Strengthened in Faith Regarding God's Promises

He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. (Rom_4:20-21)
Faith is the proper response to the promises of God. Also, our faith in God's promises can increase day by day, year by year. These present words offer helpful insight into being strengthened in faith regarding God's promises.

It is so often the case that the circumstances we are in tend to cast doubt upon the promises God has made. This was certainly what happened to Abraham concerning the promised son, Isaac. It was obvious in God's first set of promises to Abraham that a son would be provided some day. "I will make you a great nation" (Gen_12:2). Soon thereafter, the Lord promised that the land He had for Abraham would go to his seed. "Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your descendants I will give this land' " (Gen_12:7). The years rolled by, and no son had arrived. Eventually, a son was specifically included in God's promises. "And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 'This one (Eliezer, his servant) shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir' " (Gen_15:4). Still, the years passed by without the arrival of the son.

Now, as Abraham approaches one hundred years of age, God repeats promises that necessitate a son. "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am Almighty God . . . I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly... And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you' " (Gen_17:1-2, Gen_17:7). More time passes. Once again, the Lord restates His promise of a son. "Sarah your wife shall have a son" (Gen_18:10). At this point, the scriptures record the natural impossibility of this promise being fulfilled. "Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well-advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing" (Gen_18:11).

Nevertheless, "He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith." How did he grow in faith? His circumstances gave reason to doubt: "his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb" (Rom_4:19). He focused upon the ability of the God who had promised a son, and he was assured: "being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform."

Learning from the Suffering of Job

The suffering of a man named Job explains much about why character is more important in God's eyes than the discomfort and pain we experience in this life. Job was an exceptionally righteous man. He carefully avoided acts of transgression against God's laws. He behaved blamelessly. But, like all of us, he had weaknesses (Mark 14:38). He was not perfect.

God decided to test Job's character to see how his commitment to Him would bear up under adversity. The account of Job is in Scripture to help righteous people, when they go through discouraging and traumatic experiences, to learn to trust God patiently while awaiting the resolution of their problems.

God boasted of Job's righteous behavior to Satan. (Job 1:8). Satan responded, ". . . Stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and [Job] will surely curse You to Your face!" (Job 1:9-11). Later events proved Satan wrong. Job's character was not that weak.

God granted Satan permission to strip Job of his possessions and his family and to afflict him with excruciating boils (Job 1:12-19). Job at first accepted his plight, saying, "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21).

Later "Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, [and] each one came . . . [to] mourn with him, and to comfort him" (Job 2:11). After a week of lamenting with him, they began to discuss his calamities and suffering. Job listed his complaints, showing the inequities of life. Later God agreed with him. Not everything in this life is fair and equitable.

Job's three friends, however, were certain that God was punishing Job for some secret sin, something Job could hide from everyone but God. Job vehemently denied that such was the case, and he was right. God later verified this also.

However, during his ordeal of loss and suffering, Job gradually came to resent God. This often happens to people in the midst of inexplicable calamity.

Many chapters relate the faulty reasoning and accusations of Job's three friends and Job's denials. Finally, one of Job's younger friends, Elihu, spoke up. He recognized that Job's perspective was flawed and distorted. Job had convinced himself that his afflictions served no purpose. He decided that God was simply not treating him fairly.

Elihu realized that Job was so obsessed with his innocence (Job 33:8-9) that he was finding fault with God rather than looking for lessons to learn from his trials. To Job's complaints Elihu replied: "Do you think this is right? Do you say, 'My righteousness is more than God's'?" (Job 35:2).

Instead of seeing his adversity as opportunity for patience and for letting God mold him, Job had grown in his resentment toward his Creator. He closed his mind to the possibility that he could learn something valuable from his suffering.

Job's principal objection was that God was unresponsive to him, that He was not properly acknowledging his righteousness.

God challenged Job, suggesting that he try to tame a sea creature, a great beast that was "made without fear" (Job 41:33-34): "Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? Can you put a reed through his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you?" (Job 41:1-3, 4-10).

