So then, we must be carriers of this “Glorious Gospel” if God is going to be glorified!
This friend is the high calling we have been given! This is the ultimate purpose of God for His children! It is to glorify God in what we do; that we might “Declare his glory among the heathen” (Psalm 96:3) in what we say! This is why Paul goes on to tell the Corinthians that “God…hath shined in our hearts, TO GIVE THE LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD, in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) And to whom are we to give “the knowledge of the glory of God”? We are to give it unto “them that are lost” (2 Corinthians 4:3)!
This is exactly why Paul was so abundantly careful to deliver the message of the “Glorious Gospel” in word, but at the same time, he was also careful not to hinder that message in his deeds. This explains why he said that he had “renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully” (2 Corinthians 4:2). This why he says, “For WE PREACH (In Word) not ourselves, but CHRIST JESUS THE LORD, and ourselves your servants (In Deed) for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5)! Do you see it friend? Do you see why he was so careful in both arenas? What was it with which he was most concerned? It was the Glory of God! Thus, he says, “We preach” and we are “servants” for one reason: “FOR JESUS’ SAKE”!
There it is dear friend! There is the sum of the matter! All of God’s determined “paths”, all of His sovereign plans are “for his name’s sake”! It is “for his name’s sake” that “He leadeth me” and “He maketh me to lie down”! It is “for his name’s sake” that his “paths” direct me “through the valley of the shadow of death”! It is “for his name’s sake” that He “preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies”! So important is His glory, so vital is the reputation of His name, that all that He does in us and through us and for us is ultimately “for his name’s sake”!
What a thrill that He has chosen to use “earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7) to shine forth “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God”! And why, according to 1 Corinthians 1:7, has He chosen such “foolish things” and such “weak things” as we? It is so that “the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7)! Oh that this truth might compel us to “exalt his NAME together” (Psalm 34:3)! Oh that we would deem it a privilege to be counted as “FOOLS FOR CHRIST’S SAKE” (1 Corinthians 4:10)! What joy is ours “have this treasure in earthen vessels”, that we might instruments which He can use “for his name’s sake”!
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