Tag Archives: shepherd

Jehovah-Rohi (Psalms 23:1), May 30, 2017

Today’s Podcast

Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Today we look at another name of God, Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord, my shepherd.
Scripture
1. Psalms 23:1
2. The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always.
Devotional
1. Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord my shepherd.
2. From “Around the Mediterranean with My Bible”: “Shepherding does not change much in Palestine, where wild beasts may descend still upon unsuspecting sheep and suddenly destroy them. The Palestine shepherd lives night and day with his animals. He establishes a degree of intimacy with them that is touching to observe. He calls them all by name and they, knowing his voice and hearing him only, heed. He protects the sheep from thieves and preying animals who would devour them at night, by sleeping in the often makeshift sheepfold and they, sensing his watchfulness, ‘fear no evil.’ He provides pasture and water even in the wilderness and the presence of enemies and they, casting all their anxiety on him, are fed. There is a singular communion between shepherd and his sheep which, after one has visited Palestine and observed it, makes the symbol of the Good Shepherd peculiarly apt and the Twenty-third Psalm strangely moving.”
3. If you’ve ever had an opportunity to watch a shepherd at work, you understand just what a meaningful title Jehovah-Rohi is.
  1. Provides food and water
  2. Cares for us
  3. Protects us from the enemy of our souls
  4. When we deserve nothing, He puts a banquet in front of us
  5. He never sleeps
  6. He never tires
  7. He keeps vigilance like no other because He is Jehovah and He is Rohi, the Good Shepherd
4. Writers of the Old Testament called Him Jehovah-Rohi, Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd, Rohi.
  1. Explains His love and care
  2. Explains another aspect of God’s great character
5. Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord, my Shepherd
  1. Today, think of the way God asks as your shepherd
  2. Provider
  3. Protector
  4. Guide
  5. Spend some time today worshiping Him as Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord, my Shepherd.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Don’t forget the command that goes with the love (John 21:15-19)

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
What was Jesus trying to tell Peter when He ask three times if he loved Him? Did you remember His command each time as well?
Scripture
1. John 21:15-19
2. Jesus: Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these other things?

Simon Peter: Yes, Lord. You know that I love You.

Jesus: Take care of My lambs.

Jesus asked him a second time . . .

Jesus: Simon, son of John, do you love Me?

Simon Peter: Yes, Lord. You must surely know that I love You.

Jesus: Shepherd My sheep.

(for the third time) Simon, son of John, do you love Me?

Peter was hurt because He asked him the same question a third time, “Do you love Me?”

Simon Peter: Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You.

Jesus: Look after My sheep. I tell you the truth: when you were younger, you would dress yourself and go wherever you pleased; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and take you to a place you do not want to go.

Jesus said all this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. After this conversation, Jesus said,

Jesus: Follow Me!

