The Twenty-Third Psalm
Psalm 23:[1-6]--"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever."
As I have been seeking to meditate on Psalm 23, the LORD has revealed to me so many wounderful truths about His very character. David describes to us a volume of truth about God's attributes and character in this Psalm. In the first part of verse one David says,"The LORD is my shepherd." Just in this sentence alone David tells us a rich truth about who God is to us. It is obvious and made clear to us in this verse that He is our Shepherd, but David is telling us that God is so much more than just a shepherd. There are two words in this verse--LORD and SHEPHERD--that reveal to us the very nature and character of God. The word LORD is the one word that tells us so much more about God than just Him being our shepherd. The word LORD actually expresses to us who our shepherd is to us, who He wants to be to us, and what He wants to do in our lives.
"LORD"--in the hebrew is Yhovah (Yah-weh); (the) eternal self exsistant or eternal; JEHOVAH, Jewish national name of God: -Jehovah, the Lord."--Strongs Concordance
Jehovah (Yah-weh), is the covenant name for God. The name Jehovah was so sacred and revered by the ancient Jews that they would not even utter His name. They were in such awe of His name that it wasn't spoken out loud, only written. What is amazing to me is how in this psalm David took this sacred name of Jehovah and connected it with the word Shepherd (Rohi).
John 10:14--"I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own."
One of the names for God is JEHOVAH--ROHI, which means, "The Lord our Shepherd." When David says, "The Lord is my Shepherd", he is actually saying, "The LORD (Jehovah) is my Shepherd (Rohi)." David is proclaiming that His shepherd is the high and exalted one who has always existed, whose name is holy, who is self-existant and self-sustaining. He's the one who needs nothing and is the possessor of all things and yet he draws near to me and cares for me even though I am weak and lowly. This Jehovah is my shepherd. As long as Jehovah is our shepherd we will lack nothing because everything is in Him. He is the "I AM", and the "I AM", is all we will ever need. Only when we can say, "The Lord is my Shepherd", can we truely say, "I shall not want."
Isaiah 40:[28-29]--"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength."
Isaiah 41:1--"Who has performed and done it, Calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, am the first; And with the last I am He."
There are other names for God that can be seen in this passage. I have found that there are at least seven times in scripture when the name Jehovah is connected with another word. Each of these names reveal some aspect of the nature and character of God. I am seeking to studying these different names of God in depth to see how they correspond with Psalm 23. It is amazing to me how the Holy Spirit has given David the very words that express to us the names of God, which teach us about His attributes. I am really excited about what I have already learned about the other names for God that are seen in this passage and can't wait to share with you what God is revealing to me about Himself in just these six verses, but it will have to wait until my next journal........
Serving Our Lord Together,
Michelle Harrison
