God has graciously provided us with no less than 32 names for Himself in the Old Testament. He presents these names to us so we can grow in knowing Him and walk more intimately with Him. One of those names is Jehovah Rohi, meaning the Lord is our Shepherd. The 19th-century preacher Charles Spurgeon declared, “We have all things and abound; not because I have a good store of money in the bank, not because I have skill and wit with which to win my bread, but because the Lord is my shepherd.”
In our modern lives, most of us live distant from that of actual shepherds. This is not to say that shepherds don’t exist today. They certainly do. But, a vast majority of us don’t have hands-on knowledge of where the food we eat and the fabrics used to make our clothes come from. However, God has placed this description of Himself as Shepherd for a purpose, which is that we know Him more fully and intimately.
What does the word shepherd or rohi mean? The word rohi is derived from a word meaning to feed. The word came to characterize a figure of great importance to Jewish culture; the shepherd who feeds and tends a flock of sheep. A shepherd cares and watches over his flock. Due to the shepherd’s care, many sheep got to know and trust their shepherds, trusting them with every aspect of their lives. This is a beautiful picture God presents to us of Himself. This is the kind of relationship God wants to have with everyone.
The most famous reference to Jehovah Rohi is Psalm 23. David starts off using the words, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Even though this psalm is often used to comfort mourners at funerals, it wasn’t David’s intent to merely be used in mourning loss. It’s a psalm that expresses walking with God and Him being our shepherd through all the seasons of life. Psalm 23 is a psalm of profound hope.
Psalm 23, in its entirety, describes what it means that God is our shepherd. For instance, we read that God makes us lie down in green pastures, where we can rest peacefully with all the provisions we need. The first blessing we receive from our divine Shepherd is spiritual nourishment. As a shepherd leads sheep to fresh grass for feed, so the Lord leads His people. Anyone who follows the Lord does not lack any spiritual nourishment.
We also are told that God leads us beside still waters, where we can quench our thirst without fear of being swept away. A second blessing that comes from our Lord’s shepherding is spiritual restoration. As a shepherd leads his sheep to water for rest and cleansing, so the Lord restores and refreshes the soul. We can safely find forgiveness and peace as we follow Him.
Further, God restores our souls, meaning he meets all our needs, including our emotional needs. Another blessing we receive from our Shepherd is He being our constant to help us manage our emotions. It’s easy to allow the stuff of this earth to have the greatest impact on how we feel and react. However, when we place our trust in God as our Shepherd, we can receive from Him all we need in every way, including emotionally.
God leads us in paths of righteousness to help us become more and more the people He has created us to be in Him. When we walk with God, our Shepherd, He leads us down the right path for our lives. God knows the right path to bring us, His sheep, safely home. The Lord loses none of His sheep but guides them in the right way and does so, in part, “for His name’s sake.”
Lastly, we don’t have to fear any evil because He is with us, comforts us, and provides victory for us. The Lord provides protection. If one finds himself in a valley of deep darkness (or “shadow of death”), he need not fear. The Lord is with us and will protect us, leading us to victory.
I once heard a pastor declare, “The closer we are to the shepherd, the safer we are from the wolves.” The picture we receive from this psalm is of a God who is both tender and mighty. God is both in never-depleting amounts. God, as our shepherd, is able to fend off all attacks as well nurture us in His love.
In John 10, Jesus refers to Himself as not just any shepherd but “the Good Shepherd:” Jesus is the “Good Shepherd” because His purpose is to willingly give His “life for the sheep.” Jesus declares His love, concern, and care for all believers from all peoples and all time who are one people as part of God’s forever family and are one under the Good Shepherd, our Savior, and Lord. Genuinely, every word of Psalm 23 reaches its fullest depth of meaning in the Christian’s peace and trust in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, Jehovah Rohi.
The great invitation of our Lord is to come to Him, the Good Shepherd. How often have we gone our own way and faced unsuccessful consequences? He knows us and the right path for us to journey with Him. From start to finish, the Lord hears us, sees us, and is present and willing to care for our wellbeing. Christ is the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep. He cares, protects, forgives, heals, and saves. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!