LORD, I WANT TO KNOW YOU –LECTURE 14

“Jehovah-raah, The Lord My Shepherd”

Kay Arthur, Teacher

O precious lamb of God, because His name is Jehovah-raah, you shall not want, because the Lord is your shepherd. That is the name of God we are going to look at today. I pray that it is going to be a very, very precious time to you.

Psalm 23:1 is the psalm we think of when we think of the Lord being our shepherd. I would like to take a few minutes and read that psalm all the way through. (1) “The Lord if my shepherd, I shall not want. (2) He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. (3) He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. (4) Even 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 doest prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. (6) Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Many people read this psalm at funerals, but yet I believe that it is not just a psalm to be read at funerals. I believe it is a psalm for life. Of all the names of God, everything that we have learned about God this far, are culminated in this relationship between a sheep and his shepherd. In Psalm 23 we see the connotation in this name, Jehovah-raah, of total care, total guidance, and total provision, so that you, little sheep, shall not want.

In this name I think we find a tenderness and a security that implies a relationship,that comes from a relationship. When we see this name, we see Jehovah-jireh, which means “the Lordwill provide;” we see El Elyon, the God most high;” we see Yahweh, which is the name “Jehovah,” the self-existent One. We have seen all these othernames, and yet, with this name Jehovah-raah, it implies, like none of the other names imply, not demeaning them, but it implies a relationship, because here it is, “The Lord is my shepherd.” The concept of God as a shepherd to His people is not unique with this psalm. It was used back in Genesis 48:15, and you will see the concept of Jacob’s relationship to God as a shepherd. Jacob is speaking, (15) “And he blessed Joseph,” [Jacob is dying, his name has been changed to Israel, and he blessed Joseph.] “and said, ‘The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd…’” [I think that is significant. “The Lord is my shepherd;” not “The Lord is our shepherd.” It is a personal relationship.] “‘the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, (16) the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and may my name live on in them.” [So you see this concept clear back in Genesis with Jacob and God.]

You see it again in 49:24, as he blesses Joseph. (24) “But his bow remained firm, and his arms were agile, from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),” [There is the shepherd, and the shepherd is God Almighty, God the Father, and God the Son, your personal shepherd. And because He is your personal shepherd, there is total care, there is total provision, and there is total guidance in your relationship with Him.]

I want to run several verses with you, just to show you this relationship throughout. It doesn’t belong just to David who was a shepherd boy. You see it again in Psalm 78:52. “But He led forth His own people like sheep (talking about God leading them out of the land of Egypt), and guided them in the wilderness like a flock; (53) And He led them safely, so that they did not fear; but the sea engulfed their enemies.” [Remember, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; and though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” So here is total care, total provision, and total guidance.]

Look at Isaiah 40:11. “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.” [You see this tenderness; you see this relationship of the sheep to the shepherd. This is what God wants to convey to us through His name. He is your personal shepherd.]

I don’t know if you have seen the picture of Jesus holding a lamb. He has that little lamb’s face right up next to His, and it is so full of tenderness, and love, and care. Many times a shepherd will take his sheep, and he will pick up the sheep, and he will put it in the fold of his shepherd’s garment. It is girded around the waist, so there is a big pocket up there. He puts that sheep right inside the pocket of his garment, and as he walks, he will fuss with its wool or twiddle with its ears, and talk to it, and pet it, and caress it. Many times when a shepherd that has a sheep that keeps going astray, he will, to save that sheep’s life. Sheep are so dumb that they will eat themselves right off a cliff, literally, right off a cliff. They are so oblivious, so to speak, to danger, or so dumb about danger that they will just walk right into danger, and they will walk away from the shepherd. They don’t realize that the only place of security is close to the shepherd where he can care for them, where he can provide for them. Sometimes, when they keep wandering off that way, he takes the sheep, and he breaks its leg. Then he binds that leg up, and then he takes the sheep, and sticks him back in his garment. He carries that sheep, and he watches over that sheep. He puts that sheep close to him, and he talks to him, so that when the sheep’s leg is well and he can take off the splint and let him go, that sheep has become so used to the tenderness of the shepherd, and the closeness of the shepherd, and the feel of the warmth of his body, and of his protection, that he does not wander anymore. He stays right at the shepherd’s side.

I remember when we first started our ministry, and we were down in Mexico. We had a young man that said that he knew the Lord and everything, but he just kept walking away from the Lord. I was teaching about this, and one day he walked back in the house, and he had a cast on his leg. I said, “What happened to you?” He looked at me, and said, “The shepherd broke my led.” Isaiah 40:11, “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arms He will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.” [You see the tenderness between the sheep and the shepherd.]

You have looked at Ezekiel 34 in your homework, but I want to look at it one more time, and pick up verses 15 and 16, just to show you this care, this provision, so that when you are wanting, you will remember not to go off from your Shepherd, but to come back to your Shepherd, because He is the one that keeps you from wanting. (15) “‘I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,’ declared the Lord God. (16) I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered,” [When sheep get frightened, they will run in all different directions. The thing that keeps from running is for the shepherd to walk among them, and for them to feel His presence. Then they won’t scatter.] “‘bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick;’” [Because He is their shepherd.]

Psalm 95:6 is the last verse we will look at, but I wanted you to see these throughout the Scriptures. They are really precious, I think, and show this relationship of ours to God as our Shepherd. (6) “Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. (7) For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” [We belong to Him; He is our Shepherd, and because He is our Shepherd, we shall not want. Remember, once again, I think that this name of God shows a closer relationship to God in all that He is than all the other names that we have seen Him.]