Devotional
1. A lot has been said about why Jesus asked Peter three times whether he loved Him
  1. Three different words to describe love
    1. Like something like you like ice cream or a good movie
    2. Love like brotherly love
    3. Unconditional agape, god-like love
  2. Peter denied Jesus three times so Jesus asked Peter three times for each denial
  3. Peter needed to reach deep into His core to get past the flippant answer we all give to questions most of the time
    1. How are you? Fine
    2. How was your vacation? Great
    3. What can I do for you? Just looking
    4. Do you love me? Of course I do
2. What we often forget is the command Jesus gave Peter that goes along with his declaration
  1. Take care of my sheep
  2. Shepherd my sheep
  3. Look after my sheep
  4. Do the hard work of keeping these fledgling followers encouraged during hard times
  5. Teach them My ways when the world is trying to drive them another way
  6. Give them help when they’re caught in the storms of life
  7. Be their shepherd
3. Jesus is telling Peter the same way James tells us in his letter
  1. Faith without works is dead
  2. Works do not save you
  3. But faith without works is not the faith Jesus wants of His followers, either
  4. Just ask Peter
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The wolf and the shepherd (John 10:7-10), March 5, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
I don’t know if you’re a fan of Aesop’s Fables, but Jesus’ words today remind me of “The Fox and the Shepherd.” Stick around and find out why.
Scripture
1. John 10:7-10
2. Jesus: I tell you the truth: I am the gate of the sheep. All who approached the sheep before Me came as thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not listen to their voices. I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be liberated, will go in and go out, and will find pastures. The thief approaches with malicious intent, looking to steal, slaughter, and destroy; I came to give life with joy and abundance.
Devotional
1. Aesop gave us a lot of pithy little stories to help us remember some life lessons. Most adhere to the same moral codes God asks of us. “The Fox and the Shepherd” reminds me of how Satan stands by ready to pounce. The story goes like this:
2. A wolf hung about near a flock of sheep for a long time, but made no attempt to molest them. The shepherd at first kept a sharp eye on him, for he naturally thought he meant mischief. But as time went by and the wolf showed no inclination to meddle with the flock, he began to look upon him more as a protector than as an enemy; and when one day some errand took him to the city, he felt no uneasiness at leaving the wolf with the sheep. But as soon as his back was turned the wolf attacked them and killed the greater number. When the shepherd returned and saw the havoc he had wrought, he cried, “It serves me right for trusting my flock to a wolf.”
  1. Clearly, Jesus isn’t the shepherd in this story
  2. He guards us if we let Him
  3. But the world want to break in and rob us of everything good and holy
3. When we talk about the wolf being at the door, this is the picture I often see
  1. Not a growling, aggressive, ready to kill everything at first sight animal
  2. But a patient predator waiting for the right moment
  3. Waiting for us to let our guard down so he can enter our lives with the right temptations to cause us to fall
  4. As soon as we let our guard down the wolf pounces
  5. Looks and acts like a protector, but at the first opportunity, death awaits
4. Jesus reminds us He is the shepherd at the gate and if anyone tries into come into the fold by any means other than through Him, they are a robber and a thief.
  1. Satan wants to get his hands on us and destroy us just like the wolf in Aesop’s tale. But Jesus is ever vigilant. God will never leave us or forsake us.
  2. We can trust Him as the Good Shepherd to always be on at the gate helping us through this journey, protecting us from the evil one when we let Him.
5. Aesop can teach us a few things, but Jesus can teach us a lot more if we will listen to Him. Try Him out for a while and you’ll see
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The good shepherd (John 10:1-5), March 4, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
We can learn a lot from shepherds. Stick around and I’ll tell you about the one I met in Germany.
Scripture
1. John 10:1-5
2. Jesus: I tell you the truth: the man who crawls through the fence of the sheep pen, rather than walking through the gate, is a thief or a vandal. The shepherd walks openly through the entrance. The guard who is posted to protect the sheep opens the gate for the shepherd, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When all the sheep have been gathered, he walks on ahead of them; and they follow him because they know his voice. The sheep would not be willing to follow a stranger; they run because they do not know the voice of a stranger.
Devotional
1. While living in Germany, we lived above some vineyards but also had some pretty good pasture land in the back of the house above those vineyards even though we lived in the suburbs of Wurzburg. A few times during our stay there, we had a shepherd visit those fields.
  1. Weather beaten and aged
  2. Two dogs to help care for the sheep
  3. Carried everything he needed on his back and herded the sheep to open fields around the countryside ‘
  4. Build makeshift pens at night with poles and rope
  5. Laid his lean to across the entrance
2. Dogs were an important tool for the shepherd
  1. Protected the sheep
  2. Kept enemy away
  3. Kept sheep herded into a common area
  4. Listened to every command
  5. Obeyed immediately
3. Sheep recognized the shepherd’s voice, too
  1. Called and they would gather around him
  2. Knew it was time to move on
  3. Time to bed down
  4. Time of safety or time of danger
4. Animals seem to learn so much faster than people sometimes
  1. Jesus calls Himself the good shepherd
  2. After watching that shepherd in Germany a few times I learned a lot about how shepherds interact with their sheep
  3. Not always gentle, but always loving and with their best interests in mind
  4. Not always the easiest path, but the path that will get them to the best pastures in the end
  5. Not always the way that seems best to the sheep and He has to push and pull them sometimes with those dogs nipping at their heels until they sometimes bleed, but always taking the best care of them
  6. They hear his voice and follow wherever he leads them
5. We could learn a lot from those sheep and the good shepherd
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

What’s a shepherd? (John 10:1-21) December 21, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 10:1-21

