October 30th

The LORD My Shepherd

Psalm 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Jehovah Ra àh

The LORD is my shepherd, is a phrase translated from the Hebrew expression Jehovah Ra àh (pronounced Raw-Aw.)

This is another of the redemptive names of Jehovah, the self-existent One Who reveals Himself as the LORD our Shepherd, through the redemption we have in Christ. We know that He is our Shepherd in Christ, because Jesus said, I am the Good Shepherd. He said, The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. So, it is through Calvary, where He gave His life for us, where He redeemed us, that we have a Shepherd to lead us, and guide us, and to give us pasture, and protect us. He said that His sheep hear His voice, and they follow Him, and He leads them out to pasture.

1 Peter 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop [or Guardian] of your souls.

The Bible, in several places, compares us to sheep, needing a shepherd. We were as sheep gone astray, but in Christ we have returned to the Shepherd of our souls.

Why a Shepherd?

We need a Shepherd in this world, to lead us beside still waters of peace, to make us to lie down in green pastures of provision, to restore our souls, to prepare a table before us, and to lead us through the valley of the shadow of death unharmed. The LORD is our Shepherd; we shall not lack anything. Through Christ’s redemption, the LORD has become our Shepherd.

We have a Shepherd

The Bible says that those who are unsaved are alienated from the life of God, and without God in the world. But we are not without God. He is our Shepherd, leading, guiding, feeding, and protecting. This is a redemptive privilege that belongs to us.

Hear His Voice

Hear the Good Shepherd’s voice today. If you feel that the LORD is not leading and protecting you like a Shepherd, then call out to Him for that, and lay claim to it. It belongs to us in Christ. And He has promised that, as His sheep, we can hear His voice, and follow Him.