YHWH Rohi I

Intro

This week my dad finally reached retirement, and retired after his shift on Monday

So as a result, I decided to get him this amazing card, and regardless of what you think of our President Elect, he certainly gives us some comedic gold with how he speaks!

There’s something about my Dad retiring that made me quite introspective, it’s the next, and most often final stage of a person’s life

So inside that card I did write a heartfelt thing of what it mean to me to be my Dad’s son

Afterall, it was my Dad who’s taught me about life, about work, modeled what it looks like to be a husband, what it looks like to sacrifice,

what it looks like to be the hands and feet of Christ to your kids and your wife, and even when working nights, never making your kids feel like they are not important

In fact, if Tabitha and I ever have kids, the biggest hurdle that I think I’ll have to deal with is, how can I possibly be a better father than my Dad was, I don’t think it’s possible lol

Now of course the best part of this is that hopefully I’ll get to spend more time with my Dad now!

What makes my Dad such a great dad?

Well he did several things

He provided for my needs, emotional, physical, spiritual, etc

He protected when it was needed

Afterall, when you are young and are scared of the dark it is your dad you want to come to the rescue

Most importantly, he pointed me toward Jesus

Church was never an option for us, it was always a priority

When I decided to quit Jazz Band in High school to attend a guys small group, my Dad was supportive

Of course there is so much more that my Dad did growing up, to help me, but my Dad wasn’t perfect, I mean now he is that he’s retired! jkjk

Yet, even my Dad failed me, or fell short, or couldn’t come to games,

Even my Dad couldn’t help me with things I struggled with in my own brain, since I never told him, for various reasons, he’s not able to read my mind!

So when we come to perhaps the most beautiful Psalms in all of Scripture, we are introduced and expositied on what God looks like: a Shepherd!

Now, this is going to be our first two part series as we wind down our Names of God series

Today we are going to look at Psalm 23 and that will show us who God the Shepherd is, and how flat out amazing that is!

However, you know who gets in the way of us fully experiencing the shepherding of our God in our lives?

The other people of God, and even more egregiously, the very shepherds who are supposed to watch over and protect that flock!

So next week we are going to look at the second part of this name of God, and why it’s so important to us,

Today we see God shown as a Shepherd King by the Shepherd King David, and next week we will see how God deals with those wicked shepherds, and how God answers that wickedness in the person of Jesus, the good shepherd!

So let me ask a question, how many of you know this Psalm extremely well?

Why do you think it resonates so well with us?

This is part of the Psalms, and the Psalms are poetry in the Hebrew Bible

Poems help us connect on an emotional level, just as musical worship does in our worship services today!

The reason this speaks to us is that it is profoundly beautiful, in a way that is not done by other genres of Scripture

God knows us and there is a reason there are a whole scope of different genres in the Bible!

So with that in mind, let’s read Psalm 23 in the most poetic version we have in English, the KJV

Psalm 23 KJV 1900

A Psalm of David. 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.

So as we look at this Psalm and what it shows us about God, the first thing we see is how God’s provides for us in Provision

Provision (v.1-3)

It seems to me that this first sentence is the very thesis that drives our interpretation of the rest of the Psalm

Psalm 23:1 “1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need.”

It’s an interesting translation, and you will notice that the back half of the verse is translated in differeing ways:

The CSB here says “Have what I need”, the ESV earlier says “Shall not want”, the NET says “I lack nothing”

So it’s really a matter of if you want to say it in the positive or negative correlation

So if we follow this as the overarching view of the passage, then what is the understanding?

In essense, if God is not giving us something, then it is something we don’t need!

I’m sure you can think of various times in your life that you really wanted something badly

Could be a certain job, perhaps a certain person to date, or to become friends with, etc

Then it fell through and didn’t happen, and it was really hard!

Yet when you look back on it, you are extremely thankful that relationship didn’t work out, or that job opportunity fell through!

As we have been walking through various names of God, I think we can easily say that God is far more knowledgable about everything than we are about anything

So if we don’t get something, or God sees fit not to give us something, then it seems natural we should need it!

Now, where is David pulling this idea of God the Shepherd from?

Well, it is in the history books of the patriarchs as Jacob calls God his shepherd on his death bed

Yet, more likely, David pulls from his own experience as a Shepherd who protected and guided the sheep

What David knows is that it is a Shepherd’s duty to meet a sheep’s need!

If sheep are left alone, they will scatter, get lost, hurt, killed, etc

Therefore, since God is our Shepherd, part of that job is that God will and does meet our needs, but that means that sometimes our wants are not met

What it requires us to do is to die to ourselves, in order to see the working of the good shepherd in our lives

Luke 9:23–24 “23 Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it.”

