Jehovah-Rohi

The LORD is my shepherd;
         I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
         He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
         He leads me in the paths of righteousness
         For His name’s sake.
        
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
         I will fear no evil;
         For You are with me;
         Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
         You anoint my head with oil;
         My cup runs over.
 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
         All the days of my life;
         And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
         Forever.

The 23rd Psalm.  Easily one of the most famous passages of scripture ever.  And from this passage we get today's name of God - Jehovah-Rohi.  "The Lord is My Shepherd."

Shepherds have often been presented through literature and art as gentle, passive, boy-ish fellas who sit on rocks and while away the day.  Far from it.  They were tough, hard-as-nails manly men who were the protectors of their family's wealth.  A man's wealth included his sheep and livestock; they were part of his bread and butter, how he provided for his family.

Shepherds, to carry the biblical analogy, would have been partakers of the down and dirty holiness.  True holiness is just that, right?  You get your hands dirty when you're seeking after holiness.  Not dirty doing sinful things, of course - dirty doing good, getting down with others, helping them grab on and take hold.  Holiness has dirty knees from praying, rough hands from working, jaws set with determination.

The same would be true for shepherds in the biblical day.  The same is true today - because God is our shepherd.  Jesus referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10:11:  "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Do you see what I'm saying today?  The Shepherd isn't some wimp who sits back and watches everything happen.  The Shepherd is involved - active - participating.  He is always moving, working, protecting His sheep.   He is, quite simply, the one who saves us. 

The Lord is my shepherd.  Your shepherd.  OUR shepherd.  Somebody say amen!