Pastor Stephanie
Someone who is the head, someone who will lead
The One who is leading and He can see
Hei is from the word Lo and Behold. Seeing. Spiritual eyes. When God breathed, and with spiritual eyes we can see.
Go through window, and go to the other side. From darkness to the other side.
GENESIS 4:2 KJV
And she again bare his brother Abel.
And Abel was a KEEPER of SHEEP,
but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
H7462 keeper
Original: רעה
Transliteration: râ‛âh
Phonetic: raw-aw'
BDB Definition:
to pasture, tend, graze, FEED
to shepherd
of ruler, teacher
of people as flock
shepherd, herdsman
to feed, graze
of cows, sheep etc (literal)
to associate with, be a friend of to be companions
to be a special friend
MICAH 7:14 KJV
FEED (RAAH) thy people with thy rod,
the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood,
in the midst of Carmel: let them FEED in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old.
ISAIAH 40:10-11 KJV
Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand,
and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him,
and his work before him.
He shall Feed (RAAH) his flock like a Shepherd (RAAH) : he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
With strong hands, He will rule. The One who rules is strong and has tender heart
One moment we see God coming with might, ruling,
and handing out a reward.
The very next verse shows how tenderly He takes care of His sheep.
But this is a crucial aspect to understand. Medieval paintings tend
to show Jesus as a skinny, tender person who takes care of His sheep.
But shepherds were far from weak and scrawny.
They have to be strong and be able to defend the sheep in case of
an attack or carry one of them a long distance when sickly.
David is a prime example of the type of strength, guts, and boldness a shepherd
should have.
But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep.
When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,
I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth.
When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.
Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine
will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
1 SAMUEL 17:34-36 NIV
They felt David was not trained to fight and cannot fight the enemy
Those are not the words of a weakling.
They are spoken by a warrior who is not afraid to face
any enemy, regardless of size.
Being a shepherd requires this balance of might and tenderness,
and God has both in ample amounts.
His being our Shepherd means that He is more than capable
of fending off any attack, but He can also nurture us in love.
What a wonderful God we serve!
JOHN 10:4-5 TPT
And when he has brought out all his sheep,
he walks AHEAD of them and they will FOLLOW HIM,
for they are FAMILIAR with HIS VOICE.
But they will run away from strangers and never follow
them because they know it’s the voice of a stranger.”
A good shepherd goes ahead of the sheep
A shepherd already walked the path before you walk
We follow Him
There is a voice that will tell us which way
Developing spirit man is to hear His Word. Prompting of the spirit. We need to be able to hear the correct voice. Our great shepherd.
Much of the work of a shepherd DEPENDS ON -
the SHEEP following HIM.
Sheep that go astray unnecessarily open themselves up to danger.
And, yes, we know that Jesus will leave the 99 to find the one that went astray, but we can also see that we should FOLLOW HIM CLOSELY to stay within His comfort, protection, and provision.
Abel
Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel.
When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd,
while Cain cultivated the ground.
GENESIS 4:2 NLT
Abel pleased the Lord
Rachel
Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived
with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherd.
GENESIS 29:9 NLT
She takes care of sheep
She is strong and tender hearted Inner beauty comes out
Jacob (Genesis 30:31-36)
Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.
GENESIS 30:36 NLT
Joseph
This is the account of Jacob and his family.
When Joseph was seventeen years old,
he often tended his father’s flocks.
GENESIS 37:2 NLT Sheep does not know how to take care of themselves, that is why they need a shepherd
We are like sheep. we were lost and some still lost. Jesus our Jehovah Raah comes and shepherd us.
Moses
One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law,
Jethro, the priest of Midian.
He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai,
the mountain of God.
EXODUS 3: 1 NLT
He had the training of shepherd as a real sheep
YHWH presented His plan, and His name, to Moses while
he was shepherding a flock by Mount Horeb.
Although Moses had a privileged Egyptian upbringing,
he gave it all up, and ended up in the one profession
considered the most loathsome by the Egyptians.
God could have spoken directly with Moses when he was living in Pharaoh’s Palace… but rather He waited and spoke to Moses while he was living his life out as a humble shepherd.
David
Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?”
Jesse replied, “There is still one left, the youngest;
he is TENDING (taking care, watching) the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse, “Send word and bring him;
because we will not sit down [to eat the sacrificial meal]
until he comes here.”
1 SAMUEL 16:11 AMP
Being a shepherd was only humble in its social status.
It was a role of great responsibility.
To be a shepherd was to be a leader, and to be responsible for a great amount of lives.
It wasn’t glorious, or outwardly rewarding, but it was very important.
The concept of a shepherd was a great metaphor
for the kind of leadership God loved: humble,
benevolent, caring, others-come-first kind of leadership.
He wanted shepherds who put God at the top of their lives
and who valued knowledge and discernment,
over war and the gathering of wealth.
YHWH wanted shepherds after his own heart:
King Solomon valued wisdom and discernment
Lamed is teaching and learning
Raise up shepherds who follow His heart
Learn to have the knowledge, revelations and discernment in lives
JEREMIAH 3:14-15
“Return, O faithless sons,” declares YHWH; “For I am a master to you,
and I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
and I will bring you to Zion.
Then I will give you shepherds [ro’im] AFTER MY OWN HEART,
who will FEED you [who will SHEPHERD you: w-ra’u] on KNOWLEDGE
and UNDERSTANDING.”
Even shepherds need a leader, and God was often described by the Biblical authors, as their own PERSONAL SHEPHERD.