This relationship (and I want you to remember this) with Jehovah-raah, with your Shepherd, is a relationship that is initiated by Him. It is not initiated by you. This is what is so precious. It is initiated by Him. It is a relationship that is also sustained by Him. The strength of your relationship does not depend on you. It depends on the Shepherd, because He is the one that has sought you out. This makes it very, very personal. Some of us say, “But there is no way. I could never have that relationship with the Lord.” We are going to see that—Yes, you can, because He is seeking His sheep.

I want to take you to John 10, and catch the first fifteen verses that this figure of speech that Jesus uses in John 10. (1) “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. (2) But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.’” [He is saying, “Look, the only way that you can get into God’s sheepfold is through Me.” Jesus is the shepherd of the sheep, but He is also the door into the sheepfold.] (3) “‘To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep (underline it) by name,’” [God does not look at you, precious one, collectively. He doesn’t just look at the group here. He knows each of you individually, and He wants to stress that individual relationship so much that Psalm 23 says, “The Lord ismy shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters.” It is not our; it is not mine. It is, “The Lord is my shepherd.” It is such a personal relationship that, like a normal shepherd of those times knew his sheep by name, so God knows you by name. He tells you that the hairs of your head are numbered, and He knows how many come out in the comb or brush every morning.

The other day I was sitting on my porch and having my quiet time, and a bird came up. I thought about scaring him away, because they mess all over my white porch rail, and they eat berries, and it stains it. I thought, “I will scare him away,” and then I looked at that little bird, and I thought, “God knows that bird exists. He knows when a sparrow falls to the ground.” That is His care over creation. Well, Jehovah-raah, He is my shepherd. Heknows me; I am so very special to Him that He knows me by name. He knows all about me. I think it is so important that you catch the personal relationship of this name, and the care of this name. They say that shepherds will name their sheep different names, and that they will go and call their sheep, either collectively or individually, and that sheep will follow them, because they know the voice of the shepherd. But, if another person would use that name that he uses for the sheep, either collectively or individually, and call the sheep, the sheep would not follow them, because they know the voice of their shepherd.

Now watch this personal, intimate relationship. (4) “When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them,” [I love that! Not behind them, but he goes before them, which implies protection. I had much rather have Christ out in front of me than behind me. I want Him out in front of me.] “and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. (5) And a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers. (6) This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what He had been saying to them. (7) Jesus therefore said to them again, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. (8) All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. (9) I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

Let me explain this. Many times in the East, when a shepherd would bring his sheep into town, there was sheepfold, and that sheepfold was usually in the corner of a building. It was just sticks or thatching put up there, and it had one door. A shepherd would bring his sheep, and put his flock in there. Another shepherd would bring his sheep, and they could mix all those sheep up. The reason they could mix all those sheep up was because, when the shepherd came to get his sheep, he would know his sheep simply by calling them, and the fact that his sheep would follow him. This is how intimate their relationship was. If anyone (a thief or a robber wanted to steal the sheep, they would have to ( ? ), and then he would jump down over the wall, grab the sheep, and slit their throats. It says, “As a lamb before the shearers is dumb…” You can slit the throat of a lamb, and it will not make any noise. So they would slit the throat of that lamb or that sheep, and then they would throw that sheep out to another thief or a robber. In other words, the shepherd is the one that cares for the sheep, not the thief, and not the robber. And yet, a lot of us listen to the thief, a lot of us listen to the robber, instead of listening to the shepherd, because we do not realize how much the shepherd the loves us. The thief comes to kill; he comes to destroy; and that thief and robber is personified in Satan. He comes to kill and destroy; Jesus comes that we might have life.

It says that he is the door to the sheep. One time in the East, they saw a sheepfold, and they saw an open door. (There was no door; it was just an open way.) They said to the shepherd, “Where is the door to keep your sheep in at night, or to keep somebody from coming in to get your sheep?” He looked at him, and said, “I am the door. At night I lay down in the opening, and if any of my sheep go out, they go out over me. If anything comes in, they have to come in over me.” That is His relationship. He is the one that protects us, guides us, and cares for us. (9) “I am the door, if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. (10) The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly. (11) I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. (12) He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. (13) He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep. (14) I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me.”

What does a shepherd do? He is the one that goes out looking for his sheep. He might say, “Here, sheepy, sheepy, sheepy!” Then the sheep comes, hearing his voice, and responding to Him. This little toy that I have belongs to one of our staff, Charlene. One of our people knows that Charlene loves sheep, so they found this sheep, and brought it to Charlene. When I saw it, I wanted one too, so badly. I just love it, because that is exactly the way it is. He calls His sheep, and His sheep respond, because they know the voice of the shepherd. There is that intimacy of relationship between the sheep and the shepherd, so much so, that if you would go to Luke 15, you would see that sheep are so precious to the shepherd, that, if a sheep is lost, he is going to leave the ninety and nine, and go find them. I know that you know that hymn, and it is so wonderful.

Luke 15:1, “Now all the tax-gatherers and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. (2) And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’ (3) And He told them this parable, saying, (4) ‘What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? (5) And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

Maybe some of you who are listening to these messages are lost, and maybe you have not yet heard the voice of the Shepherd, and maybe God is using this series to call you and tell you, “You are precious.” You say, “No, I am not. I am a sinner; I am a mess.” Listen, God is looking for you, and He is calling, and if any one of His sheep is lost, He is going to go after them, and He is going to call them, and call them, and call them. Then, when He finds them, He is going to put them on His shoulders, and He is going to come back rejoicing. This is the relationship of the shepherd to the sheep.