In the end Job saw that the basis of his problem was his lack of understanding and excessive confidence in his own righteousness. Then his view of God's fairness changed. He saw that His critical attitude toward God was wrong: "I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know . . . I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:3-6).

Job's experience is recorded in great detail so we can learn the folly of holding too high an opinion of ourselves. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud" (Proverbs 16:18-19).

Job's experiences can explain why righteous people may go through discouraging and traumatic times and be tempted to resent God for not obviously and quickly intervening on their behalf. Like Job, we can fail to understand that God sees far more than we see.

No matter how severe a trial is, we should never assume God isn't listening or doesn't care. He sees lessons we need to learn that are beyond our present understanding. We need always to remember some excellent advice from King David: "Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!" (Psalm 27:14). We should learn from Job's experience to maintain patient respect and trust in God even in the midst of our sufferings (James 5:10-11).

But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him (Psalm 37:39-40).

David's life was a life of strife. It was through this that the Spirit worked sanctification in his heart, but also that he learned what it meant to trust in the Lord his God. It was through these struggles that David learned the language of our text: salvation is of the Lord. He learned what it was for the Lord to become his strength. The Lord delivers the righteous because they trust in Him.

We read in Psalm 37:1-3: "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." The strife and struggles of this life teach God's children to be weaned from themselves, to be weaned from the world, and to build their trust in the Lord.

So often we take our food and water and other blessings for granted, but Scriptures clearly teach otherwise. It is a great blessing of the righteous to know "bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure" (Isaiah 33:16).

We want to see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked. The contrasts are set forth in Psalm 37. The wicked borrow and pay not again, but the righteous show mercy. David illustrates the contrast between the wicked and the righteous throughout this psalm.


1: For our first point, let's endeavor with the help of the Lord to show who the righteous are, and how their salvation is of the Lord.

2:For our second point, let's consider how these righteous will, and must have their time of trouble, but that in this time of trouble God proves to be their strength, will help them, deliver them and save them.

3:For our third point, let's consider why the Lord will do all these things unto them: "because they trust in Him."


First, who are the righteous spoken of in our text? Who is the judge? One judge's opinion can be totally different from another's. We experienced a change in our nation's highest court when Thurgood Marshall, a liberal justice, retired. It was said by a newspaper editor, "He was always honest."

Yet, who is the judge? How do we determine whether he was a righteous man? Public opinion? Do we go by our news media? According to the editor's judgment you would say Justice Marshall was a righteous man. By whose standards? That is what you and I have to come to grips with—by what standards was he righteous?

During his term on the high court Justice Marshall strove tirelessly for the rights of minorities. He was a strong advocate for women's rights. He was an adamant advocate of women's right to abortions. He was always honest? By whose standards?

When you attend a funeral conducted in today's liberal philosophy, all you hear is praise for the deceased. The mourners are told that the departed one has ascended into mansions of bliss based on the fact that they have lived a good life. How do you discern who are the righteous that are blessed? The standards upon which we must judge this are what we must call into question. Who said he lived a good life?



Satan told Eve in the garden of Eden that man should be the judge of what is right or wrong, that is, "ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). This judgment is the fruit of deceit. This is what we must learn to decipher. When we start passing judgment, not upon our fellow man, but upon our own hearts, we must realize that we must come to stand before a righteous judge, and we must ask whether we have passed righteous judgment upon ourselves. Are we the righteous of whom our text speaks? Can we say that our salvation is of the Lord? Can you and I say we have grounds to believe that we have the salvation of God?

If we use God's Word as our authority we find none are righteous of themselves. This is where we have to start. We find in Romans 3:10-12: "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

We need to use the authority of God's Word as the basis of our judgment. Judging righteously, by the authority of God's Word, we must say that "there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

If we use God's Word as our authority we find none are righteous of themselves. This is where we have to start. We find in Romans 3:10-12: "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

We need to use the authority of God's Word as the basis of our judgment. Judging righteously, by the authority of God's Word, we must say that "there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

How then do we know who are these whom our text calls the righteous? See the context of our text. Let's go to Psalm 37:30-31: "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide."

