Saturday, June 9, 2007

Psalm 23 and the 7 Redemptive Names of God


Psalm 23:

This is probably the best-known passage in the Old Testament, and just as the rest of the Bible, there is so much more to it than meets the eye. Here is an amazing study on the redemptive names of God and how they apply to the 23rd Psalm. Let's start by learning about those names:

1. JEHOVAH-ROHI:
"The Lord Our Shepherd"
Psalm. 23, from "ro'eh" (to pasture) and also Ezekiel 34:11-15.

11 'For thus says the Lord GOD: "Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 "As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 "And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel , in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 "I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel . There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel . 15 "I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down," says the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 34:11-15 (NKJV)


2. JEHOVAH-SHALOM:
"The Lord Our Peace."
"Shalom" is translated "peace" 170 times and it means "whole," "finished," "fulfilled," "perfected." This is related to "well" and to "welfare." Look for it in

24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-IS-PEACE. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Judges 6:24 (NKJV)


3. JEHOVAH-ROPHE:
"The Lord Who Heals"
Exodus 15:22-26. From "rophe" ("to heal"); it implies spiritual, emotional as well as physical healing. See it in Jeremiah 30:17, Jeremiah 3:22; and Isaiah 61:1. God heals body, soul and spirit; all levels of man's being.

22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea ; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" 25 So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them. And there He tested them, 26 and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you."
Exodus 15:22-26 (NKJV)


4. JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU
"The LORD our Righteousness."
See it in Jeremiah 23:5-6 and Jeremiah 33:16. From "tsidek" that means straight; stiff; balanced, as on scales; full weight; justice; right; righteous; and declared innocent.

5 "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD,
"That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
6 In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is His name by which He will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jeremiah 23:5-6 (NKJV)


5. JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH:
"The Lord is There"
Find it in Ezekiel 48:35. This is a primitive particle meaning "there" (transferring to time).

"All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: The LORD Is There."
Ezekiel 48:35 (NKJV)


6. JEHOVAH-NISSI:
"The Lord Our Banner."
Find it in Exodus 17:15. God on the battlefield, from a word which means "to glisten," "to lift up." See also Psalm 4:6.

And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-IS-MY-BANNER; 16 for he said, "Because the LORD has sworn: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."
Exodus 17:15-16 (NKJV)


7. JEHOVAH-JIREH:
"The Lord will Provide."
Genesis 22:14. From "jireh," which means "to see" or "to provide," or to "foresee" as a prophet. God always provides adequately when the times come. When is the time? Remember, it is His time, not ours!

14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-WILL-PROVIDE; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided."
Genesis 22:14 (NKJV)


Amazingly, all of those redemptive names of God fit perfectly into the 23rd Psalm. I have placed a number at the point in the passage that refers to the names listed above. Refer back if needed.

Psalm 23
The Lord the Shepherd of His People
A Psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want. (1)
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters. (2)
3 He restores my soul; (3)
He leads me in the paths of righteousness (4)
For His name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me; (5)
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (6)
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over. (7)
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.
Psalms 23:1-6 (NKJV)


Isn't that awesome? I didn't come up with that study, but whoever the Holy Spirit shared it with initially must have been blown away. Here is the 23rd Psalm explained in a different way:

The Lord is my Shepherd
That's Relationship!
I shall not want
That's Supply!
He makes me to lie down in green pastures
That's Rest!
He leads me beside the still waters
That's Refreshment!
He restores my soul
That's Healing!
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
That's Guidance!
For His name's sake
That's Purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
That's Testing!
I will fear no evil
That's Protection!
For Thou art with me
That's Faithfulness!
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me
That's Discipline!
Thou prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies
That's Hope!
Thou anoint my head with oil
That's Consecration!
My cup runs over
That's Abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
That's Blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
That's Security!
Forever
That's Eternity!

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