The Shepherd of love
The Shepherd of love
(Jehovah Rohi - The Lord is My Shepherd)
David Wilkerson
The Bible says,
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Isaiah 40:11
Isaiah’s speaking of Christ.
He is our Jehovah Rohi. He is our Shepherd, the Scripture says.
But He didn’t come to minister just a healthy strong sheep. He came to minister to those who were broken. In fact the Lord condemned the shepherds that refuse to strengthen the diseased.
Listen to the description of the flock he’s talking about.
The diseased … nor those who were sick nor did they bind up the wounded or the broken … neither with they go after the lost. …
Ezekiel 34:4
My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, …
Ezekiel 34:6
“My people’ve been lost sheep. They forgotten their resting place.”
All we like sheep have gone astray; …
Isaiah 53:6
For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
Ezekiel 34:11
He calls them His sheep, even though they’ve wandered away, even though many are diseased and broken and the lion’s trying to devour.
“They’re My sheep and I’m going after them.”
As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
Ezekiel 34:12
Those who’ve gone through their dark times, that deep dark time that many of us have experienced,
And I will bring them out from the people, …
Ezekiel 34:13
I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
Ezekiel 34:14
I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down …
Ezekiel 34:15
There it is from Psalm 23.
“I will cause them to lie down.”
(Ezekiel 34:15)
“He make me to lie down…”
(Psalm 23:2)
I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: …
Ezekiel 34:16
Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
Ezekiel 34:22
And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
Ezekiel 34:23
Now you know that’s speaking of Jesus Christ
That’s speaking of Christ
I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.
Ezekiel 34:15
That’s directly from Psalm 23, too.
He maketh me to lie down …
Psalm 23:2
They’re tired, weary. They’re broken, bruised.
In His loving call, He says,
“I’m going to cause you to lie down.”
You just read that from Ezekiel 34.
“I will cause them, I will make them to lie down.”
When we’re hurt and bruised. He calls us to Himself.
We don’t want to just give in by faith and rest, and become totally dependent upon His power and His grace.
We want to go somewhere and leak our wounds.
We want to tough it out.
We want to figure out
“How did I get so muddy?
How did I get so bruised?”
“Why did I run away?”
We have all of these thoughts rather than coming to Him, to His absolute grace and love, the unmerited love of the Father, the Shepherd
We want to try to explain to ourselves.
We want to figure out how we did that so maybe we won’t do it again.
Folks, you never figure it out.
That’s not what it’s all about.
That’s not what Psalm 23 is all about.
He maketh me to lie down
Psalm 23:2
He says,
“Lay aside all of your fleshly dreams and schemes.
Lie down in my grace.
Lie down in faith now because this is time for restoration.”
“He maketh me lie down.
He restored my soul.”
Folks, our Shepherd’s not a benign shepherd.
He’s not one of those hirelings that just say,
“Well, there’s the green grass.
There’s the water go to it.”
And then when he sees you in trouble, he runs
No, no, no.
He knows every pain.
He knows every tear.
He knows every hurt and every feeling.
He knows exactly when to come and compel us to lay down in His rest and His grace.
In Exodus 29:45, for example, it says,
And I will dwell among children of Israel and I will be their God
Exodus 29:45
This is exactly what happened. The Lord brings His sheep in to dwell among them.
The word dwell in Hebrew is “Shekinah.”
“Shekinah” means not just passing presence but a permanent presence.
The Shekinah glory of God is not a passing vanishing one imprinted in our heart that vanishes like vanishing ink. No, it’s something that God by His Spirit imprints in our soul.
You are loved by God. He is your shepherd.
He imprints that when that’s implanted, it’s imprinted it indelibly in your heart.
I don’t think you can make it in last days unless you convince God loves you. No way.
That’s the Shekinah glory of God, the abiding everlasting presence.
It’s when You and I in our troubles are told by God, by our Shepherd
“Lay down. I want to restore you.”
I’m gonna restore you by letting you know.
I’m gonna be with you through the valley in the shadow of death.
I’m gonna be with you through everything that the devil throws at you.”
Lord, imprint that love.
Imprint it and burn it into our hearts and our minds, and our memories, so that when the enemy comes in like a flood we can raise up our hands and look at the enemy in face and say,
“I’m going through it, but I know God loves me.
I have a shepherd who is with me.”