Today's
name of God is one that speaks of safety and security in a world that
offers none. In Psalm 23:1 we discover that “Jehovah-Raah” means
“The Lord is my shepherd”. This verse continues with “I shall
not want.” This is the name for the Lord which promises we shall
not lack anything. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that promise.
“I am the good shepherd,” Jesus said. “The good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11, NIV). Jesus became our
shepherd by giving His life for us. Just as a shepherd assumes the
responsibility for the care and well-being of his sheep, so Christ
takes compete responsibility for our care and well-being. The Lord as
“Jehovah Raah” is the shepherd who provides loving care for His
people. He is the same great “Jehovah Jireh” that is powerfully
on time with His provision. In this Jehovah God, we are saved by His
redeeming love. All that we could ever want or need is found in our
shepherd, who paid our price in full.
Sheep
always need a shepherd to protect and care for them. We, just like
sheep, are completely defenseless and dependent on a shepherd. Prey
attack sheep, and bad environmental conditions put them in grave
danger. We are also attacked, and face danger from our enemy. “Your
enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone
to devour” (1 Peter 1:8b, NIV). A shepherd protects His sheep at
all cost―sometimes to even the point of death. Jesus gave His life
on the cross as our Good Shepherd. He had the power to save himself,
but he chose to give His life for you and me. “The Son of Man did
not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many” (Matthew 20:28, NIV).
“I
am the good shepherd,” Jesus continues. “I know my sheep and my
sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and
I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of
this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my
voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my
Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up
again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own
accord”(John 10:14-18a, NIV). The gift of His life is not for just
a certain view. It is for all mankind. Jesus is the Good Shepherd
over all who come to believe in Him. “For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall
not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NIV). To know and
believe that “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want”, we must
know Him as the Good Shepherd who gave His life for our sake.
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