Set – John 10-11

Go! – John 9-11

John 10:1-21
Jesus: ¹ I tell you the truth: the man who crawls through the fence of the sheep pen, rather than walking through the gate, is a thief or a vandal. ² The shepherd walks openly through the entrance. ³ The guard who is posted to protect the sheep opens the gate for the shepherd, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When all the sheep have been gathered, he walks on ahead of them; and they follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ The sheep would not be willing to follow a stranger; they run because they do not know the voice of a stranger.
⁶ Jesus explained a profound truth through this metaphor, but they did not understand His teaching. ⁷ So He explained further.
Jesus: I tell you the truth: I am the gate of the sheep. ⁸ All who approached the sheep before Me came as thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not listen to their voices. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be liberated, will go in and go out, and will find pastures. ¹⁰ The thief approaches with malicious intent, looking to steal, slaughter, and destroy; I came to give life with joy and abundance.
¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep in His care. ¹² The hired hand is not like the shepherd caring for His own sheep. When a wolf attacks, snatching and scattering the sheep, he runs for his life, leaving them defenseless. ¹³ The hired hand runs because he works only for wages and does not care for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me. ¹⁵ As the Father knows Me, I know the Father; I will give My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ There are many more sheep than you can see here, and I will bring them as well. They will hear My voice, and the flock will be united. One flock. One shepherd. ¹⁷ The Father loves Me because I am willing to lay down My life—but I will take it up again. ¹⁸ My life cannot be taken away by anybody else; I am giving it of My own free will. My authority allows Me to give My life and to take it again. All this has been commanded by My Father.
¹⁹ When He spoke these words, some of the Jews began to argue.
Many Jews: ²⁰ He has a demon and is a raving maniac. Why are you people listening to Him?
Other Jews: ²¹ No demon-possessed man ever spoke like this. Do demons give sight to the blind?

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The shepherd metaphor probably means a lot less to you today than it did to those Jews who heard Me give it 2000 years ago. They saw shepherds every day tending sheep on the Judean hillsides. Many of them owned sheep and understood what it meant to hire out the job of tending sheep to low paid hired hands who ran from danger.

Maybe a better metaphor for you can be found in a number of news articles that find their way into local papers these days. Gunmen enter a school and you hear about the heroics of teachers taking charge of their class of students. Those teachers protect the students in amazing ways, often standing in the way of gunfire and sometimes giving their lives to protect the children under their care from the random shooting of some crazed gunman. But at the sound of the first shot, most who are not given the responsibility of students flee from the scene as fast as they can. That’s the difference between the shepherd and the hired hands in the metaphor.

The teacher is ready to die for his or her students to keep them from harm. The aid or janitor or vendor visiting the school is often out the door and away from the scene because they don’t feel the close relationship with the children and responsibility to care for them. It’s that teacher’s willingness to give her life for her children that starts to touch on the love for others that I have for you when I gave My life for you on the cross. Yet My love is so much greater.

As heroic as the stories sound of those teachers that stand in the line of fire, as amazing as their love sounds, it’s nothing compared to the love I have for you. No one could take My life. I willingly gave it up. No executioner could kill Me. I had to let him nail Me to the tree and tell the angels to turn their backs and hold back their wrath. I am your protector and will keep you safe from the evils of the world. But understand what that means. Does that mean you will be free from trouble? No. You will face persecution just as I did, but I will guard your heart. You need not fall to temptation if you let Me act as that teacher in the room for you. If you’ll let Me be your Shepherd. If you’ll let Me into your heart to guide your life from this point on. I can and will do it for you. Just ask Me in.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Jesus, the Great Shepherd (John 10:1-21), August 8, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 10:1-21

Set – Jeremiah 2; John 10

Go! – Jeremiah 1-2; John 10

John 10:1-21
Jesus: ¹ I tell you the truth: the man who crawls through the fence of the sheep pen, rather than walking through the gate, is a thief or a vandal. ² The shepherd walks openly through the entrance. ³ The guard who is posted to protect the sheep opens the gate for the shepherd, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When all the sheep have been gathered, he walks on ahead of them; and they follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ The sheep would not be willing to follow a stranger; they run because they do not know the voice of a stranger.
⁶ Jesus explained a profound truth through this metaphor, but they did not understand His teaching. ⁷ So He explained further.
Jesus: I tell you the truth: I am the gate of the sheep. ⁸All who approached the sheep before Me came as thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not listen to their voices. ⁹I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be liberated, will go in and go out, and will find pastures. ¹⁰ The thief approaches with malicious intent, looking to steal, slaughter, and destroy; I came to give life with joy and abundance.
¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep in His care. ¹² The hired hand is not like the shepherd caring for His own sheep. When a wolf attacks, snatching and scattering the sheep, he runs for his life, leaving them defenseless. ¹³ The hired hand runs because he works only for wages and does not care for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me. ¹⁵ As the Father knows Me, I know the Father; I will give My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ There are many more sheep than you can see here, and I will bring them as well. They will hear My voice, and the flock will be united. One flock. One shepherd. ¹⁷ The Father loves Me because I am willing to lay down My life—but I will take it up again. ¹⁸ My life cannot be taken away by anybody else; I am giving it of My own free will. My authority allows Me to give My life and to take it again. All this has been commanded by My Father.
¹⁹ When He spoke these words, some of the Jews began to argue.
Many Jews: ²⁰ He has a demon and is a raving maniac. Why are you people listening to Him?
Other Jews:²¹ No demon-possessed man ever spoke like this. Do demons give sight to the blind?

