Names of God; part 20. The compound names of YHVH …

Title: Names of God; part 20. The compound names of YHVH … "I am _______."

 

 

YHVH roiy [ro-ee], “the Lord is my Shepherd,” PSA 23:1.

 

PSA 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

 

PSA 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

 

The pastures of fresh and tender grass are where we lay at ease, where rest and enjoyment are combined.

 

The Hebrew word, naah, is a resting or dwelling place and specifically an oasis, a verdant spot in the desert.

 

JER 17:7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord And whose trust is the Lord

 

JER 17:8 "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.

 

The quiet waters are also resting places, yet in addition, they are places of refreshment. The Shepherd gently leads the flocks to this place, especially in the burdensome heat of the day so that they might find rest and refreshment.

 

PSA 23:3 He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

 

"restores my soul" - to bring back a soul that has flown away to waste places.

 

LUK 15:1 Now all the tax-gatherers and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.

 

LUK 15:2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."

 

LUK 15:3 And He told them this parable, saying,

 

LUK 15:4 "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?

 

LUK 15:5 "And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

 

LUK 15:6 "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'

 

LUK 15:7 "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

 

Luk 15 contains three parables that are of a similar teaching, culminating with the parable of the prodigal son.

 

LUK 15:8 "Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

 

LUK 15:9 "And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!'

 

LUK 15:10 "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

 

And then comes the prodigal son, who, as you remember is a son, and so would portray a believer who has gotten his eyes off of his Father's plan and put his heart in the wrong place.

 

LUK 15:11 And He said, "A certain man had two sons

 

It is the famine that awakens him from his slumber. With his father he could have handled the famine, but his treasure was put in worldly goods which have no lasting value. They are wants and not needs.

 

Even without the famine he would have eventually have run out of things to satisfy him. The famine only expedited the process.

 

PSA 23:3 He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

 

The Lord guides us because He is a Shepherd by character. He doesn't do it because of something special in us. He does it because He is Yavah roiy - for His name's sake.

 

MAT 19:27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?"

 

MAT 19:28 And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

 

MAT 19:29 "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, shall receive many times as much, and shall inherit eternal life.

 

"For My name's sake: the Provider, the Healer, the peace Giver, the Warrior, the present One, the Commander of the armies, the Father, the Sanctifier, the Rock: was, is, and always will be.

 

MAT 19:30 "But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.

 

JOH 15:17 "This I command you, that you love one another.

 

JOH 15:18 "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

 

JOH 15:19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

 

JOH 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

 

JOH 15:21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.

 

They hate the names of God, what they stand for, and because you walk in those names, they will persecute you. Rejoice!

 

MAT 5:10 "Blessed [Happinesses] are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

MAT 5:11 "Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me.

 

MAT 5:12 "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

The tribulation of the saint is the subject of the next line in David's timeless poem.

 

PSA 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

 

PSA 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

 

PSA 23:3 He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

 

PSA 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil; for Thou art with me;

Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

 

The death shadowed valley [the darkness of Hades] is very dark and potentially fearful, but the rod/staff of the Shepherd guides, protects from predators, and disciplines when necessary.

 

The Hebrew word tsalmavet (shadow of death), used here for the first time, is an epithet for the most fearful darkness, as the darkness of Hades.

 

To be in such a place and not fear evil is quite remarkable. The only reason this can be true is that you know that the Shepherd is with you. What evil could befall you with the watchful eye of Jesus Christ upon you and upon all potential enemies, predators, and dangers?

 

In vs. 5 the figure of the Shepherd fades away while the figure of the Host appears. As He protects His guest and gives him His best, the guest's enemies can only look on.