May 05, 2021

“THE POWERFUL NAMES OF GOD”

“JEHOVAH ROHI-THE LORD MY SHEPHERD”

PSALM 23:1-6

The name we are looking at in this study, lets us know we have a God who is with us no matter where we go, and will take care of us no matter what we face. “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

The name of God translated “Lord” in this verse is Jehovah, “the self-revealing one.” The Hebrew word for “shepherd” is the word “rohi” or rajah, which means “to tend, pasture, shepherd.”

The Lord is my shepherd, he doesn’t say that the Lord was his shepherd. By placing God as his shepherd in the presence tense, David acknowledges that God is continuing to take responsibility for him.

Also notice that David uses the personal pronoun “my.”

The Lord is a personal Shepherd, a right-now God!

In the remainder of the psalm, David explores various ways a shepherd takes care of his sheep and God takes care of him. To help us grasp the name of God, Jehovah Rohi, let’s look at this Psalm.

Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

* “I Shall Not Want”

John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”

Jeremiah 23:4 “I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord.”

Ezekiel 34:2-4

God explains what He expects a shepherd to do: feed the flock, strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the broken, bring back the strays, seek the lost.

John 10:11 ““I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

The best shepherd is the one who is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, to put his own life on the line for his sheep.

Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Sheep are defenseless.

Sheep are dependent.

Psalm 23:2-3 “He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters. 3He restores my soul;”

* Green Pastures, Still Waters, and a Restored Soul

David explains how God- Jehovah-Rohi-restores your soul. First, He makes you lie down in green pastures.

Next, David tells us that Jehovah Rohi leads him “beside the still waters.” Some translations call them “quiet waters.”

When we rest in the Lord our Shepherd, He leads us into environments we can handle. He provides green grass and still water for our spiritual restoration.

Psalm 23:3 “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”

* The Paths of Righteousness

David writes that Jehovah Rohi guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake. God is our personal navigational system.

Philippians 2:12-13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

A shepherd needs to guide his sheep because sheep are prone to wander.

How many of us have ignored God’s direction and gone our own way, only to wind up lost?

David tells us that God guides us in the paths of righteousness “for His name’s sake.”

Psalm 34:3 “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.”

Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

* A Valley, The Shadow, A Rod, and A Staff

A valley is a low place between mountains. It’s often a place of vulnerability and risk. Things that seek to derail or harm you in some way can be lurking in the shadows.

In Psalm 23, David’s solution to discouragement is Jehovah Rohi Himself. Sometimes in the darkness of the storm raging in our lives, we finally come to truly understand and experience God’s presence.

Psalm 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.”

A Table, Oil, A Cup Running Over

An enemy is a threat to your security.

The shepherd carried a belt that held a cloth. Whenever he found a lost sheep, he spread the cloth out and set some grass and fodder on it so the lost sheep could eat. While the sheep was eating in the safety of the shepherd, the foxes, coyotes, and hyenas had to keep their distance.

God knows how to soothe you with His anointing oil. He either administers a solution to your problem or gives you the peace you need to sustain you while you are in the problem.

David continues, “My cup runs over.” In this he reminds us that in spite of the presence of enemies and the wounds of life, he has more than enough to get through any situation.

God knows how to give you all you need to live the life He has called you too. In fact, one of my favorite Scriptures shows this:

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”

* Goodness, Mercy, and the House of the Lord Forever

When you know the power of the name Jehovah Rohi, you will discover God is able to meet all of your spiritual, directional, physical, emotional, and eternal needs.

So the question is, is the Lord not only your Savior but also your Shepherd? Have you submitted totally to Him as a dependent sheep?