Jehovah Raah

Jehovah Raah — “the LORD my shepherd” — is the name at the heart of Psalm 23, David's beloved song. Having kept sheep himself, David knew exactly what he was claiming: God tends me the way a good shepherd tends his flock.

A shepherd's whole life is given to the sheep — leading them to food and water, guarding them from danger, carrying the weak, seeking the lost. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Under his care, our deepest needs are his responsibility.

This name makes God's care wonderfully personal. He is not only the shepherd of a nation but my shepherd, who knows me by name and watches over the details of my life.

Jesus would later take up this very image, calling himself the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. In him, Jehovah Raah came near — God the shepherd, walking among us.