Understanding Jehovah Raah meaning

The use of God’s name, Jehovah Raah, is found in Psalm 23, often referred to as the Shepherd’s Prayer. David wrote this Psalm, and with his shepherding background, the depth of the meaning of this name is far-reaching. For more specifics on shepherding in biblical times, you can check out The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want. If you followed my names of God posts, you know I revisited the topic because I wanted to know and understand Him better as I prayed.

 

Jehovah Raah meaning

The names of God reveal aspects of His nature. For this post, I discuss the meaning of His name, Jehovah Raah. It means the Lord is my Shepherd. Once you have an understanding of what it means to be a shepherd, this name takes on qualities of character that I find reassuring on many levels.

The Lord our Shepherd is our Nurturer

When you hear the word nurture, what comes to mind? I think of food. As a noun, nurture means "that which nourishes; food; diet, and that which promotes growth." It means more than just food because we don’t just nurture the physical. Nurturing applies to the whole person. It includes education and instruction. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). As a verb, nurture means "to feed; to nourish, to educate and to bring or train up." We see the Lord’s role as the nurturer in Psalm 23:1-4. He nourishes his sheep spiritually, and if the Lord is your Shepherd he will train you to see the way you should go. 

 

The Lord our Shepherd is our Provider

In a previous post, we looked at God’s name Jehovah Jireh, which means The Lord will provide. This name was used when Abraham stood at the altar prepared to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering at God’s request. God had promised him that his descendants would come through his son Isaac, and even at this time, Abraham believed him. In faith, Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son. Just before he plunged the knife into Isaac, God provided a ram to sacrifice in Isaac’s place. This is a picture of what God did for us through his Son, the Good Shepherd. Jesus gave up his life for his sheep. He became the sacrifice in our place by taking the penalty for our sin when he died on the cross. 

 

The Lord our Shepherd is our Guide

Shepherds walk before their flock. They guide them to food and water. Sheep know their shepherd's voice and follow him. Again, think of this in a spiritual context. Sheep don’t have the inborn ability to find water or pasture lands on their own. They don’t think to move on to nearby green grass and will starve. They must be led by the shepherd to green pastures. It’s the same with water. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again” (John 6:35). As our Shepherd, Jesus guides us to the spiritual food we need for life.

The Lord our Shepherd is our Protector

In John 10:9-16, Jesus describes himself as the door and as the good shepherd. When the sheep were taken to the sheepfold, it was comprised of three sides that offered protection from predators. Once the sheep were safely in the fold, the shepherd laid across the opening as the door. No one got in or out without the shepherd’s knowledge. If a thief entered through a window, the sheep would run away because they knew their shepherd. David understood first-hand that the shepherd protects his sheep. 

 

In his own life, we read in 1 Samuel 17:34-36 that David killed a lion and a bear to protect his flock. Psalm 121 talks about the protective nature of God and concludes in verses 7-8 by saying, The Lord will protect you from all harm; He will protect your life. The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever. Remember, this is referring to your spiritual life. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus' sheep enter the pen through him. Once you become one of his sheep, he protects your life in Him forever because you belong to him.

 

The Lord our Shepherd is our Companion

The Shepherd is always with his sheep. Day and night they live and sleep together. David even played music while with his sheep. The physical presence of the shepherd calmed and reassured the sheep. Before Jesus left this world he promised his disciples to send another just like himself, “the Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Father will send Him in My name—will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you” (John 14:26). He went on to promise them His peace and reminded them not to be troubled or fearful. Matthew 28 closes with these words from Jesus to his followers, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Not only do the names of God provide a deeper understanding of who he is, but they also work as pointers toward the Good Shepherd, the Savior.

 

Photo credit: Image by Uce from Pixabay, Image by Vicki Nunn from Pixabay

The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want

According to Bible Summary, the 23rd Psalm is the most popular of the Psalms. I suggest that if it isn’t the most popular it is probably at least among the most familiar to both religious and non-religious people. For this post, we’ll take a look at the comfort it offers to believers who can say, “God is my shepherd,” in day-to-day living.

 

Understanding the shepherd's job

To gain a fuller understanding of Psalm 23, it helps to understand the job of the shepherd which falls into three categories:

1. Protector: God inspired David to write this Psalm. Shepherding was his job as a young man. He understood that the shepherd protected the sheep. Sheep are defenseless animals and depend on the shepherd to protect them from predators. In 1 Samuel 17:34-36, as David is getting ready to fight Goliath, he tells Saul, “Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear.”
2. Guide: The shepherd guides his flock to food and water. Sheep don’t have the inborn ability to find water or pasturelands on their own. If left to their own devices, they’ll eat in the same area and not move on. They keep eating in that spot until they’ve yanked up the roots and the area becomes barren. They don’t think to move on to nearby green grass and will starve. They must be led by the shepherd to green pasture. It’s the same with water.
3. Bring them home: Sheep get lost easily. If they wander out of sight of the rest of the flock they are lost and don’t know the way back. The shepherd watches over them, keeps them from roaming and makes sure they get home safely.

