Thursday, March 15, 2012

God is our Shepherd!

God is our Shepherd!

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” Ps 23:1



Last month we studied YHWH Andonai – “the Sovereign LORD” or “LORD All-Powerful”.  One of the verses we see this in is Isaiah 40:10-11.   

10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:  He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Notice in verse 11 how the Sovereign LORD is shown as a shepherd who carries the lambs in His arms close to His heart.  The word here translated for “Shepherd” is “Râ‛âh.”  It is the same word used in Psalm 28:9 “…be their shepherd and carry them forever.”  It is also used in Psalm 80:1 “Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who lead Joseph like a flock…”  Psalm 95 and 100 respectively contain the phrases “…for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” and “we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”  God is portraying Himself as a shepherd and we as his sheep, his flock, his fold.  Interestingly enough the same word “Râ‛âh” is also used in Psalm23:1 in the phrase “the Lord is my Shepherd.”  The actual Hebrew for this line is  “YHWH Râ‛âh”. Here is another special compound name of God literally translated LORD Shepherd.  Because the name YHWH is from the very “hayah” meaning “to be,” “I AM,” or “He is” the line is translated, “The Lord is My Shepherd.”  

Now we must remember that the names of God tell us something about who He is, about His character.  To say the Lord is My Shepherd means, like the sheep, we are trusting in Him for our daily provision, guidance, protection, and constant companionship.1  We trust Him as the “Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Pet 2:25).  Indeed, He calls Himself “the good shepherd” (John 10:11).  He goes so far as to tell us that as the Good Shepherd He lays down His life for the sheep. He finds those sheep who are lost and brings them back into the fold (Mt 18:12-13; Lk 15:3-7). 

He finds those sheep that are cast down—rolled over in such a way that they cannot get back up on their feet by themselves.  If the sheep stay in this position for very long gasses build up and can be fatal unless the shepherd comes and places them on their feet and rubs down their legs to get the circulation going.  Even then the shepherd must watch over them so that they do not stumble and become cast again.2  The shepherd watches over and protects the sheep as they have only for their defense legs to run and then they cannot even run fast.   So it is that the shepherd must be constantly aware of predators that come to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).  But the shepherd is come that we “may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).  This is the job of a good shepherd to see that his flock has life to the full through his protection, nourishment, guidance and companionship. 

The shepherd must know where to lead the sheep for their nourishment.  The sheep will over graze and kill off all vegetation if the shepherd does not lead them on to new green pastures allowing the old pastures time to recover from grazing.3  The shepherd must also know where to find still water for the sheep to drink.   

He is a constant companion to the sheep and so he knows each one by name (John 10:3) and they in turn know His voice and will not follow a stranger (John 10:4-5).  Shepherds would commonly put several flocks in a sheep pen guarded by a watchman at night.  In the morning the shepherd would call out his own sheep and they would follow his voice and in such a manner the sheep would divide themselves by following the voice of their shepherd alone.  In this way the shepherd was also leader and an authority over the lives of the sheep.4 

So you can see how helpless the sheep are by themselves to find food and water, to be protected, to live at peace, even to stand up by themselves at times. What a picture of dependency upon the shepherd!  To know His voice, to be His companion, to depend on Him for food and water, for the restoration of our soul, for our protection, for our discipline and our comfort (“your rod and your staff”)– this is what it means to say “I shall not be in want.” That no matter what happens, our trust in the LORD Shepherd.  Let us say with the Psalmist “we are His people the sheep of His pasture” (Ps 100:3) to “our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep” (Heb 13:2o).  YHWH Râ‛âh—LORD Shepherd what a comforting name! 

Oh Good and Great Shepherd, we look to you; we trust in you.  For you care for your sheep with tender compassion meeting all our needs.  Help us to be more dependent on you, more confident in you, having faith in Your abilities to shepherd us well, to lead us in paths of righteousness for Your name sake so that our cup overflows and you anoint us with the oil of your Spirit living in us always!  Amen! 

Footnotes
1Ryken, Leland, Jim Wilhoit, Tremper Longman, Colin Duriez, Douglas Penney, and Daniel G. Reid. "Sheep, Shepherd." Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998. 782. Print.
2 Keller, W. Phillip. "He Restoreth My Soul." A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23,. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1970. 53-60. Print.
3 Keller, W. Phillip. "He Maketh Me to Lie Down in Green Pastures." A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23,. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1970. 33-45. Print.
4 Ryken, 782.



References
All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.