Names of God--Father, Shepherd, Rock and Shield

 NAMES OF GOD-FATHER, SHEPHERD, ROCK, AND SHIELD Spring Valley Mennonite; October 13, 2021; Various Scriptures After covering the terms King, Lawgiver and Judge, all of which speak of God's sovereign right to command righteous behavior, we turn to the merciful and compassionate terms of Father, Shepherd, Rock and Shield. Although the relationship between Law and Grace is seen more clearly in the New Testament with the gift of the Lord Jesus as Savior, God's nature has remained constant throughout His dealings with mankind. God has always been a God of love and mercy; He has always been a God of holiness and righteousness. He has always desired a close relationship with man, of fellowship and closeness. When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, God graciously provided a means of forgiveness and redemption. This was through the sacrifice of an animal, the blood of which covered their confessed sin, a picture of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. The mercy and compassion of God are seen in His provision for man in the name: I. FATHER While the concept of God as Father is more prevalent in the New Testament, there are numerous passages which speak of God as Father. Moses was instructed, as Exodus 4:22 states, "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, Israel is My son, My first-born." God had the relationship of Father-Son with Israel. In Deuteronomy 32:6, Moses asks the question to the Israelites, "Is He not your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you." Psalm 89:26-27 speaks of God's relationship with King David, but also prophesies of Jesus, "He will cry to Me, 'You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation, I also shall make him My first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth. My loving kindness I will keep of him forever and My covenant shall be confirmed to him." King David saw God as his Father. Isaiah 63:16: "For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not recognize us. You, O Lord are our Father, Our Redeemer from of old is Your name." Israel officially rejected their Messiah Jesus, and our Lord told the Jewish leaders that they were of their father the devil. But to those who accepted Him as Messiah, "to them He gave the right to be called the children of God." And our Lord taught us to pray, "Our Father, Who art in heaven." Earthly fathers may be loving and close or harsh and distant. How blessed are those who have the example of a loving father. For those not so blessed, it may be difficult to think of God as "Father." But God is the good and perfect Father Who loves His children completely and always desires the very best for them. Our heavenly Father provides for and protects his children. He gives us whatever we need, not necessarily everything we want. A good father disciplines his children, correcting their behavior. A good father provides for the future of his children. And most of all, our Heavenly Father loves us totally and completely. Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." In the parable of the Prodigal son, the father represents God. He was daily looking down the road hoping to welcome his wayward son back home. Our Heavenly Father eagerly awaits His straying and repentant children, welcoming them back and forgiving their sin. Jesus reflected this welcoming nature of God when He was asked, "How often should I forgive my brother? Seven times?" To which Jesus answered, "Seventy times seven." Our Father's forgiveness is limitless. Another descriptive term for God is: II. SHEPHERD When we think of God as our Shepherd, we undoubtedly think of Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need. We will return to that Psalm in a moment, but the imagery of sheep and shepherds is found throughout the Bible. Other verses that tell us about our divine Shepherd: Psalm 78:52 tells how God "...led forth His own people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock." Psalm 80 verse 1: "O give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who leads Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth." 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." In Ezekiel 34, God condemns the wicked shepherds of Israel who are feeding themselves instead of their sheep, dominating them with severity, and abandoning them to become food for every beast of the field, and allowing them to be scattered all over the surface of the earth. After condemning the hardhearted wicked shepherd leaders, God speaks, beginning in verse 11, through verse 16 (Turn there and read.) We see this prophesy begin to be fulfilled in Jesus' ministry. Our Lord Jesus speaks in John 10:11: "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." Continuing in verse 27, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given then to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. Sheep are not the smartest of creatures. They are timid, can be easily led into trouble, prone to stray and get lost when separated from the flock, and need constant care and nurture. We are sheep who desperately need a good shepherd to care for us. Sheep on their own easily become prey to predators who constantly prowl around. But as Psalm 23 assures us, our Lord protects and provides green pastures and still waters. He leads us to better pastures on