This is a lifelong journey! We perpetually run away from God and he has to chase us down, and we see it even in this Psalm

So if we bring it back to a single sentence, what does it mean that God is our shepherd so we have no lack of anything?

David is reminding and showing us that since YHWH is the one that leads, guides, and even nourishes us, we have no lack!

In verse 2, we have an interesting statement, ‘God makes’ us lie down in green pastures, and besides still water!

The thing here, is that these sheep that God is shepherding are not the sheep we would choose lol

The idea of sheep is used throughout the OT, and Isaiah 53 tells us we have all gone astray, and we are not strong sheep but we are sick, diseased, and broken sheep!

All of these sick, broken sheep have been brought back to the fold by the Shepherd Himself. Some were so maimed, disabled, hurt and disoriented that Jesus had to put them on His shoulders and carry them all the way back to the flock. That is the role of our great Shepherd.

So that word means ‘compel’, Jesus is making us lie down to heal, and relax and recover!

One commentary puts it so well, “He interupts me to make me lie down”!

We get so caught up in our lives that we don’t have time for God!

I came across this incredible parady/satire of a poem to poke at our issues with letting God make us lie down and rest

Exalting Jesus in Psalms 1–50 He Gives Us Rest (23:3)

In her poem, Marcia Hornok captured the endless frustration and disappointment so many experience:

“Psalm 23, Antithesis”

The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.

It makes me lie down only when exhausted.

It leads me to deep depression.

It hounds my soul.

It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity’s sake.

Even though I run frantically from task to task,

I will never get it all done.

For my “ideal” is with me.

Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.

They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.

They anoint my head with migraines.

My in-basket overflows.

Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.

Sometimes it’s the forcing our hand that results in our best ability to heal, recover and give an ability to draw near to God!

So YHWH brings us to a place of rest, a place of refreshment, a place where our very soul fatigue is found to be dealt with

Then he leads us on the right paths, or paths of righteousness, for his reputation!

Don’t let that incredible statement pass you by!

David has just been saying how God is our shepherd, how he helps us in the midst of our difficulties and brings us to a place of soothing healing

Green pastures, still waters, probably nice shade around from the trees, and then God restores our soul and leads us where we should go

And all of that, it’s for God’s name sake!

So what this says is that God gets glory for the good he does in our lives

We don’t need to be worried as much as we think about taking the focus off of God when we share testimonies, since God working in our lives is for his own reputation and glory!

We have a God who gives us more provision that we probably ever realize, and does it even when we would not choose it ourselves!

Protection (v.4-5)

Yet,God also brings us protection, in the midst of that provision

The first words, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, or darkness, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and staff comfort me

First off, how did we get there?

Wasn’t God just leading us down paths of righteousness?

Do you presume that the valley of death is not part of that path?

No, our Shepherd is leading us to lush feilds and still waters, but it requires going through dark valleys to get there

Because YHWH is right there with us, comforting us with his rod and staff!

So this is not an aimlessly wondering sheep, but one with the shepherd and the other sheep being kept safe and in check by the shepherd!

The staff was a weapon and a rescue for the Shepherd, it attacked wild animals and people that would attack the sheep

But the other side is that crock, or the loop that would be used to help rescue the sheep from being stuck or from precarious situations

Story of Isaac at Father’s Day Picnic

Now having something put around your neck and pulled is not enjoyable, but it requires trust in the shepherd, knowing he is doing what is best for you

Yet in v. 5 we still see that protection goes even further, it is protection from our enemies

It seems that there is a shift away from Shepherd, but I also think it can apply in many ways

A shepherd will watch over the sheep when they are grazing, even if there are animals prowling around waiting to get a few sheep in their teeth!

Oil was also used to help treat Sheep wounds in David’s time

So it might just be more personifying the fact that David was the sheep king of Israel, and saying as a sheep before the wolves, but the shepherd has his back

So he is as a king of Israel before his enemies, but God is being extra gracious to him!

You know, sometimes God doing this and standing up before our enemies looks different than we expect

Story of late night call from Brad standing up for me against his other friends who were very ardent atheist

Yet, it doesn’t end there, it goes on forever as we follow God

Paradise (v.6)

As we see David talking about the greatness of the God he serves, he can’t help but pull from Exodus 34 about YHWH’s character!

The promise of God’s goodness, his mercy, his lovingkindness, following us all the days of our lives

I really like the NET translation in this verse, because it says God’s goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all my days

That word follow is a military term, it is used in Exodus 14 multiple times as Pharoah’s army of chariots chases down the Israelites they had just let go!

