Post 13: Thankful for the Many Names of God!

Yahweh-Rohi [yah-weh-ro-hee] appears in the blessing above as Jacob takes Joseph’s sons, his grandsons, as his own. Jacob names God who has been my shepherd all of my life. Written also as Jehovah-Raah (The Lord is My Shepherd), we see the most memorable use of this name in Psalm 23 as David too acknowledges God as the Shepherd of his life.

Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will 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 mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

In Biblical times, sheep were a major resource. They provided wool, meat, milk, leather, and served as sacrificial animals to atone for the sins of individuals and of the nation as a whole. To say they were abundant would be a gross understatement. In 1 Kings 8 we read that King Solomon sacrificed 120,000 sheep at the dedication of the Lord’s Temple. It’s no wonder then that sheep and shepherds are mentioned so often in the Bible.

As we consider Yahweh-Rohi, The Lord Our Shepherd, let’s focus on a few well-known facts about sheep and shepherds:

• Sheep are social, preferring to flock together
• Sheep clump up and run away when scared or threatened
• A lone sheep, separated from the flock, is easy pickings for predators
• Sheep need a shepherd to guide them to food, water, and safety
• Sheep respond to the voice and verbal commands of their own shepherd but feel threatened by a voice or words they do not know

Sweet friends, if we pause to think about that list, there are clear reasons Jacob and David referred to God as their Shepherd, making themselves then to His sheep. Moving down the list, we all experience loneliness when are away from others too long, even those who don’t consider themselves to be a “people person”. We teach our children that there is safety in numbers and when we’ve had a scare, we instinctively reach for the person next to us or run to (or call) the person who makes us feel safe.

On our own we are more open to attack both physically and spiritually (that old Satan delights in tormenting people at times they feel most alone).

On our own we are spiritually hungry and thirsty, trying anything and everything to fill the emptiness we feel (relationships, food, drugs, alcohol, gambling, escape into tv, books, video games and other fantasy lives…).

We long to hear the Shepherd’s voice and we have more hope, joy, and peace when we are actively listening for His voice and the commands He gives. I’m going to hit that line again below because it’s that important:

We have more hope, joy, and peace when we are actively listening for God’s voice and following the commands He gives.

Dear heart, I don’t know about you but I’ve done my share of wandering hungry, thirsty, and lost, of running scared, and of listening to and obeying the wrong voices too. Praise God, Yahweh Rohi, that He is the Shepherd Who Gathers the Lost! Though He has many sheep, every sheep is precious and our Good Shepherd leaves the 99 to find the 1 and bring it home again (Matthew 18:12). He brings you home and me home again and again and again!

Heavenly Father, we praise You for You are the Lord Our Shepherd! David sang it rightly when he said You restore our souls and set us on the path of righteousness. Forgive us Lord when we wander, when we flock to anything or anyone more than You. Help us to recognize Your voice, to seek it out in Your Holy Word, to open our spiritual ears to Holy Spirit, to rest in the knowledge that we are known to You and loved by You. Amen.