Names of God 4
This morning I want to look at the LORD our Provider (Yahweh-jireh), and explore the metaphors of God which demonstrate his willingness to help, assist, and provide for his people. One of the best known of these is the Lord Our Shepherd (Yahweh-rohi, Psalm 23), who leads us and supplies our needs.
(Genesis 22:13-14) - “Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide (Yahweh-yir.eh). The King James Version uses "Jehovah-jireh."
In the New Testament we see this translated in different ways: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)
Abraham’s experience on Mt. Moriah was just the beginning. There were a number of ways, God revealed himself to Israel as their Provider.
The best known and loved passage about God as provider is the Twenty-Third Psalm. It begins identifying Yahweh as "my shepherd." Let’s examine some of the ways in which God cares for us:
"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”
The basic premise is that since Yahweh is my shepherd, then I shall never be in need for anything. I once said in a sermon on this Psalm that we need to insert the word “If” in front of this Psalm… Or, the word “because” the Lord is my Shepherd….
The Shepherd Provides Food (Psalm 23:2)
The Shepherd is a servant leader, leading to help the sheep find rest, pasture, and water to meet their physical needs. "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters." (Psalm 23:2)
The Shepherd Provides Restoration and Refreshing (Psalm 23:3a)
"He restores my soul" (Psalm 23:3a). "Restore" means figuratively, "refresh," literally, "repair." For a person, it might include rescue from a messed up life, and the gradual restoration to wholeness through loving care. God is in the restoration and wholeness business. He wants us to be refreshed and restored and repaired, as we rest in him.
The Shepherd Guides in Righteous Ways (Psalm 23:3b)
"He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake" …"Guide" and "lead" with the idea of conduct-ing one along the right path….or “straight paths.” We are tempted get off the trail by taking short-cuts, but our Shepherd leads us in paths of righteousness.
Protection and Assurance in Fear (Psalm 23:4)
"Even 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." (Psalm 23:4)
The shepherd will sometimes need to lead the flock through uncomfortable places to get them to the next pasture.
The psalmist now strays from the sheep analogy, but Yahweh is still the subject of his thoughts: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." (Psalm 23:5) We find that God has gone before us and prepared the “table” ahead of time.
"My cup overflows," is a symbol of abundance. The host doesn’t just pour it almost full, but overfull -- it’s figurative, of course, not literal. God’s love for us and provision for us is not meager or stingy, but liberal and abundant. He desires for us to have an abundant life. We are the ones who limit God’s blessings.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (Psalm 23:6).
What a positive, hopeful, wonderful promise. The psalmist is not a bitter pessimist, but faith-filled, in-awe-of-God. Hebrew really has no synonym for "eternity" and "forever." But the phrase "to the length of days" found here can be used to express the psalmist’s experience during his natural life ("all the days of my life"), and the second line ventures into the life beyond -- ("I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever").
Jehovah-Jireh’ – God is my provider!
No comments:
Post a Comment