 

Psalm 23 the Lord is my shepherd meaning

Now that we understand the role of a Shepherd, let’s take a look at the meaning of what many refer to as the shepherd’s prayer from David’s perspective and how it pertains to us.

 

 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want: David recognized the Lord is his Shepherd. It is the Shepherd’s job to get him home safely. The diligent Shepherd will provide for his needs. (The word for want in Hebrew means “to lack, be without, decrease, be lacking, have a need” and it is a verb). David was saying, "because the Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want." As believers, He provides for all the needs in our lives.

 

 

 

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters: In A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip W. Keller the author points out four things sheep need before they lie down: 

1) to be free from fear

2) to be free from friction with the other sheep (if they’ve been in a fight they won’t lie down)

3) free from flies or parasites

4) must have a full stomach. 

 

If the sheep are hungry they continue to forage. This verse is a picture of a content sheep lying in green pastures. Along with leading the sheep to food, the shepherd is responsible for taking them to watering holes. This brings new understanding to Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman at the well when he said, Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life (John 4:14). The thirsty soul finds refreshing in our Shepherd Jesus.

 

 

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake: Those who look to the Lord will not lack courage. As we keep our eyes on him, he helps us, strengthens us, and “restores our souls.” Instead of a feeling of unrest or panic, we can rest in him as he guides us. When we don’t know which way to turn, we can commit our ways to the Lord and ask Him to lead us. He provides the direction we need to follow His way.

 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me: This verse talks about how God directs, even when we near death. David realized that on the path of life we face ups and downs and that one day his path would bring him face to face with death. But as he walks through the valley of the shadow of death he “will fear no evil.” David was a realist. He had experienced plenty of evil in his life. King Saul tried to hunt him down, his son Absalom betrayed him, and many more really difficult things happened in his life. But as David drew closer to death, he was conscious of the Lord’s presence. I can’t help but notice the use of the word shadow, because a shadow has no substance. For the child of God, there is no true substance to death. This is why this Psalm is so often read at funerals. For true children of God, experience life after death.

 

 

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me: The rod and staff are shepherds tools. The rod was used to whack the sheep to correct them and keep them in line. But even though the Lord used it for correction, David says it is comforting, because that correction showed that he cares for us enough to use the rod when necessary, and the hook end of the staff was used to pull his sheep from danger.

 

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over: In this verse, David talks of the Lord as his host. He sets a table before him, in the presence of his enemies. Even his enemies can see the good things God does in David's life. As for the anointing oil in this context, it helps to know that the sheep were bothered by flies. One fly, in particular, laid its eggs in the sheep’s nostrils and when they hatched, the larva climbed up into the nose. I could go into more detail but won’t. The thing I want to focus on is that the Shepherd anointed the sheep’s head with oil. This oil even reached into the nostrils so the flies did not bother them. God knows the little things that irritate and frustrate us and the Shepherd cares about those things.

 

Lastly, this verse closes with, “my cup runneth over.” Notice the cup isn’t just filled. It is overfilled, running over. This reminds me of the joy of the Spirit when we receive Christ. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost (1 Thessalonians 1:6). The Lord keeps pouring. He wants to bless your life and bless others through you.

 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever: With the Lord as our his Shepherd, David knows God’s goodness and mercy will follow him all his life, and that death is not the end. He will live in the house of the Lord for all eternity. 

 

In this life, when God becomes our Shepherd it isn’t just for now. For believers, death is only a shadow. And if the Lord is your Shepherd and Guide it’s not just for this life, but for the next when we enter his eternal kingdom.

 

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When I first learned about the names of God and that the meaning of Jehovah Nissi was the Lord my banner, I didn’t get it. In my mind, I pictured something like a welcome home or a happy birthday banner. I knew that couldn’t be it, so I considered the sashes worn over the shoulder and draped across the body of beauty contestants to identify what state they represent. It sounded like a plausible guess, but that isn't the way to approach Scripture. When it comes to understanding Scripture, we are to be diligent to present ourselves approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

 

 

Digging into the Jehovah Nissi meaning

 

In the Old Testament, the name Jehovah Nissi occurs one time in Exodus 17:15. “Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner” (NASB). In the King James, it reads “And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi.” The New King James reads, “And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner” with a footnote stating that in the Hebrew it is YHWH Nissi.

 

The writers of the Septuagint (Greek version of the Old Testament) translated Jehovah-Nissi as “the Lord My Refuge.” The Latin Vulgate translators who translated from the Hebrew, rendered it “Jehovah Is My Exaltation.” While I love the concept of both of these meanings, for me, it did not clear up my question of what Jehovah Nissi means. Since our modern translations say it means the Lord my banner in Hebrew, I figured it might be best to see what that word banner meant to them. That might help me understand what the name means in context.

