Sheep always travel in a straight line, which creates problems when a shepherd calls to sheep further up the hillside: The animals will not walk around hazardous obstacles, but plummet straight down, getting hurt in the process. To avoid this problem, shepherds guide their sheep using straight trails that slowy zig-zag down the hills.
The Hebrew language uses the same word for ?straight? and for ?righteousness.? Thus the ?straight paths? of the shepherd were the ?paths of righteousness? mentioned in Psalm 23. The Israelites understood that the path of righteousness is the path that leads straight to the shepherd.
The path of righteousness for Christians today is a lifewalk that heads straight to our Shepherd. If we follow other voices or take our own detours on the trail, we are not truly his sheep. Our Shepherd is good, and he will always make sure the path is safe for us to travel.