the high meadows, guiding us through dangerous pathways. Like a shepherd with His flock quietly grazing though surrounded by predators, His rod and staff comfort and guide. We are secure in His care-and, if we stray, He seeks us out. Jesus is the good shepherd who willingly gave His life for His sheep. I would point out that shepherds lead their sheep in flocks. As Christians we flourish in fellowship with others. We are in increased danger outside of a supportive body-a flock closely following the Good Shepherd. What a tender and loving picture of God our Shepherd! In line with the picture of a Shepherd's protection, we find: III. GOD IS OUR ROCK This is one of my favorite images of my God. Think of the saying that something is "rock solid." The idea is of something permanent, reliable, and safe. There are two Hebrew words translated "rock": "sur" and "sela." "Sur" speaks of massive stone formations that form the mountains. In ancient religions the mountains were considered the home of the gods. Think of Mount Olympus in Greek mythology as the home of their gods. But mountains in the Bible are always used to point out the majesty of God Who created them. "There is no Rock like our God" Hannah affirmed in her prayer in 1 Samuel. Psalm 62:1-2 and 6: My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I will never be shaken." Verse 7 continues, "My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge." When the Israelites were told to leave Sinai, Moses needed assurance that God would go with them. Turn to Exodus 33, beginning to read at verse 12 (Read through verse 23,) Psalm 71:3: "Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go." This reflects the Hebrew "sela" which means a cliff, or a cleft in a mountain. In Psalm 27 we read in verses 5-6: For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And how my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me..." God as the Rock is solid and dependable, like a great granite mountain. He lifts us up above the circumstances of turmoil and crisis, stabilizing our feet. He surrounds us with His mighty strength and protects us. We can rest surrounded by His rock-solid and loving presence. A wise man builds his life upon the rock of the Lord Jesus. IV. GOD IS OUR SHIELD In keeping with the idea of protection found in the Rock, God is our shield. A shield is a piece of personal armor which is used to deflect blows or arrows. A shield is protection, armor, defense, safeguard, and a buffer. As a verb it means to protect, guard, defend, shelter, screen, and safeguard. This is a common image found throughout the Old Testament, as well as in Paul's description of the armor of God, where the shield of faith is able to extinguish the fiery darts of the devil. But what does it mean to say God is our Shield? Listen to some of the verses where God is said to be our shield. The image of God as a shield appears eleven times in the Psalms. 3:3 - But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 5:12 - For You, O Lord will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround Him as with a shield. 7:10 - My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. 18:2 - the Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 28:7 - The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts. 33:20 - Our soul waits for the Lord, for He is our help and shield. 84:11 - For the Lord is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. 91:4 - He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 115:9 - O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. 119:114 - Thou art my hiding place and my shield; I hope in thy word. 144:2 - My rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues the peoples under him. Proverbs 2:7 - he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity. Proverbs 30:5 - Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.1 It has been summarized in this way: "What does it mean to say God is our shield? To be under God's shield is to have God as your protector, to trust that God will look out for you, safeguard you. But even more, to have God as your shield means that you are his, you belong to him, you fight under his shield and he protects you as his own. It means that God has claimed you as his own."i If you are like me, to view God as our Heavenly Father, our Shepherd, Rock and shield gives me a wonderful sense of peace and security. We are fully protected and nothing can harm me as I stay close and under His care. In the battles and crisis of life, He gives peace in the realization that nothing comes into my life unless God allows it for my growth and good. But also, I must realize that if I leave the Father's presence through sin, if I stray away from the Shepherd, if I wander away from my rock, and if I step our from back of my shield I will be in danger. God does not force us to obey, walk close to Him, or to seek His face. We can foolishly choose to live unprotected and buffeted by the consequences of our sins. God still loves us, but those whom He loves he disciplines. How much better and wiser to follow our Father and Shepherd closely. As our Father, we experience God's love. As our Shepherd, guidance. As our Rock, stability. And as our Shield, protection. What a loving and mighty God we serve! 1Patriciamrobertson.com; comment on blog post. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 2