Going back to verse 4 to 6 we read: "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday." In other words, if we commit our ways to the Lord, and if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will make our righteousness to stand out as brightly and distinctly as the sun in the sky. Then we won't be in question any more, will we? The righteous are those who have the law of love—loving God above all, with our hearts, souls and minds, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. When that law of God is in the heart, when that is the basis on which we judge every decision in our lives—is it according to the will of God, is it to promote our neighbor, then we can see who the righteous are.

As Christ becomes formed in the heart and soul through sanctification of the Spirit, those whom our text calls the righteous become engrafted into the true Living Vine. They become built upon Christ as their corner stone. They become part of Christ's mystical body. Christ is revealed in them. That Spirit of Christ, that law of love, is revealed in every thought process of their hearts. Why? Because the law of God is in their hearts.

We read in 1 Peter 2:4-5: "To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." Holiness is complying with the first table of the law. A holy priesthood makes holy sacrifices—sacrificing that ugly monster self on the altar as an offering to the Lord. We need to sacrifice self on the altar and sacrifice self for our fellow man. Christ becomes our corner stone.

Through the work of regeneration and sanctification this union is formed, and Christ becomes precious. By nature Christ is not precious to us. We see this in 1 Peter 2:6-7: "Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner."

This precious union of Christ and His church is not only for the joy of the bride, but the bridegroom rejoices in that marriage union as well.

The blessed union between Christ and those whom our text calls the righteous springs from the electing love of the Father, the sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and the washing of the blood of Christ. We see this in 1 Peter 1:2: "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." God the Father is the author, the source, of our salvation. It was the love of the Father, having loved His own from the foundation of the world. And it was that foreknowledge—elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus Christ. Salvation is of the Trinity. It is sanctification unto obedience. That rebellion of the heart must be broken. That will has to be conquered, and our will has to be dissolved into the will of the Bridegroom.



It is through the regeneration of the Spirit that the righteousness of Christ is imparted in the souls of the righteous—therefore none can do anything to effect his own salvation, nor that of his brother. If you have a child who has no work of regeneration in their soul, you cannot effect it. You cannot bring it to pass. You cannot redeem that child or that father or mother or brother or sister or wife. I want you to see this in Psalm 49:7-8: "None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)." We need the redemption of the Son of God through the process of the economy of grace.

The children who have been born of God are righteous by virtue of the new nature imparted in them. It is the righteousness of Christ, Christ formed in you. We read in 2 Peter 1:3-4: "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." We have godliness and the precious promises through the righteousness of Christ imparted to us. That is where the new heart and desires come from.

God's Word tells us the righteous cannot "commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (1 John 3:9). You and I are not children of God because we were righteous. We become children by birth. We are children of our parents by birth totally outside of anything we did. The branch that abides in Him bears fruit. Those born of Him abide in Him. God comes with His restraining grace and He prevents them and protects them from falling into sin.

When God Doesn't Seem Just

Deuteronomy 32:1-4

Have you ever felt that a situation in your life was an exception to the promises of Scripture? In today's passage, Moses declares that the Lord is faithful and all His ways are just, but we have all been in circumstances that seemed wrong and blatantly unfair. And because God did not intervene, we've struggled to reconcile our experience with Moses' statement about Him.

Scripture is filled with examples of godly people who faced hardships that seemed totally unfair. Joseph was sold as a slave, David was hunted like an animal by King Saul, and the apostle Paul suffered with a "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor. 12:7-10).

Situations like these can cause us to question whether God is good and just. If left to fester in our minds, these doubts may give way to discouragement. We can easily start thinking, What is the use in serving the Lord? Look what it has gotten me--suffering!

It's important to remember that what we know about God from His Word is more accurate than what we feel. Scripture tells us that God is good and just, so we can know with certainty that He has a fantastic purpose for us in whatever we experience.

God allows each of us to face some trials that we won't understand to our satisfaction this side of heaven. Our job is not to comprehend everything He does and permits, but to know how to respond. He'll make all things right in eternity. In the meantime, trust the Rock when all else is shaky.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear

Fear of other people and things and events around us is something we often have to
come to grips with. No one likes to live in fear, but the sad reality is that most of us at times feel fearful. As God began working with Abraham, the man the Bible calls "the father of all those who believe" (Romans 4:11), God told him, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward" (Genesis 15:1). "Fear not," the King James Version says.

