Names of God 6. Jehovah Rohi
As we go through the names of God as they appear in the Bible, we jump ahead to Psalms 23, God our Shepherd. The reason I did this is because in my One Year Bible I came across the Psalmists summary of the Books of the Law in Psalms 78. Here is a "little bit" of it
They forgot what he had done,
and the miracles that he had shown them.
12 In the sight of their fathers he wrought marvels
in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zo′an.
13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it,
and made the waters stand like a heap.
14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
and all the night with a fiery light.
15 He cleft rocks in the wilderness,
and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16 He made streams come out of the rock,
and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
17 Yet they sinned still more against him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God, saying,
“Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 He smote the rock so that water gushed out
and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread,
or provide meat for his people?”
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God, saying,
“Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 He smote the rock so that water gushed out
and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread,
or provide meat for his people?”
21 Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
a fire was kindled against Jacob,
his anger mounted against Israel;
22 because they had no faith in God,
and did not trust his saving power.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above,
and opened the doors of heaven;
24 and he rained down upon them manna to eat,
and gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Man ate of the bread of the angels;
he sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 he rained flesh upon them like dust,
winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28 he let them fall in the midst of their camp,
all around their habitations.
29 And they ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they craved.
30 But before they had sated their craving,
while the food was still in their mouths,
31 the anger of God rose against them
and he slew the strongest of them,
and laid low the picked men of Israel.
a fire was kindled against Jacob,
his anger mounted against Israel;
22 because they had no faith in God,
and did not trust his saving power.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above,
and opened the doors of heaven;
24 and he rained down upon them manna to eat,
and gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Man ate of the bread of the angels;
he sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 he rained flesh upon them like dust,
winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28 he let them fall in the midst of their camp,
all around their habitations.
29 And they ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they craved.
30 But before they had sated their craving,
while the food was still in their mouths,
31 the anger of God rose against them
and he slew the strongest of them,
and laid low the picked men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this they still sinned;
despite his wonders they did not believe.
33 So he made their days vanish like a breath,
and their years in terror.
34 When he slew them, they sought for him;
they repented and sought God earnestly.
35 They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouths;
they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him;
they were not true to his covenant.
38 Yet he, being compassionate,
forgave their iniquity,
and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often,
and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,
a wind that passes and comes not again.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness
and grieved him in the desert!
41 They tested him again and again,
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not keep in mind his power,
or the day when he redeemed them from the foe;
43 when he wrought his signs in Egypt,
and his miracles in the fields of Zo′an.
44 He turned their rivers to blood,
so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them,
and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to the caterpillar,
and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail,
and their sycamores with frost.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,
and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 He let loose on them his fierce anger,
wrath, indignation, and distress,
a company of destroying angels.
50 He made a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death,
but gave their lives over to the plague.
51 He smote all the first-born in Egypt,
the first issue of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 Then he led forth his people like sheep,
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid;
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to his holy land,
to the mountain which his right hand had won.
despite his wonders they did not believe.
33 So he made their days vanish like a breath,
and their years in terror.
34 When he slew them, they sought for him;
they repented and sought God earnestly.
35 They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouths;
they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him;
they were not true to his covenant.
38 Yet he, being compassionate,
forgave their iniquity,
and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often,
and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,
a wind that passes and comes not again.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness
and grieved him in the desert!
41 They tested him again and again,
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not keep in mind his power,
or the day when he redeemed them from the foe;
43 when he wrought his signs in Egypt,
and his miracles in the fields of Zo′an.
44 He turned their rivers to blood,
so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them,
and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to the caterpillar,
and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail,
and their sycamores with frost.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,
and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 He let loose on them his fierce anger,
wrath, indignation, and distress,
a company of destroying angels.
50 He made a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death,
but gave their lives over to the plague.
51 He smote all the first-born in Egypt,
the first issue of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 Then he led forth his people like sheep,
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid;
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to his holy land,
to the mountain which his right hand had won.
As God revealed Himself to Moses, He revealed Himself as Elohim, Jehovah, El Roi, Adonai, and Jehovah Jireh, and now after providing a way out of Egypt He led them like a Shepherd. The Bible refers to us as sheep over 400 times and God as a shepherd 100 times. Why so much? Kay Arthur says that God wants to make sure we understand two things; 1. our condition 2. our need for a shepherd. Lets look at these 2 things in light of Psalms 23 where the name Jehovah Rohi is revealed.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
2 he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
2 he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me.
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever
First of all, what is our condition? We are sheep. What do we know about Sheep? They are
1. Dumb - you will never see sheep tricks on youtube or David Letterman. They can't be trained. They have been known to eat themselves off the edge of a cliff or roll down a hill to their death if it gets too steep. They will eat their field to the nub and starve to death with a lush field next to them because they don't think about exploring.