It is not a timid following like as you walk a chihuahaha, just watever, no this is a purposeful, intentional, military action pursuit of the you and I!

This idea is said so well in the song Reckless Love, which I will simply change to relentless for this, since we see that God’s love is not reckless, it is incredibly purposeful!

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, relentless love of God Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, you give yourself away Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, relentless love of God,

God’s house is where we will end up, it is the promise of heaven, and it is given to us in the words of Jesus!

John 14:1–4 “1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.””

Ultimately what you and I need more than anything is God himself, our relationship with God needs to be mended, and God takes the initiative as a Shepherd!

He gives us all our needs, and restores our souls, even making us rest

He gives us the best way to live, and restores our broken souls

He is with us, and guiding us through our deepest valleys, and our enemies can do nothing as he has us sit down and eat in front of our enemies!

So God will show his goodness and mercy and hesed in our lives through being a shepherd of our lives, and we will dwell with God both now, and forevermore

Application

What are the important take aways from this passage and name of God as our Shepherd?

First is that this Shepherd is not just a God out there, but he can be your shepherd

Do you notice how the language is David pleading, and worshipping personally? It’s full of I and me statements of this vibrant walk of David and God!

We will see what this looks like next week in more depth, but something that cannot be understated is that it is YHWH that is your Shepherd

How other followers of Jesus have or have not treated you is not a reason to not accept him as your shepherd, we need him

Scripture is clear that God hates those types of shepherds as they profane his name as YHWH and as the shepherd of our souls

So what is stopping you from coming to Jesus today?

We are like sheep, we are prone to wonder, prone to leave the our God who loves

Ultimately we are pretty defenseless in that category, we have no one having our back when we are attacked, sick, lost, or injured,

Or in the words of the Psalm, no one to be with us throught he valley of the shadow of death

Jesus wants to be your Shepherd, he even calls himself the Great Shepherd of the Sheep in Hebrews 13:20 “20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant,”

Second is God always does what is best for us, and his name

World good vs Biblical Good

You might wonder why I say this, but what it means is that what God offers us might look different from the world and it’s expectations

Story of the generousity of our members and their well to do nature, and why God has me in ministry

When God tells us he is with us, and working for our best that is hard to view from our default understanding of things

If I asked you about Job, who lost multiple kids, all his wealth, health, and even reputation, there is nothing there to be found of good

Yet, Scripturally, Job went through that hellish ordeal, and at the end he found a level of intimacy with God that he had not known before

It was YHWH the Shepherd guiding and meeting Job

Part of that is that God is working with so much more knowledge than we are

He can lead us through the valley of shadow of death because he knows our enemies better than we do, he knows their locations, and abilities and konws his own power to vanquish them

It makes sense that all ‘good’ stuff in this world is pretty much based on materialism or an effort to say ‘family’, but then those bonds in the west are easily forsaken

I mean in this last decade I’ve seen families split over COVID and the policies to follow or not to follow as well as who you voted for, or cutting your children off your will or from their support at college for political choices!

Clearly our society has such a high view on family

The difference here is that we are walking with a shepherd that has the power and ability to take bad times and make them lead into places of soul rest and replenishment!

Are you chasing the good of this world, and a little veneer of God’s good?

Come home and throw off your sin, heed the voice of the Shepherd who yearns to lead you still waters and lush pastures and bring rest to your weary soul

So come to him today my friends, come to see who God is as the Shepherd of your souls!

A God certainly worth giving our entire being too!

He not only works for our good, but grants us more than we can fathom, and since he is the sheep expert, he knows our souls far better than we possibly can

If you have never stopped and surrendered your life, hopes, dreams to Jesus, then today is the day, do it, let him be Your Shepherd, become part of his flock!

Now if you’ve been part of the flock, have you been wondering, have you been pushing to see how far you can get from God before he gives up or punishes you?

Or do you get bored of the normal sheep life, and want to life to be more exciting than still waters and lush plains

Sin is always enticing, but it will destroy our souls, and the Shepherd of our Souls wants us to avoid that, it’s why he leads us where he does

It’s time to stop playing with fire, stop flirting with wolves in sheep clothing, and time to come home to the Shepherd, he’s pursuing you constantly, just turn around and come home

We serve a God who is our Shepherd, who cares and helps us in the most needy times of our lives, he’s worthy of worship

So come to him, the Shepherd of your Souls, and find rest, restoration, protection, and more than you can imagine!