What a wonderful concept for us to understand as we come to God! He wants us to respect Him, but He does not want us to be frightened of anything. A simple saying encapsulates this truth: Know God, no fear. Its corollary expresses the opposite effect: No God, know fear.

King David had his ups and downs. On several occasions he fled to avoid being killed. Though his enemies often sought his life, David found a remedy for his fears.

In Psalm 27:1-3, he wrote: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this I will be confident."

David found great peace in trusting God to take care of him. In verse 5 of the same psalm, David continued: "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock." In his own meditations, David could envision God hiding him in a secret place in His house or setting him high on a rock so his enemies could not reach him.

Small children often seek out secret hiding places so they can escape perceived troubles. As God's children, even we adults should realize we have a hiding place with God, where we can be cared for and comforted.

God's Holy Spirit performs this comforting function for us. It drives away our fears. David knew his faith in God sustained him through his difficult times. He said, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living" (verse 13).

In taking this refuge from fear, David knew the importance of coming before God with a pure mind. That is why he asked God to create in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him. David realized God could take His Spirit from him if he did not approach God in this attitude (Psalm 51:10, 11). When David was able to maintain this proper outlook, he could pray to God with the confidence that God would save him (Psalm 55:16-18).

Paul enumerated for the Christians at Rome these same principles: "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit [itself] testifies with our spirit that we are God's children" (Romans 8:15-16, New International Version).

One of God's gifts that He imparts to us through His Spirit is freedom from fear. As Paul said in verse 31, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Under Grace

You are not under law but under grace" (Rom 6:14)

This lesson allows Paul to cast some light on the statement he makes in Romans 6:14, "You are not under law but under grace". This statement would be easy to misunderstand if we did not have other statements from Paul to clarify what he means. In this lesson we will work through some of those scriptures so that we will know what it means to be "not under law but under grace".

We are Under Obligation

Rom 8:6-9

Paul contrasts the mind transformed by Christ with the mind still in darkness. He says, "the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace" (Rom 8:6). Then he says, "For the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God, for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so" (Rom 8:7).

You can see how clear Paul is about the problem anyone has who "does not have the Spirit of Christ" (Rom 8:9). The problem is that this person is disobedient to God's Law.
What Law Does Paul Believe In?

When Paul says "You are not under law but under grace" (Rom 6:14), he certainly does not mean that we have no obligation to keep God's law. Paul describes the law that we must keep in the following terms...
"The law of faith" (Rom 3:27)
"The law of the Spirit of life" (Rom 8:2)
"The law of Christ" (Gal 6:2)

Rom 8:12

Having said that "the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God because it does not subject itself to the law of God" Paul goes on to say, "Therefore brethren we are under obligation, not to live according to the flesh" (Rom 8:7,12). Putting both statements together, we find Paul showing that, in his mind, being under grace involves being under an obligation to keep God's law.

Tit 2:11-14

Paul makes it plain that he believes "the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in this present age... zealous for good works" (Tit 2:12,14). Paul, in his teaching, links the grace of God to the keeping of the law of Christ and the leading of an obedient life.

So we have established that Paul in saying, "You are not under law but under grace" (Rom 6:14), does not mean that you are under no obligation to obey God's law. Everyone is under obligation to keep the law of Christ.

But Not Under Condemnation


Rom 8:1-2
Paul shows that those who are in Christ, are not under condemnation because they have been set free from law. But he is not talking about God's law, but rather "another law" in opposition to "the law of God" (Rom 7:22-25). It would make no sense to say that the law of Christ sets us free from the law of God. Paul is talking about "the law of sin and death". Paul says, "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death" so "there is no condemnation" because by God's grace you have been able to get out from under the wrong law (the law hostile to God), and get under the right law (the law of Christ).

