Pointing to Jesus

Psalm 23:1- The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Jehovah Raah (pronounced Raw-ah), or Jehovah Rohi,  is another one of God’s names. It is found a very familiar passage in the Bible commonly referred to as the 23rd Psalm. King David wrote this Psalm. David was very familiar with the duties of a shepherd because he was one in his earlier years. Also, as a shepherd, he knew sheep very well. He knew what the type of care and guidance they needed. He knew the sheep would be safe when they were being led by a shepherd. It also would have been an image that would have been very familiar to the ones reading it during this time.

David knew God as his shepherd because He spent a lot of time with Him. In saying that the Lord is his shepherd, he was saying that God leads, guides, protects, provides for, takes care of, etc.

God is our shepherd. He lovingly cares for us and is concerned about us. He leads us, guides us, protects us, provides for us, and more just like a shepherd cares for his sheep. We can know Him as our Shepherd. 

Again, like the names of God we have talked about before, it’s who He is. It’s His character. The more time we spend with Him in prayer, Bible reading, Bible study, worship, going to church, etc., the more we will know and trust Him as our shepherd.

Jacob also called God his shepherd when blessing his son Joseph in Genesis 48:15- “And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,”

The New Testament says He is the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd and the Chief Shepherd. 

John 10:11,14- “I am the Good She.pherd; the Good Shepherd lays down His life for his sheep. I am the Good Shepherd, and I know my own and My own know Me.

Hebrews 13:20– Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the Great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord.

I Peter 5:4- And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Again, the more we spend time with God, the better we will know Him as our Shepherd, the One who is leading us and guidance us through life’s journey. The more we spend time with Him, the better we will be able to hear His voice and follow it. The closer we stay to Him, the safer we are.

There’s a song called Lead On, Good Shepherd by Patrick Mayberry. It’s a great song that you can look up, listen to, and be encouraged by. I would also encourage you to read all of Psalm 23.

May we follow our Good Shepherd as He leads us. He wants us to know Him as our Jehovah Raah (or Rohi), the Lord our Shepherd.

Many blessings,

Desiree