… Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23 is, perhaps, one of the best-known passages in Scripture, and, like many familiar texts, we often pass over beautiful nuggets of truth because we’ve heard the words so often. I think this is true of this phrase from verse 4.
In context, David is comparing himself to a sheep in God’s flock. God is the shepherd, and His care over His own is like that of the shepherd over his sheep. He provides for the sheep, leading them to the places where they can find nourishment and rest. The shepherd makes sure they are refreshed, and leads them along paths that will get them safely to their destination. The sheep have no fear, for the shepherd is watching over them.
In the same way, God, as our heavenly Shepherd, provides for our spiritual nourishment. He guides us into His truth, giving us His word which provides a life-long supply of sustenance for the soul, and the church, which is a constant source of encouragement, exhortation, and education. In the Lord, we find our rest, free from the bondage of sin, and free from the cares of the world, which He invites us to lay at His feet. As we follow the Lord’s leading, we find ourselves guided into righteousness, and kept away from the snares and temptations of the Evil One. If we would only trust in, and follow, our Shepherd, we truly would live without fear.
It’s in this context that the idea of the shepherd’s rod and staff come into play. The Israelite shepherd would carry with him a rod, or a club, that he would use for driving away wild animals. That rod is a symbol of the shepherd’s protection over the sheep. He will do whatever he can to keep the sheep from harm. Similarly, our Divine Shepherd comes to our aid when evil preys on us. It’s in His strength and by His power that we can resist temptation and send Satan fleeing from us. His rod of protection is over His people.
The staff, or the shepherd’s crook, was not only a kind of walking stick for the footsore shepherd, but he also used it to rein in wandering sheep. A quick tug around the neck, which may cause some brief pain and annoyance, ultimately keeps the sheep from falling off a cliff, or wandering into dangerous territory, or getting lost. And how we so often need the Divine Shepherd’s staff! “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,” as the hymn-writer says–and that’s the condition we’re all in. Our hearts and minds so easily stray from the things of God, tempted to wander into dark and dangerous territory, where we are easy prey for the world and the devil. But the Lord is quick to pull us back onto the path of righteousness. He never lets His people wander irretrievably into sin; He’s always ready with His crook to drag us back onto the narrow path.
Without the Lord’s rod and staff, we would be lost. So vicious is the enemy’s hatred of us, that we need the strong rod of the Lord to keep him at bay. So strong are the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, that it’s only by His grace, and the exercise of His restraint in our lives that we stay in Christ. It’s not coincidental that, in John 10, Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd–the one who lays down his life for his sheep. In this passage, Jesus claims a role that is truly divine: our protector, our comforter, our guide. The same role that David ascribes to God in this passage.
So may we be comforted by the fact that the Lord is watching over us. We can rest in Him, because, as our Shepherd, He tends us, feeds, us, protects us from spiritual harm, and, though sometimes it hurts, keeps us on the path of righteousness, all for His name’s sake.
Have a great week!