It is important to understand that those who are under "the law of sin and death", who "live according to the flesh" are under condemnation by God's law. So when Paul says, "you are not under law..." he means that in Christ we are...
no longer under the law of sin and death but set free from it, and
no longer under condemnation by God's law.

It is the law of God that anyone who wishes to be free from the law of sin and death, and to be no longer under condemnation by God, shall be granted this grace and shall be enabled to live no more according to the flesh, but to live according to the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. This is what Paul means when he says, "You are not under law but under grace".

A Comment on the law of Moses

Rom 7:4-25

In Romans chapters seven and eight, Paul has in mind three laws...
The law of Moses (Rom 7:6,22)
The law of sin and death (Rom 7:23, 8:2)
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:2).

Paul refers to the law of Moses in the earlier part of chapter seven. He did not believe that law of Moses was "the law of sin and death" because he refers to the law of sin and death as "a different law" at work in his body, hostile to "the law of God" with which his spirit joyfully concurred (Rom 7:22-23). So Paul did not believe the law of Moses was "the law of sin and death" rather he believed the law of Moses to be "the law of God" and he believed the law of Moses to be "holy, righteous, and good" (Rom 7:12). He asks, "Is the law sin?" and he answers, "May it never be!" (Rom 7:7). He asks again, "Did that law which is good become death for me?" and he answers, "May it never be!" (Rom 7:12-13). You see how careful Paul is not to make the law of Moses a law of sin and death.

What Paul did believe about the law of Moses, however, is that it could not set anyone free from the law of sin and death. Only the law of Christ, which replaced the law of Moses, could do that (Rom 8:1-2). Consequently Paul believed that the law of Christ had set Christians free not only from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2), but also had released them from being bound to keep the law of Moses (Rom 7:6).

THE NAME OF GOD IN PSALMS 23

THE NAME OF GOD HIDDEN IN PSALMS 23
Psalm 23 is a Psalm for all occasions- death, birthday, marriage etc. It is an all time heavenly Shepherd Psalm. We have heard many messages in the Psalm and may be hearing even now. But I want to point out the 7 names of God hidden in this beautiful Psalm.

PSALM 23

Ver 1: The Lord is My Shepherd-

The very first verse hides ONE NAME OF GOD.

"SHEPHERD"-JEHOVAH-RA(Jehovah the Shepherd)

or

-JEHOVAH-ROHI

If the Lord is your shepherd, then you can own this Psalm 23 as yours. All others will follow

Notice the word "LORD" is all in capital letters. "The LORD is My Shepherd". If the "LORD" is all in the capital, in the original Hebrew it means "JEHOVAH". A classic example is found in Psalms 110:1

"The LORD said unto my Lord"

LORD in capital means "JEHOVAH"

Lord in small letters means "ADONAI"(the son)

Therefore the meaning of Psalm 110:1 is

JEHOVAH said unto my Savior(His Son)

THE SECOND NAME

Ver 1 : "I SHALL NOT WANT "

When the Lord is my Shepherd, I don't lack in anything. HE is my Provider. That is the second name of God hidden in Ver 1.

Read carefully Genesis 22:9-14

"……And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and beheld behind a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place JEHOVAH-JIREH…" Here, notice the name of the person was ABRAHAM. His Original name was ABRAM. God changed his name.

ABRAM or ABRAHAM

What is the difference? The letters "HA" is added to the original name. When you breathe of life into an ordinary man 'Abram' and changed him into a spirit filled man 'Abraham', the father of all faithful. He only could say JEHOVAH- JIREH.

I shall not want… JEHOVAH-JIREH(JEHOVAH is my Provider)

When you know the Lord as your 'Shepherd' he will be your provider, all sufficient-one. Therefore, I shall not lack or want anything.

Notice, the original name of the city of Melchisedek in Gen 14 was SALEM. Now, when Abraham called it Jehovah-Jireh it became

Jireh + SALEM ® JIREHSALEM or JERUSALEM

THE THIRD NAME

Ver 2: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me besides the still waters"

The sheep is very happy. Lying down in Green pastures and still waters (not turbulent waters) all speak of peaceful conditions. That is the third name.

