HASHEM is the respectful way to mention God or Yahweh in everyday speech in Modern Hebrew. It literally means “The Name”. Of the 6000 times Yahweh is spelled out in the Hebrew Bible, it is read as Adonai when reading the Bible out loud, showing respect for God’s holy name. Adonai means Lord, so that is why YHWH is translated almost entirely in the King James Version of the Bible as just “Lord” except for 4 times.[i] Admiration, love, respect, honor, devotion, and mindful worship are embedded in this tradition.
“The Lord” used in Psalm 23 shows an even deeper respect because it means that there is only one Lord, and no other gods or interests or hobbies before Him. As Paul said:
“One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”[ii]
Usage of “The Lord is my Shepherd” in Psalm 23 is filled with a possessive pride “my” in the connection between the Psalmist and The God of Israel. In Psalm 22 we read a similar possessive:
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?”[iii]
This is the meaningful cry of every Jew and Christian in the midst of their Job-like suffering and was one of the 7 divine utterances by Christ on the cross. We believe in an intimately personal God who can hear us, act favorably on our behalf, and move Heaven and Earth to give us comfort in times of need.
Just as God wants to possess us as His covenantal people, He also wants us to possess Him as our or “my” Redeemer and Shepherd. Job said so long ago: “I know that my Redeemer lives”.[iv] God came to a righteous Abraham and made a covenant with him, something that Abraham wasn’t seeking and was surprised by.[v] God through Moses made a covenant with a wayward people, something they were not seeking. God hoped that His miracles in their deliverance would engender their loyalty in the future.[vi] All God wants in return is free will loyalty, devotion, and for us to remember Him and do His will.
[i] https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3068.htm
[ii] Ephesians 4:5-6 KJV
[iii] Psalm 22:1
[iv] Job 19:25 NIV
[v] Genesis 12:2-3
[vi] Exodus 19:1-7 see also Deuteronomy chapters 28 and 29