Jehovah-Rohi – God my Shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1) In Psalms 23, God is revealed as our Rohi – our Shepherd. Here the Lord is more than just a shepherd, the name Rohi speaks of both leadership and close intimacy. Rohi means : • to pasture, tend, graze, feed • to shepherd • to associate with, be a friend of • to be companions • to be a special friend It also speaks • of ruler, teacher • of shepherd, herdsman David describes God not as a Shepherd or even the Shepherd but as my Shepherd, which pictures the personal, intimate concern God has for every aspect of the life of His sheep. Yes, God is the high and exalted One Who lives forever, Whose name is Holy but He draws near to care for His lowly sheep. (see Is 57:15) Keep in mind that shepherds in the Oriental world were not the most respected profession and yet the One possessing all power and Who knows no limits, deigns to identify with a shepherd. The Creator of the universe fashioned each of us distinctively and uniquely to be who we are, but His individual concern did not cease at the point of creation. As the Good Shepherd, He knows His sheep by name. This singular thought is so profound that it defies our comprehension. The personal pronouns in the 23rd Psalm create a unique picture of a shepherd who lives with his flock, serves as their guide, caregiver, and protector. David could look back over his life and declare, The Lord is my shepherd. Ge 48:15 (Jacob) blessed Joseph and said The God before Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God Who has been my Shepherd all my life to this day Jacob (meaning usurper, supplanter, deceiver) calls the covenant keeping God His own personal Shepherd, highlighting the tender care and watchfulness God had shown for Jacob all the days of his life, despite his faults. Jehovah can be your personal Shepherd regardless of your past failures or present faults. Remember that he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Heb 11:6) Isaiah 40:11 Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. Ezekiel 34 is a prophecy that applies to Israel and will not be fulfilled until the Chief Shepherd (1Pe 5:4) returns to set up His 1000 year Messianic kingdom and fulfill the promises of the Abrahamic covenant. Our purpose for reviewing this text is to see what it teaches about God as a Shepherd, so read it through and list out the actions of the Shepherd - look especially at the verbs and truths repeated. Click on the relevant verb definitions for additional insights. Ezekiel 34:11 For thus says the Lord (Adonai) GOD Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.12 As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel by the streams and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest, declares the Lord GOD 16 I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment. God as our Shepherd searches, seeks, cares, delivers (rescues, snatches away, saves, meditate on the 43 uses in Psalms),brings out (plucks = same word Ps 25:14), gathers, feeds (good pasture, rich pasture), leads to rest (lie down),seeks the lost, brings back (restores = same word Ps 23:33) the scattered (outcasts) (Je 23:2), binds up (same word in Ps 147:3-Spurgeon and Is 61:1) the broken (Ps 34:18 -Spurgeon; Ps 51:17 -Spurgeon) and strengthens the sick. Will Jehovah Rohi not do the same for His sheep who are Abrahams offspring, heirs according to promise? (Gal 3:27) What tender care from the Shepherd have you experienced this past week? Are you running into the security and safety of His sheepfold when faced with trials, anxieties, etc? Is Jehovah Rohi not worthy of all our thanksgivings? When the Lord is your Shepherd, what will happen in your life? 1. First, you will live a day at a time. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (v6). Psalm 23 talks about all the days of our lives, and they are lived one day at a time when the Lord is our Shepherd. Someone has said that the average person is being crucified between two thieves--the regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow. Consequently, he cant enjoy today. 2. Second, when the Lord is your Shepherd, you listen for His voice. In John 10:27 the Lord Jesus said, My sheep hear My voice. The Shepherd does not drive his sheep from behind. Rather, He calls them from ahead. How do we listen to the Lords voice? Through the Word of God. 3. Third, when the Lord is your Shepherd, you must expect changes. You may have green pastures and still waters. Then you go through the valley of the shadow of death. You have a table in the presence of your enemies. Then you live in the house of the Lord (heaven) forever. You will experience changes in life. Expect them; dont be afraid of them. When you follow the Shepherd, the future is your friend, because the Lord is going before you. Live one day at a time, following the Shepherd, and you wont have to be afraid. Some people fail to adapt to lifes inevitable changes. As a believer, you need never fear the future. Trust the Shepherd, who goes before you, and listen to His Word. Commit this day to the Lord and thank Him for His guidance. Once we know the Lord as our Shepherd, our Jehovah-Rohi, it becomes our special friend who will never leave us nor forsake us (Psalm 27:10; Deut. 4:31; 31:6-8; Joshua 1:5). As our ruler, He will direct us and provide for us so that all the promises of Psalms 23 will become reality in our daily walk My Lord -- perfect God (Ps. 23:1) is my Shepherd a perfect Keeper. Through him I can experience: • perfect satisfaction • perfect rest • perfect supply • perfect guidance (Ps. 23:2-3) • perfect peace • perfect restoration (Ps. 23:3) • perfect holiness (Ps. 23:3; Heb. 12:14) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will be perfectly protected because Jehovah-Rohi assures my defense and will always be there in time of need. Even my enemies will not be able to prevent Him to anoint me but they will witness the Lord preparing an abundance of blessings for me This revelation will assure me that nothing can prevent God’s plan and purpose for my life to be fulfill and no giants will prevent me to enter into my destiny forever
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 09:02:46 +0000
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