This document discusses various names and attributes of God that relate to Him being a shepherd. It notes that names like El Roi, Jehovah Roi, and Jehovah Jireh portray God as a shepherd. The document then describes characteristics of sheep that show how helpless they are without a shepherd, like being unable to defend themselves, easily getting lost, and totally depending on their shepherd for survival. It highlights how this is a metaphor for humankind's dependence on God as our shepherd. The document concludes by focusing on Psalm 23, which expresses that God is not just a shepherd but the personal shepherd of the individual saying "The LORD is MY Shepherd."

1. What do I
know
about God?

2. The name of
God.
EL

3. God the creator
Elohi

4. God the most
high
El

5. Almighty,
most powerful.
El
Shaddai

6. My Master
Adonai

7. The God Who Sees
El Roi

8. The name of God
I AM- THE
LORD
Jehovah

9. The Lord provides
Jehova
Jireh

10. The Lord is my
shepherd
Jehova
Roi

11. Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone
astray, each of us has turned to
our own way; and the LORD has
laid on him the iniquity of us all.

12. Sheep are dumb
(You won't find sheep acts in the circus
because they can't be trained to perform).
Sheep are unintelligent & they don't learn
from mistakes but in fact often repeat
them. They tend to wander & go astray &
are unable to find their way home to the
sheepfold even when it is within sight!

13. But knowing this the
shepherd never
takes His eyes off His
wandering sheep

14. Defenseless (No quills like
porcupines, scent like skunks, claws
like cats or teeth like lions). A
sheep's bite is harmless. Most have
no horns. Unable to defend
themselves against attacks. Lambs
are especially vulnerable & in need
of protection.

15. Sheep drown easily (wool soaks up the water
& they sink to the bottom).
If they get on their backs they cannot right
themselves. Kicking & bleating doesn't help
although their cries can alert the shepherd
who sets them on their feet again.

16. They don’t have a good sense of danger and
are unaware of what may hurt them.
Often a sheep will wander into a briar patch
or fall over a cliff in the rugged Palestinian
hills.
The shepherd tenderly searches for his sheep
and carries it to safety on his shoulder,
wrapped in his own long cloak
(Luke 15:3, 4, 5, 6).
Sheep depend TOTALLY upon their shepherd.

17. Need meticulous care: Phillip Keller(1) writes
that
"Sheep do not "just take care of themselves" as
some might suppose. They require more than
any other class of livestock, endless attention
and meticulous care."
In water-hungry Syria and Palestine, shepherds
have always had to search diligently for water,
sometimes for hours every day for they know
that the sheep must be watered daily.

18. Sheep have actually been known to nibble
themselves over the cliff! That is dumb!
But as you say it or think it, remember
that "sheep" are a metaphor for men! So
what is the great need for mankind?
Clearly without a tender, caring shepherd
willing to lay down his life for the sheep,
they would surely perish & so it is with all
men who do not have a "Good Shepherd"
WE ARE THE "SHEEP".

19. The LORD is MY Shepherd =
Psalms 23

20. A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green
pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and
lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

21. The LORD is MY Shepherd =
Jehovah Roi. He is not just "a"
Shepherd or "Israel's" Shepherd,
but is my own personal
Shepherd.

22. The LORD is MY Shepherd =
Psalms 23