He Restoreth My Soul

When it comes to the 23rd Psalm, my memory will not allow me to consider any rendering of it other than the one I first memorized from the King James Version of the Bible.   And, experience tells me this might well be true for countless others.   There were many times at the cemetery when I would invite those gathered to recite aloud with me this partiuclar chapter of Scripture.  I do not recall any confusion about what words to say.  The old tradtional version flowed as naturally as spring water flows down hill from its source.   

If the more contemporary readings are used, one of the words that is lost is the word "soul" which is found in verse 3:  "He restoreth my soul."  The word "life" is just not a good subsitute.  It is signficant that the Psalmist does not speak of his body being restored, but instead, his soul.  To speak of the soul is to speak of that part of us which distinctively bears the imprint of the holy hand of the Creator.  It speaks of that part of us in which the Holy Spirit dwells and it points to that part of us created for eternal life with the Creator who shaped it in the beginning.  

As we use the word "soul" we are giving attention to the essence of who we are.  We are a body which holds within it our soul.  The body is fragile and finite, but the soul within us is as strong and firm as God and was created for communion with Him in the eternal realm.  When we go to the cemetery, we leave our body, but as the often used ritual offers, we conmend our soul to God.  For our soul to be cared for by the Shepherd speaks of an intimate care for the most alive part of us.  When beaten down by what life often offers, our soul may grow weary, but the promise of the 23rd Psalm is that the Shepherd will hold it in His care and restore it to life.