Isreal was in turbulent condition. The Midianites surrounded them. At that time, they cried. God gave a deliverer called 'GIDEON'

"And the Lord said unto him, peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

Then Gideon build an altar there unto the Lord, and called it JEHOVAH- SHALOM" Judges 6:23 , 24
Third Name Hidden (Psalms 23:2) JEHOVAH- SHALOM
THE FOURTH NAME

Ver 3: "He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake" Psalm 23: 3

In the book of "JEREMIAH" it is written "…and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness" Jeremiah 33 :16

In the coming days when Israel will come to know the Lord this verse will be fulfilled in the land.

Now, if you look at your Reference Bible, in the margin that name is given and that is the Fourth Name
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS…JEHOVAH-TSIDKENILL (Jer 33: 16)
THE FIFTH NAME

Ver 4: "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou art with me…"

The Amalekites came against the Israelites after they crossed the Red sea. Remember, the Devil is going to severely attack you after you are saved and baptized in the Lord. No Amalekite came against them in EGYPT. When Moses went up the Mountain Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands when Joshua defeated the Amalekite with the edge of the sword. That is it my friend, Our Lord suffered on the cross and his hands were lifted up with two nails. Here down on earth we could defeat Satan through our Heavenly Joshua, even through our Lord the HOLY SPIRIT using the word of God(sword). That is the fifth Name hidden.
Psalm 23: 4…. JEHOVAH- NISSI( Exodus 17:15)
THE SIXTH NAME

Ver 5: "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over"

The sheep sometimes fight with each other. They but each other with their head. So in the evening the shepherd will carefully look each head of the sheep for any wound and apply oil there. That is the sixth Name

Psalm 23: 5…. JEHOVAH- RAPHEGA( Exodus 15:26)The Lord the healer.
When the waters of Marah was bitter, the Lord showed Moses a tree which turned bitterness into sweetness.

THE SEVENTH NAME

Ver 6: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever"

That is the seventh Name. The Lord will be with us forever. In the book of Ezekiel the last chapter , the last verse
Ezekiel 48: 35…..JEHOVAH- SHAMMA (Ezekiel 48:35)

"and the name of the city from that day shall be The LORD is there"

The seven names of God hidden in the Psalm 23 are:

1.JEHOVAH-RA
2.JEHOVAH-JIREH
3.JEHOVAH-SHALOM
4.JEHOVAH- TSIDKNELL
5.JEHOVAH-NISSI
6.JEHOVAH-RAPHEGA
7.JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH

A message on PSALMS 23

David had himself been a keeper of sheep, and understood both the needs of the sheep and the many cares of a shepherd. He compares himself to a creature weak, defenceless, and foolish, and he takes God to be his Provider, Preserver, Director, and, indeed, his everything.
A sheep is an object of property, not a wild animal; its owner sets great store by it, and frequently it is bought with a great price. It is well to know, as certainly as David did, that we belong to the Lord.
He does not say, “The Lord is the shepherd of the world at large, and leadeth forth the multitude as his flock,” but “The Lord is my shepherd;” if he be a Shepherd to no one else, he is a Shepherd to me; he cares for me, watches over me, and preserves me. The words are in the present tense. Whatever be the believer's position, he is even now under the pastoral care of Jehovah.
“I shall not want.” I might want otherwise, but when the Lord is my Shepherd he is able to supply my needs, and he is certainly willing to do so, for his heart is full of love, and therefore “I shall not want.” I shall not lack for temporal things. Does he not feed the ravens, and cause the lilies to grow? How, then, can he leave his children to starve? I shall not want for spirituals, I know that his grace will be sufficient for me. Resting in him he will say to me, “As thy day so shall thy strength be.” I may not possess all that I wish for, but “I shall not want.”

