Jehovah-Raah The Lord my Shepherd

The Old Testament saints got the revelation of God as their Shepherd. Moses had known God as the Shepherd of the Israelites. In Psalm 78:52-54, we find that God had led His people in the wilderness as their Shepherd. Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel through their prophetic eyes had the wonderful revelation of Christ Jesus as the Shepherd, who would search His sheep, seek them out and feed them (Is.40: 11-12 & Eze.12-13 and 34:23). However, none of the Old Testament saints other than David did call their God as my Shepherd(Ps.23: 1).

David was himself a shepherd who tended his fathers sheep and protected them from the lion and the bear (I Sam.17: 34-35). The Lord Himself said to David, Thou shalt feed (shepherd) My people, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel (2 Sam.5: 2). As such, he knew the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep and thus called His God as my Shepherd.

David through his prophetic eyes saw the coming Shepherd.  Yet, he could not enjoy the full fellowship of the Shepherd in his life because Christ had not been manifested in flesh at that time.  Of course, he did have the foretaste of Christs love to some extent when God forgave him of the grave sin of adultery.  However, under the New Covenant, we are more blessed than David because the Shepherd indwells us.

The Lord is My Shepherd; I shall not want (Ps.23; 1).  Every Christian knows this verse by heart.  Our children can recite the entire psalm No.23.  This verse compresses the whole love of God for us.  I may not remember many of Gods promises in His Word but may remember only this verse.  Some may shrug off this psalm as an elementary lesson for the new believers.  However, this verse of Psalm 23 has more significance than meets the eye. You may have known Jesus as your Savior, Baptizer of the Holy Ghost, Miracle Worker, Healer, Comforter, Protector or Friend. But all these revelations encompass His Name The Lord my Shepherd i.e. Jehovah Raah in Hebrew.  The Lord is my Shepherd because He has forgiven my sins and iniquities through His precious blood.  He is my Shepherd because He has baptized me in His Spirit.  He is my Shepherd because He performs miracles for me.  He is my Shepherd because He comforts me.  He is my Shepherd because He heals me by His stripes.  He is my Shepherd because He sticks to me as a friend.  He is my Shepherd because He protects me from my enemies, accidents and diseases.

When my beloved mother and my beloved father-in-law (both entered glory) were on their deathbeds, I uttered this verse into their ears and asked them to repeat this verse so as to strengthen their faith despite their bodily weaknesses.

If I get the revelation of Jesus as the Lord my Shepherd, I shall not want in any thing in this life.  I need not go to God with a begging bowl in my hand because the Lord my Shepherd provides all my needs as I am His sheep. As His sheep, I feel His abiding presence, His healing touch, His warmth protection, and hear His words of love and of comfort. As my Shepherd, He feeds my family and me daily both with physical and spiritual food.

Let your children who are not successful in their education/career confess through their mouth, The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.

Let the rulers of your nation not depend upon their might for protection but confess, The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want so that your nation can be saved from terrorism or war.

Dear pastor, let your congregation confess, The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want so that they can reap great harvests of blessings from God.

Dear evangelist, present Jesus as The Lord my Shepherd to the lost.  The whole gospel is summarized in this verse because Jesus, the good Shepherd had come in search of the lost and had laid down His life on the Cross for His sheep.

JEHOVAH HOSSENU

In Psalm 95, the Lord is revealed as our Maker. JEHOVAH HOSSENU is His Name in Hebrew.  We are exhorted in Psalm 95 to sing and shout joyfully to our Lord with psalms and come before His presence with thanksgiving.  For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods.  In His Hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also.  The sea is His, for He made it; and his hands formed the dry land.  

We are also exhorted to bow down and kneel before the Lord our Maker for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Worship means singing and shouting joyfully with psalms to our God and bowing down and kneeling before Him.  We are not supposed to worship Him in a mechanical manner without knowing His great Personality. We worship Him because He is the great God, the great King above all gods, and our Maker. 

He is the great God.  The deep places of the earth are in His hand.  The visible surface of the earth and all the hidden minerals beneath its surface, which are being processed for precious metals out of ore, etc., are in His hand.  No nation, though owning the territory containing such earthly treasures can claim privy to the property of God because God is the Owner of the whole earth. Silver and gold, which are extracted from the ore, belong to Him. As such, the nations possessing such minerals in their territories should share the same with the poor nations. He controls the whole earth so that it rotates by His power. 

The heights of the hills whence the rivers of the whole world take birth are His.  Similarly, the sea and the precious marine products therein are His.  We are the children of the great God Who is the Owner of the heaven, the earth and the sea.  We are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.  If we get this revelation, then we can claim and appropriate all His resources for our ministries. 

We are the children of the great King Who is above all gods.  He is above all political and religious leaders, kingly rulers of this world or the rulers of the kingdom of the devil.  Nebuchadanezzaar had been dethroned, and ate grass as oxen, consequent to the severe judgment of God, for his pride. He then praised and honored God that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation; and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto Him, What does thou?..and those that walk in pride He is able to base (Dan.4:34-37). If you get a revelation of what you are in the Kingdom of God, no ruler on this earth or the Satan can exercise any authority or power over you. 

Our Lord is our Maker because He has made us in our mothers wombs.  He formed your inward parts in the mothers womb.  You were fearfully and wonderfully made.  When you were made in secret and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth (which means the lowest parts of the mothers womb), His eyes saw your substance being yet unformed. (Psalm 139:13-16).  What a great revelation about your birth! He took you out of the mothers womb.  You were cast upon Him from birth.  From your mothers womb, He has been your God (Ps.22: 9-10).

The Psalmist exhorts us finally, with a word of admonition, in this psalm that as we are the people of His pasture: and the sheep of His hand, we should heed and obey Him.  Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness; when your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My work.  Dearly beloved, as you read this message today, you should obey Him because tomorrow is not yours.  Do not harden your heart!  

JEHOVAH HOSSENU who has wonderfully made you in your mothers womb through Christ Jesus will also make every thing for you in this world, and in the world to come. He will go before you and will make all the crooked ways straight. He will make all things new in your life if you believe and worship Him in the manner as the Psalmist exhorts.