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Few today understand the life of a shepherd and his sheep. Most today live in cities and the only sheep they see are in books or on television. You don’t know the days and weeks a shepherd will spend out in the weather with his flock to make sure the sheep have good pasture land, good water, are kept free from predators, and a thousand other responsibilities to keep them healthy.

Sheep certainly don’t rank as one of the more intelligent animals in the world, nor are they the most obedient. But they do follow their shepherd because they understand the shepherd leads them to food and water and keeps them from being eaten by their enemies. They listen for their shepherds voice and follow no one else because they have learned to trust in their shepherd and in no one else.

One of the important things I told the crowd that day, though, in talking about the shepherd is My willingness to lay down My life for you as the shepherd is willing to lay down his life for his sheep. The other very important point is no one can take My life from Me. If you look carefully at the description of My arrest in the Garden of Gethsemene by John in chapter 18 of his gospel, you’ll find when the guards first approached Me they fell back unable to come near Me. It wasn’t because of Peter’s tiny sword. These were trained guards against twelve mostly unarmed and all untrained men. But none could arrest Me. I freely gave Myself into their hands.

Only I can give up My life and only I can take it up again as I showed with My arrest, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. I have the power of life and death. And I want to give you life…everlasting life. I have told you how to receive it. Believe in Me and you will have life everlasting instead of certain destruction because of your sin. Just ask and then follow Me, your great Shepherd.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

The shepherd speaks (Psalms 23), Feb 20, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 23
Set – Psalms 23; Acts 27
Go! – Numbers 7; Psalms 23; Acts 27

Psalms 23
¹ The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always.
² He provides me rest in rich, green fields
beside streams of refreshing water.
He soothes my fears;
³ He makes me whole again,
steering me off worn, hard paths
to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.
⁴ Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness,
I am not overcome by fear.
Because You are with me in those dark moments,
near with Your protection and guidance,
I am comforted.
⁵ You spread out a table before me,
provisions in the midst of attack from my enemies;
You care for all my needs, anointing my head with soothing, fragrant oil,
filling my cup again and again with Your grace.
⁶ Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision will pursue me
where I go, always, everywhere.
I will always be with the Eternal,
in Your house forever.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The passages in My word that are most familiar to you, like Psalms 23, are familiar because you learn them as children. They are comforting. They provide promises to you. They give you an assurance that I’m with you in the darkest times of your life and in the richest times as well. The psalms echo your circumstances in life whether good or bad. But those familiar verses can become so familiar that you just race through them in your mind without thinking about their meaning. John 3:16 races off your tongue and you pass by its richness and awe. So it’s good to occasionally take those familiar passages and read them from different translations to capture a different view of different scholars.

David took some time to write his song about Me. He thought long and hard about the covenant I had with him and the support I gave him each day. As a shepherd, taking care of helpless flocks of sheep, he likened men to sheep with Me as their shepherd. The sheep need the shepherd to take care of all their needs. Food. Water. Shelter from the storms. Caring for injuries. every aspect of life requires the intervention of the shepherd to keep them healthy and safe from harm. So it is with mankind.

David saw the relationship with Me in his life and in the lives of the God-fearing men around him. He saw what I did for My children and summed it up in this short poem. All your needs, I will supply. I’ll provide protection from the storms of life. I’ll make a way through them for you. I’ll be there and never let you face life’s battles alone and in the end, you’ll find peace and rest from your journey.

Try reading some of your favorite passages in other translations if you have them. If not, slow down and meditate on them for a while. Let them soak into your mind and heart until their message becomes a part of you.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.