Jehovah RohiSample

The Shepherd provides for the needs of His sheep. 

David could confidently affirm “I shall not want” because he understood that the care of the sheep was the responsibility of the shepherd. 

Sheep, by their nature, are dangerously unaware of their needs and limitations. The shepherd must forcefully lead them to a place where food is abundant; he must compel them to “lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:1-3). 

You can compare this scenario to a young child who insists that he or she has no need for a nap (with the well-worn phrase “I don’t want to!”), and yet the parent must force him or her to lie down, knowing the fits and meltdowns that await a tired, cranky child. 

The voice of Jehovah Rohi, the Divine Shepherd, may not always lead us to where we want to go or think we should go, but we can be confident that He knows our needs better than we know them. Perhaps, like sheep, our bleating protests and stubborn desire to turn aside to our “own way” (Isaiah 53:6) is simply a reflection of our sinful ignorance regarding the fact that the Shepherd knows the way to “green pastures” and “still waters”—pastures and waters He will use to “restore our soul” (Psalm 23:2-3).

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