 

Jehovah Nissi meaning in context

 

For just a moment forget the word banner and look at the context of the verse in which the name is used. It’s “the name given by Moses to the altar….” That’s the first thing I want to point out. And then what was the reason for building the altar? It was built following the battle with Amalek against Israel at Rephidim. Moses instructed Joshua to choose men to fight the battle the following day and said, “Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”

 

That day while Joshua and his men fought the battle, Moses, Aaron, and a man named Hur went up to the top of the hill. While Moses held his hands up, Israel prevailed, but when he let his hands drop Amalek prevailed. As the battle went on, Moses’ hands grew heavy. Aaron and Hur had him sit on a stone and then supported his hands from each side. In this way, his hands stayed steady until sunset, and Amalek and his people were overcome.

 

The altar was built to commemorate that defeat. Now that we understand that, we can go back to looking at the word “banner.” According to Strong’s Concordance, the word used in this verse refers to “banner, pole, sail, ensign, standard.” During the time of Moses, the banners the armies of other nations carried into battle served as their rallying flag. That verb rally means “to reunite; to collect and reduce to order troops dispersed or thrown into confusion.” For Moses to name the altar Jehovah Nissi, he was declaring to the world that God was the source of victory and a rallying point for His people. As we call upon the name of Jehovah Nissi in prayer this is the context. Pray that we would unite and rally around Him as the source of victory.

 

 

Jesus's disciples asked him to teach them to pray (not how to pray but to pray). I don’t know about you, but I often feel prayer is too low a priority in my life. For this reason, I’ve been actively pursuing prayer more often throughout the day and use the Lord’s Prayer as the skeleton on which I hang the meat of my prayers to help me stay focused. 

 

What does hallowed mean?

As a child, I learned that hallowed meant holy. And that is correct, but what does the word holy mean? In Noah Webster's 1829 Dictionary, the definition is: Consecrated to a sacred use, or to religious exercises; treated as sacred; reverenced. Consecrated means separated from common, usual, or ordinary use and sacred use pertains to God or to his worship. When applied to the name of God it signifies being perfectly pure, immaculate, and complete in moral character. Let’s keep that in mind as we look at God’s compound name Jehovah Jireh as a matter of prayer.

 

 

Jehovah Jireh meaning

The meaning of Jehovah Jireh is “The Lord will provide.” We find this name of God used in Genesis 22:14: Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided. 

To appreciate this name we need to look into the context of this particular account. God had asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. At face value, this seems absurd for a host of reasons, but to grasp the deeper implications of what God is teaching us, it’s important to look at the history of Abraham. In Genesis 12, God calls Abram* (before God changed his name to Abraham**) to leave the land of Ur where he lived with his family. He was to travel to the land of Canaan which God promised to give to Abram and his offspring forever. He followed God’s calling and took with him his wife Sari, his nephew Lot, and his father Terah. His father passed away, and Lot and Abram grew wealthy and had enough livestock that they went their separate ways.

 

In Genesis 14, Abram rescued his Lot after he was caught up in a war and taken captive. In chapter 15, God comes to Abram in a vision and says, Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great (v. 1). At this time, Abram addressed the fact that he has no children saying, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir” (v. 2)

God told him that his servant was not going to be his heir, “but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir” (v. 4). Then God took Abram outside and told him to count the stars if he could. “And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (vs. 5-6).

Here’s something that most people don’t realize. When God made this promise, Abram was about 75 years old, and yet he believed God. That's faith! And the heir did not come about immediately. Isaac wasn’t born until 25 years later. 

 

Now, let’s get back to the part where God has asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, in Genesis 22. Abraham headed out early with Isaac. He didn’t drag his feet in obeying God. By this time, Isaac was around 17 years old. As the two of them walked to the mountain, Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice on his back and Abraham carried the fire. As they walked, Isaac asked where the lamb was for the burnt offering. I can’t imagine how Abraham felt, but he held fast to his faith. He said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (v. 8).

 

When they reached the place God had shown him, Abraham built the altar and arranged the wood. Then he bound Isaac. As he readied the knife the Lord called to him from heaven. What a relief that must have been. God told Abraham not to harm his son because, he said, “I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (v 12). Then Abraham spotted a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. 

 

And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of Jehovah it shall be provided (Genesis 22:14).

 

It is easy in today’s world to take God’s provision for granted. Stop and take a look around you. Today, as you call upon the name of the Lord in faith, praise Jehovah Jireh for his provision for the sacrifice that he offered in your place.

 

"Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" ~ Rom. 24-26

*Abram means exalted father

**Abraham means father of a multitude