2. Dirty - they may look white and fluffy from a distance but when you get up close they are gray and matted.
3. Diseased - from nose flies that form larvae that burrow into the flesh of the sheep to being a medium for ascaris worms, sheep are disease carriers
4. Defenseless - like a mouse, they are the low rung of the food chain. There is a reason David doesn't say the Lord is my rancher and I am a horse. If the rancher isn't present the horse runs free. If the shepherd isn't present, the sheep die. You never see packs of wild sheep that are causing a nuisance. There is no such thing.
5. Directionally challenged - They can't find their way home. They will follow whoever is leading even if it is going in a circle.
6. Valuable - here is the positive. Every part of the sheep is valuable. The shepherd didn't have a bank account. His account was the flock.
What does this tell us? 1) We are not as good as we think. In fact this is the key to salvation - realizing that we are not "good". The first step of Roman's road is Romans 3:23 "All have sinned" 2) We must realize we need a shepherd.
Romans 5:8
"while we were still sinners, Christ died for us".
Isa 53:6
" All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all"
Heb. 13:20,21
" Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen"
So if we understand we are sheep and we developed that, and we realize we need a shepherd- let's develop that from Psalm 23. What is a shepherd? The Hebrew word Rohi means to tend to and rule over a herd but also implies companion and friend. Can you imagine a situation where someone is a companion and friend to someone so helpless they would die without that oversight? My thoughts went to
where George and Lennie are companions and friends but Lennie because of his mental condition could not survive without George. And then I pictured
This is me and my granddaughter. We are headed to a restraunt. I am going to have to pay, lift her up to see the food options, and carry her food, put her in a safe chair, and feed her not to mention keep her out of the road. Yet - she is my buddy, my companion. It's a little different than a parent. Parents have to be careful about being friends with their kids. They have a different role. They must train and discipline their kids. They are not shepherds. Shepherds can't train and discipline sheep - they are untrainable! There is a model for God as a parent but Jehovah Rohi is not it. What else do we learn about God our Shepherd from Psalm 23? Look thru the Psalm and highlight all the personal pronouns.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
2 he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
2 he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me.
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever
17 times. What does that tell us? God is a personal shepherd. We know God personally and he knows us by name. John 10:3,4 - the Good Shepherd passage says "the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice."
When I read about shepherds, no shepherds called their sheep by name, i.e. "Here Ralphy, let's go Sally, etc." If sheep shared a common pen, each shepherd would have a characteristic whistle or voice that all his sheep would follow, but never individual relationships. Isn't it amazing that the God of the Universe would want to delve into a personal relationship with someone as "sheepish" as us!
Now go through Psalm 23 and highlight all the other pronouns referring to God.
Lastly He blesses you. We are well fed, protected, owned, cared for, quenched, and goodness and mercy is pursuing us 24/7. Not only that but we get to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. If I could give a personal testimony, God has blessed my family with the cup overflowing. Four kids who all love the Lord and two are married with Godly spouses. We are financially blessed, healthy, and have good reputations in the community.( As Paul would say, "I can't believe I'm talking such foolishness") The Shepherd has blessed us tremendously. Why? Well here are some conditions that we have tried to abide by in Psalm 23. (It could be that this is why or some totally unknown reason to me) #1. We daily acknowledge our utter dependence on Him. We realize that we are just dumb sheep and apart from Him we can do nothing. #2. We rest in Him and let Him restore us. When we are down we go try to serve someone or bless someone. Instead of watching something secular we listen to or watch a message by Tim Keller, Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, John Ortberg, Pete Briscoe, etc. We get up early for prayer and Bible study and get ready for the day. Plus we try to go on regular mission trips to recharge us #3. We walk in paths of righteousness. I can only imagine how secret sins would destroy this family. As James 1:22 says, don't just read the Bible but do what it says. We try. And we taught our kids through daily devotions what the paths of righteousness are and they are walking in them #4. Live for His glory - not ours. If people sing our praises without mentioning that we love Jesus, then we are plagiarizing. We aren't giving God the credit and are failing. If unbelievers aren't secretly wishing we would fail, God probably isn't getting the glory in our lives.
I just say all these things to reinforce that there are conditions to the blessed life and they are spelled out in Psalm 23.
Here are some songs to worship to alluding to this name.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmHTqS_cHjQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMUQEI0CLQM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpAgHktfgX0
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever
17 times. What does that tell us? God is a personal shepherd. We know God personally and he knows us by name. John 10:3,4 - the Good Shepherd passage says "the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice."
When I read about shepherds, no shepherds called their sheep by name, i.e. "Here Ralphy, let's go Sally, etc." If sheep shared a common pen, each shepherd would have a characteristic whistle or voice that all his sheep would follow, but never individual relationships. Isn't it amazing that the God of the Universe would want to delve into a personal relationship with someone as "sheepish" as us!
Now go through Psalm 23 and highlight all the other pronouns referring to God.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
2 he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
2 he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me.
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever
10 times. What does this tell us? 2 things. 1) It's all about Him. We exist for His glory. As vs. 3 says, "for His name sake". The worth of a shepherd is judged by how good His flock looks. Are you representing Him well?
