Yahweh Raah - The Best Shepherd

Psalm 23:1 “The LORD is my Shepherd…” (Yahweh Ra’ah)

A Well-Known Analogy

This is one of the most common symbols in the Bible. In both the Old and New Testament, God is compared to a shepherd and His people are compared to sheep. Psalm 23 is probably the most well-known, but there are many more.

In Psalm 28:9 we see that God, as our Shepherd, will bear us up. We don’t have to carry the loads of life when God has already taken us as His own responsibility. Isaiah 40:11 agrees with this; “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.” Here we see that God even provides for (or “feeds”) us like a shepherd provides for his sheep.

Ezekiel 34:11-16 paints a picture of how God tends for us like a shepherd:
For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 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. 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. 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. I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick…”
As our Shepherd, God seeks us out and gathers us together in His fold. He leads us into good places and provides for us there. He gives us rest and then heals and strengthens us. All of this is a responsibility that He’s taken upon Himself! How awesome it is to be a “sheep of His pasture”! (Psalm 100:3)

This special relationship only applied to the nation of Israel for generations. But now, Jesus has gathered us together, Jew and Gentile, into the same fold. Look at what Jesus said about the gentiles in John 10:16, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” Because of this new and better covenant, the whole world can come to Jesus as the Shepherd of their souls! (1 Peter 2:25).

Jesus is Yahweh Ra’ah! He says this very thing in John 10:11; “I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for His sheep.” If that one statement wasn’t enough, Jesus repeated it again in verse 14; “I am the Good Shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” God, our strong and caring Shepherd, has been personified in our Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ!

What Makes A Person A Sheep

But this doesn’t apply to everyone. Just because everyone has the opportunity to be, not everyone is a sheep in God’s flock. There are conditions to meet before you can claim Him as your shepherd. To see these conditions, let’s examine the Scriptures to look at the symbol of the sheep.

According to Leviticus chapter 11, the Hebrews considered two major characteristics of sheep. First, they had split (or divided) hooves. Second, they chewed the cud. According to Levitical law, these two characteristics were what made the sheep a ritually clean animal - kosher for eating and making sacrifice.

These same two characteristics - symbolically, of course - apply to God’s sheep as well.

First, you have to have a split (that is to say, separated) foot. Anytime in scripture where the foot is spoken of symbolically, it’s always referring to a person’s walk, manner of life, and journey toward a destination. The first step in becoming one of God’s sheep is to be separated from the world.This is what our salvation does for us, it divides us from everyone else. When we’re born again, our walk, our manner of life, and our destination is divided from the unbelieving masses in the world.

Secondly, you must chew the cud. It's easy to see, this is referring to your spiritual diet. Did you know that your born-again spirit needs food? What does it eat? God’s Word! Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart…” The Bible is spiritual food. If you want to be a sheep in God’s flock, then you have to have a daily appetite for the Word of God.

But chewing the cud doesn’t represent just eating the Word of God. In a literal sense, the cud was something that was already eaten and then brought back up to chew on again. Christian, just reading the Word isn’t enough here. You must meditate on it after you read it. You must mull it over - think about it throughout the day. Think about how it applies to you. Think about how what you read in one chapter connects to what you’ve read in another. This is meditating. This is chewing the cud. And this is one of the things that makes you a sheep.

Incidentally, this characteristic is what separates the sheep from the pigs. Look at Leviticus 11:7 and see if you think this applies to anyone today: “The pig has evenly split hooves (they’re born-again) but does not chew the cud (they have no relationship to God’s Word), so it is unclean.” How many believers are out there, genuinely saved, but unaware that they’re spiritual pigs? You must become attached to the pages of Scripture!

So born-again, Bible-minded people are on their way to becoming sheep in the flock of the Good Shepherd. But there must be one more step; one more defining factor. Why? Because there are still two different types of people who have both of these characteristics - sheep and goats. If you’ll look at Matthew 25:31-46, you’ll find out that you don’t want to be a person that God calls a goat.

Verses 31-32 start the story: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.” Verse 46 ends it: “And these (the goats) will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous (the sheep) into eternal life.” If the difference between being a sheep and a goat is also the difference between everlasting punishment and eternal life, don’t you want to know which one you are?

What was the difference? Stop for a minute, get your Bible out, and read the story between these passages (Matthew 25:33-45).

Did you spot the difference? It was their behavior! One group heard the Shepherd’s voice and obeyed. The other group heard His voice and rebelled. This is the dividing line between those who are in the flock of God and those who are not...how are you going to respond to the commands of your Shepherd? This is exactly what Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Both the sheep and the goats hear the voice of God - it’s right there in the Word that they’re reading - but only the sheep follow it.

If you’re always needing to be driven by fear of consequences, chances are you may be a goat.
If you’re simply following the voice of Jesus, then that is the final step to being a sheep.

Benefits Of Having Yahweh As Your Shepherd

Psalm 23 has all too often been turned into a psalm of mourning. But if you read if carefully, you’ll see something different. It is a joyous celebration of the blessings that come from following God as your Shepherd! We’ve already seen what makes you a sheep - knowing this, can you say that the LORD is your Shepherd?

I shall not want - Provision!
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters - Rest and Peace!
He restores my soul - Restoration of your mind, healing of hurts!
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake - Guidance!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil - No fear!
For You are with me; - Assurance of God’s presence!
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me - Protection
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies - Victory over every enemy!
You anoint my head with oil - A share in His anointing!
My cup runs over - You’ll bless others with your overflow!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life - Mercy that covers all sin!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. - An eternal destiny!

I don’t know about you - but I want to be a sheep in the flock of Yahweh Ra’ah!