” It is not only “I do not want,” but “I shall not want.” Come what may, if famine should devastate the land, or calamity destroy the city, “I shall not want.” Old age with its feebleness shall not bring me any lack, and even death with its gloom shall not find me destitute. I have all things and abound; not because I have a good store of money in the bank, not because I have skill and wit with which to win my bread, but because “The Lord is my Shepherd.” The wicked always want, but the righteous never; a sinner's heart is far from satisfaction, but a gracious spirit dwells in the palace of content.
“He restoreth my soul.” When the soul grows sorrowful he revives it; when it is sinful he sanctifies it; when it is weak he strengthens it. “He” does it.
“He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” The Christian delights to be obedient, but it is the obedience of love, to which he is constrained by the example of his Master. “He leadeth me.” The Christian is not obedient to some commandments and neglectful of others; he does not pick and choose, but yields to all. Observe, that the plural is used - “the paths of righteousness.” Whatever God may give us to do we would do it, led by his love. Some Christians overlook the blessing of sanctification, and yet to a thoroughly renewed heart this is one of the sweetest gifts of the covenant.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” This unspeakably delightful verse has been sung on many a dying bed, and has helped to make the dark valley bright times out of mind. Every word in it has a wealth of meaning. “Yea, though I walk,” as if the believer did not quicken his pace when he came to die, but still calmly walked with God. To walk indicates the steady advance of a soul which knows its road, knows its end, resolves to follow the path, feels quite safe, and is therefore perfectly calm and composed
Some one has said that when there is a shadow there must be light somewhere, and so there is. Death stands by the side of the highway in which we have to travel, and the light of heaven shining upon him throws a shadow across our path; let us then rejoice that there is a light beyond. Nobody is afraid of a shadow, for a shadow cannot stop a man's pathway even for a moment. The shadow of a dog cannot bite; the shadow of a sword cannot kill; the shadow of death cannot destroy us. Let us not, therefore, be afraid. “I will fear no evil.” He does not say there shall not be any evil; he had got beyond even that high assurance, and knew that Jesus had put all evil away; but “I will fear no evil;” as if even his fears, those shadows of evil, were gone for ever. The worst evils of life are those which do not exist except in our imagination.

“For thou art with me.” This is the joy of the Christian! “Thou art with me.” The little child out at sea in the storm is not frightened like all the other passengers on board the vessel, it is asleep in its mother's bosom; it is enough for it that its mother is with it; and it should be enough for the believer to know that Christ is with him. “Thou art with me; I have in having thee, all that I can crave: I have perfect comfort and absolute security, for thou art with me.” “Thy rod and thy staff,” by which thou governest and rulest thy flock, the ensigns of thy sovereignty and of thy gracious care - “they comfort me.” I will believe that thou reignest still. The rod of Jesse shall still be over me as the sovereign succour of my soul.
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” The good man has his enemies. He would not be like his Lord if he had not. If we were without enemies we might fear that we were not the friends of God, for the friendship of the world is enmity to God.

“Thou preparest a table before me.” When a soldier is in the presence of his enemies, if he eats at all he snatches a hasty meal, and away he hastens to the fight. But observe: “Thou preparest a table,” just as a servant does when she unfolds the damask cloth and displays the ornaments of the feast on an ordinary peaceful occasion. Nothing is hurried, there is no confusion, no disturbance, the enemy is at the door and yet God prepares a table, and the Christian sits down and eats as if everything were in perfect peace. Oh! the peace which Jehovah gives to his people, even in the midst of the most trying circumstances!

“Thou anointest my head with oil.” May we live in the daily enjoyment of this blessing, receiving a fresh anointing for every day's duties. Every Christian is a priest, but he cannot execute the priestly office without unction, and hence we must go day by day to God the Holy Ghost, that we may have our heads anointed with oil.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
Just as when great princes go abroad they must not go unattended, so it is with the believer. Goodness and mercy follow him always - “all the days of his life” - the black days as well as the bright days, the days of fasting as well as the days of feasting, the dreary days of winter as well as the bright days of summer. Goodness supplies our needs, and mercy blots out our sins. “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” “A servant abideth not in the house for ever, but the son abideth ever.” While I am here I will be a child at home with my God; the whole world shall be his house to me; and when I ascend into the upper chamber I shall not change my company, nor even change the house; I shall only go to dwell in the upper storey of the house of the Lord for ever.
May God grant us grace to dwell in the serene atmosphere of this most blessed Psalm!