Matt. 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Jer. 13:11
For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor.
Ex. 9:16
But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth
Secondly, we see the shift from 3rd person to 2nd person in vs. 4 - from "He" to thou or "You". Why is that significant. It is significant because it reveals a deepening relationship. As we follow Him, we get to know Him better. Especially as we follow Him through the dark, foreboding trials of life, i.e. "the shadow of death", we develop an intimate relationship with Him. Those dark times have a purpose - He will reveal Himself to you during those.
Third, we see that our shepherd meets our needs. Kay Arthur talks about the phrase "He makes me lie down". The Hebrew of this means the 4 legged bending below the body of the animal. She says that sheep will only lie down under these conditions. 1) they are well fed. He sets a table before us. He lays out a spread and the plate is so full it is spilling over. God never skimps with us 2) they are free from fear. He gives His life for the sheep. The hired hand runs away. The shepherd's savings rest in the flock. He sees us as valuable. As He lays out the spread for us it implies the predators are sitting in the woods watching and wishing they could see our demise but they know they can't because the Shepherd has a staff and knows how to use it. 3) Free from pests - The shepherd has oil that He anoints the wounds with and the nose with to keep the nose flies away.
Fourth, we see the Shepherd restores us. This means our battery is dead and He recharges it. Literally, He takes us back to the beginning. He comforts us (vs.4) which means we breathe a sigh of relief. What are you going to for reenergizing? Amazon.com? Drugs? Sporting Events? Netflix? The Beach? The Shepherd wants to restore your soul
.
Matt. 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever
10 times. What does this tell us? 2 things. 1) It's all about Him. We exist for His glory. As vs. 3 says, "for His name sake". The worth of a shepherd is judged by how good His flock looks. Are you representing Him well?
Matt. 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Jer. 13:11
For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor.
Ex. 9:16
But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth
Secondly, we see the shift from 3rd person to 2nd person in vs. 4 - from "He" to thou or "You". Why is that significant. It is significant because it reveals a deepening relationship. As we follow Him, we get to know Him better. Especially as we follow Him through the dark, foreboding trials of life, i.e. "the shadow of death", we develop an intimate relationship with Him. Those dark times have a purpose - He will reveal Himself to you during those.
Third, we see that our shepherd meets our needs. Kay Arthur talks about the phrase "He makes me lie down". The Hebrew of this means the 4 legged bending below the body of the animal. She says that sheep will only lie down under these conditions. 1) they are well fed. He sets a table before us. He lays out a spread and the plate is so full it is spilling over. God never skimps with us 2) they are free from fear. He gives His life for the sheep. The hired hand runs away. The shepherd's savings rest in the flock. He sees us as valuable. As He lays out the spread for us it implies the predators are sitting in the woods watching and wishing they could see our demise but they know they can't because the Shepherd has a staff and knows how to use it. 3) Free from pests - The shepherd has oil that He anoints the wounds with and the nose with to keep the nose flies away.
Fourth, we see the Shepherd restores us. This means our battery is dead and He recharges it. Literally, He takes us back to the beginning. He comforts us (vs.4) which means we breathe a sigh of relief. What are you going to for reenergizing? Amazon.com? Drugs? Sporting Events? Netflix? The Beach? The Shepherd wants to restore your soul
.
Matt. 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Lastly He blesses you. We are well fed, protected, owned, cared for, quenched, and goodness and mercy is pursuing us 24/7. Not only that but we get to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. If I could give a personal testimony, God has blessed my family with the cup overflowing. Four kids who all love the Lord and two are married with Godly spouses. We are financially blessed, healthy, and have good reputations in the community.( As Paul would say, "I can't believe I'm talking such foolishness") The Shepherd has blessed us tremendously. Why? Well here are some conditions that we have tried to abide by in Psalm 23. (It could be that this is why or some totally unknown reason to me) #1. We daily acknowledge our utter dependence on Him. We realize that we are just dumb sheep and apart from Him we can do nothing. #2. We rest in Him and let Him restore us. When we are down we go try to serve someone or bless someone. Instead of watching something secular we listen to or watch a message by Tim Keller, Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, John Ortberg, Pete Briscoe, etc. We get up early for prayer and Bible study and get ready for the day. Plus we try to go on regular mission trips to recharge us #3. We walk in paths of righteousness. I can only imagine how secret sins would destroy this family. As James 1:22 says, don't just read the Bible but do what it says. We try. And we taught our kids through daily devotions what the paths of righteousness are and they are walking in them #4. Live for His glory - not ours. If people sing our praises without mentioning that we love Jesus, then we are plagiarizing. We aren't giving God the credit and are failing. If unbelievers aren't secretly wishing we would fail, God probably isn't getting the glory in our lives.
I just say all these things to reinforce that there are conditions to the blessed life and they are spelled out in Psalm 23.
Here are some songs to worship to alluding to this name.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmHTqS_cHjQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMUQEI0CLQM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpAgHktfgX0
No comments:
Post a Comment