Shepherd after God's own heart will feed his sheep with God's word
GENESIS 48:15-16
He [Israel] blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom
my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the GOD who has been
MY SHEPHERD [ha-ro’eh] ALL MY LIFE to this day,
the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads;
and may MY name live on in them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
They saw God as their shepherd
We still Word of God to guide us
We are sheep and easily go astray if we don't feed on His Word
PSALM 23:1 KJV
A Psalm of David.
The LORD is MY shepherd; I shall not want.
Shepherd - Raah
- FEED, RULE, CARE, COMPANION
H2637 want
Original: חסר
Transliteration: châsêr
Phonetic: khaw-sare'
BDB Definition:
to lack, be without, decrease, be lacking, have a need, diminish
Strong's Definition: to lack; by implication to fail, want, lessen:-be abated, bereave, decrease, (cause to) fail, (have) lack, make lower, want.
The Lord sees it fit that we have no lack when we depend on Him
YHWH was being exactly like a shepherd here.
He found the loveliest pastures for His flock to rest;
He found the best drinking holes to nourish his flock;
He kept His people calm and on the right path.
He’s kept them away from the dangers of life (the thorns and the predators), so they could live without fear, and He guided them in righteousness and good living.
YHWH shepherded His people together.
He FED them, watered them, and protected them.
We can rest because we know we have Him leading us
Feeding. We feed on Him and we can experience no lack
The Lord is my shepherd
God was a mighty King, but He was also a tender Shepherd, giving each lamb in His flock the personal comfort that they needed.
All of us were LIKE SHEEP that had wandered off.
We had each gone our own way, but the Lord gave him the punishment we deserved.
ISAIAH 53:6 CEV
JOHN 10:1-2 AMP
“I assure you and most solemnly say to you,
he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbs up from some other place [on the stone wall],
that one is a thief and a robber.
But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of
the sheep [the protector and provider].
JOHN 10:3-4 AMP
The doorkeeper opens [the gate] for this man, and the sheep hear his voice and
pay attention to it.
And [knowing that they listen] he calls his own sheep by name and leads them
out [to pasture].
When he has brought all his own sheep outside, he walks on ahead of them,
and the sheep follow him because they know his voice and recognize his call.
JOHN 10:5-6 AMP
They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him,
because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not
understand what He was talking about.
JOHN 10:7-9 AMP
So Jesus said again, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you,
I am the Door for the sheep [leading to life].
All who came before Me [as false messiahs and self-appointed leaders]
are thieves and robbers, but the [true] sheep did not hear them.
I am the Door; anyone who enters through Me will be saved [and will live forever], and will go in and out [freely], and find pasture (spiritual security).
You are secure when you eat the right food
You can be free in your life
Free from insecurity
JOHN 10:10 AMP
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance
[to the full, till it overflows].
This life comes from the shepherd
JOHN 10:11 AMP
I am the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd lays down His [own] life for the sheep.
Enjoy life without fear
A life filled with bountiful
He gave His life so that we can now have new life following the shepherd
We are still on this earth, we need to follow the Shepherd's voice.
You are so important to Him that He had to die for us
JOHN 10:12-13 AMP
But the hired man [who merely serves for wages],
who is neither the shepherd nor the owner of the sheep,
when he sees the wolf coming, deserts the flock and runs away;
and the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them.
The man runs because he is a hired hand [who serves only for wages] and is not concerned about the [safety of the] sheep.
God gave birth to us.
God knows us and we belong to Him
JOHN 10:14-15 AMP
I am the Good Shepherd, and I know [without any doubt those who are] My own and My own know Me [and have a deep, personal relationship with Me]— even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father—
and I lay down My [very own] life [sacrificing it] for the benefit of the sheep.
I have other sheep [beside these] that are not of this fold.
I must bring those also, and they will listen to My voice and pay attention to My call, and they will become one flock with one Shepherd.
These are God's lost sheep.
For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life so that I may take it back.
JOHN 10:16-17 AMP
JOHN 21:15 AMP
So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love (agape) Me more than these
[others do—with total commitment and devotion]?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You [with a deep,
personal affection, as for a close friend].”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
JOHN 21:16 AMP
Again He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John,
do you LOVE (agape) Me [with total commitment and devotion]?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love (phileo) You
[with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].”
Jesus said to him, “SHEPHERD MY SHEEP.”
JOHN 21:17 AMP
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love
(phileo) Me [with a deep, personal affection for Me,
as for a close friend]?”
Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, “Do you [really] love Me [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend]?”
More than a friend, He is willing to die for us
JOHN 21:17 AMP
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love
(phileo) You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].”
JESUS said to him, “FEED (Shepherd) My sheep.
What we want is we want to know Him as our Shepherd
ACTS 20:20 TPT
You know how I’ve taught you in public meetings and in your homes, and that I’ve not held anything back from you that would help you GROW.
ACTS 20:24 TPT
“But whether I live or die is not important, for I don’t esteem my life as indispensable.
It’s more important for me to FULFILL my DESTINY and to
FINISH the MINISTRY my LORD JESUS has ASSIGNED to ME,
which is to FAITHFULLY PREACH the WONDERFUL NEWS of GOD’S GRACE.
The assignment
ACTS 20:28 TPT
So guard your hearts.
Be TRUE SHEPHERD'S over all the flock and FEED them WELL.
Remember, it was the Holy Spirit who appointed you to guard and oversee the churches that belong to Jesus, the Anointed One, which he purchased and established by his own blood.
A leader is not just one who rule and reign over people
Leader feeds the sheep well
Our whole being is to be a sheep
Feed them with your life
Be real
All these are wisdom
God chooses the weak and He gives us His righteousness
Feed them with God's Word and understanding
Guard and oversees the churches
Go back to the Word
Meditate on the Word
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