Jehovah Rohi – The Lord My Shepherd
Jehovah Rohi – The Lord My Shepherd
People are referred to as sheep in the Bible. Isa. 53:6, Psalm 100:3. John 10 His voice/follow Him.
Sheep are animals that need constant attention, care, and protection. They can become what is called
“Cast” -to fall on the back and not be able to get up.
“Why art thou cast down O my soul?” Psalm 42:5
Why did God create them this way? 2 reasons: to show us our poverty of spirit. To show us we need a Shepherd. Because sheep are the way they are they need a shepherd.
What makes the difference in sheep is the Shepherd!
Jesus is the Good Shepherd – John 10:11
Jesus is the Great Shepherd – Hebrews 13:20-21
Jesus is the Chief Shepherd – I Peter 5:4
Ill. When did this name of God being your shepherd become important to you? When as a teen even before salvation I was looking for guidance about career path, then marriage guidance. I realized I needed a shepherd.
All 7 of the redemptive names of God and what He wants to be to us are in Psalm 23.
The Lord is my shepherd – Jehovah Rohi
I shall not want – Jehovah Jireh
He makes me lie down – Jehovah Shalom
He restoreth my soul – Jehovah Rapha
He leads/paths righteousness – Jeh. Tsidkenu
Yea though I walk – Jehovah Nissi
Thou art with me – Jehovah Shammah
Praying this over yourself and your family brings strength and courage.
I understand that David wrote this Psalm before He faced Goliath. No wonder He was filled with unusual courage when other weren’t. He saw God like this – If God is for me who can be against me.
The first mention of God being a shepherd is by Jacob near the end of his troubled life where he says to his son Joseph as he was placing the blessing on his grandsons, “The God before whom my father’s Abraham and Isaac walked, this God has been my Shepherd all my life to this day.” Gen. 48:15
Jacob had so many troubles in his life because he had been a stubborn sheep who willfully strayed. He wrestled with God and felt the rod of God until he was broken of his stubborn will.
2 ways to be broken of your stubborn will:
1. Like a horse gets broken by riding hard until exhausted and gives us.
PIC:
It’s not God being hard on you it.
“Your own wickedness will correct you, and your backslidings will reprove you.” Jer. 2:19
2. God’s way is to speak His Word and you correct yourself.
PIC:
“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed —showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way.” Message Bible 2 Tim. 3:16
Psalm 23 summarizes what is means to be a child of God and have the Lord as your Shepherd.
“The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.”
The rest of the psalm describes why.
“He maketh me lie down.”
This is not forced rest. Rather it is revealing because the Shepherd meets the sheep’s needs, the sheep can lie down. It is impossible for sheep to lie down unless the sheep sees 4 provisions coming from the Shepherd. Unless 4 areas are taken care of the sheep are not able to rest.
Freedom from hunger
Freedom from fear
Freedom from friction
Freedom from pests
1. How does He set us free from hunger?
“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” Deut. 8:3
2. How does He set us free from fear?
“We have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love. . . and there is no fear in love; but perfected love casts out fear. . .” I John 4:16-18
“When I am afraid I will put my trust in Thee. In God whose Word I praise, in God I have put my trust. I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4
3. How does He set me free from friction?
He guides us to walk in forgiveness. “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” Matthew 6:12
He guides us to reconciliation as much as possible – Mtt 5:23
He guides us to love our enemies – Mtt. 5:44
He guides us not to live for our selfish ways – Phil. 2:3-8
4. How does He set me free from pests?
Sheep can suffer greatly from a nose fly.
Lays eggs that hatch worms that work its way up into sheep’s head causing great irritation causing sheep to thrash and beat its head on anything to try and stop the aggravation.
This sounds like warfare and demons (pests) that burrow their way into our lives and hatch worms laid by the enemy of tormenting thoughts, even driving some to suicide. Is there no freedom?
The Shepherd has an oil that protects the sheep from the nose fly. So the Shepherd has a way to keep His sheep from torment. “Thou anointest my head with oil.”
What is this oil that would protect our minds? It is the anointing of the HS Himself?
The Anointing is the Presence of God in His Word being poured or spoken over your mind.
“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Cor. 10: 4-5
“Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7
“Finally brethren, whatever it true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, if there be any praise, if there be any virtue, think on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace shall be with you.”
Phil. 4:8-9
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon Thee, because he trusts in Thee.” Isaiah 26:3
We can pray these words over you and you will be set free from pests because of the anointing on the Word of God. But after this you are going to have to do this yourself and speak to yourself and get yourself under the Anointing when pests come back.
The four needs of the sheep are freedom from: hunger, fear, friction and pests.
The end result of having the Lord as your Shepherd is
“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6