Friday, October 23, 2009

Your Rod and Your Staff They Comfort Me


How can a rod and staff bring comfort? W. Phillip Keller in his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 brings some clarity to the issue. A rod and a staff are the universal instruments used by shepherds. 

 The rod serves four basic functions. First, the rod stands “as a symbol of the shepherd’s strength, his power, and his authority in any serious situation.” Second, it is the instrument the shepherd uses to discipline and correct wayward sheep that wandered off. “With it, the owner is able to carry out effective control of his flock in every situation.” Third, the shepherd uses his rod to examine and count the sheep. The Old Testament term was “passing under the rod and this meant not only coming under the owner’s control and authority, but also to be subject to his most careful, intimate, and firsthand examination.” Finally, the rod serves as an “instrument of protection for the shepherd and his sheep when they are in danger. It is used both as a defense and a deterrent against anything that would attack.

The spiritual parallel to the rod is God’s Word. It stands as absolute Truth and has full authority over our lives. It serves as an “extension of God’s mind, will and intentions to man.” The clarity of God’s Word “keeps our lives free from confusion and chaos.” His Word brings peace and “quiet serenity.”

When we make bad choices and sin, God uses His Word as a tool to discipline us. “It is the Word of God that comes swiftly to our hearts, that comes with surprising suddenness to correct and reprove us when we go astray.” What would we do without it?

The passing under the rod was particularly interesting to me because it speaks of the shepherd peeling back the wool and revealing problems that lurk beneath. The Good Shepherd wants to do this in my life. He wants to "examine me with care to see that all is well… for only in this way can my hidden problems be laid bare before the Shepherd.” We are so good at hiding things. Presenting a perfect front but inside we’re filled with hurt, pain, disease. How can our Good Shepherd heal us without examining our hearts? As David said in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Who doesn’t want to be protected? As a follower of Jesus, I can count on His Rod, the Bible, to counter the attacks and assaults of Satan with truth. “In every situation and under every circumstance there is comfort in the knowledge that God’s Word can meet and master the difficulty if we will rely on it.

The staff was used solely as a source of comfort for the sheep and “speaks of all that is longsuffering and kind.” When I read this, I laughed. How can a curved stick be a source of comfort? The author elaborates with three uses for the staff. 

First, the shepherd uses it to draw sheep together into intimate relationship. If a newborn lamb is separated from his mother, the shepherd uses the crook of the staff to lift the lamb and reunite it with the ewe. 

Second, the shepherd uses the staff to draw the sheep “close to himself for intimate examination.” He can, for the purpose of establishing relationship, use his staff to pull in timid sheep that would typically keep their from the shepherd. 

The third purpose of the staff is to guide the sheep. The shepherd will reach out his staff and tenderly lay it on a sheep. The sheep is comforted by his touch and with some gentle pressure, the shepherd guides the sheep in the direction he desires.

The spiritual parallel to the staff is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s job is to provide comfort to believers - to be the still, small voice that stirs our soul to desire intimacy with God and intimacy with other people.  Jesus promised that God would send the Holy Spirit and that “the Spirit of Truth will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13).

The author beautifully says, “It is He who gently, tenderly, but persistently says to us, ‘This is the way – walk in it.’ And as we comply and cooperate with His gentle promptings, a sense of safety, comfort and well-being envelops us.” 

No matter how big or small the issue is, if I take the time to ask God for guidance and direction, the Holy Spirit “conveys the mind of Christ in the matter to my mind.” It brings me great comfort knowing “there is a calm, quiet repose in the knowledge that He is there to direct even in the most minute details of daily living.”

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Amen.

18 comments:

  1. WOW…thanks for sharing this with us! As I sat down to pray this morning in extreme pain, I felt God say to me Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. And I began to thank Him and reach out to HIM in thanksgiving, need and wanting. And my second thought was what in the world does rod and staff even mean and where is it in the His Living Word. So of course, I googled those words. Yours was the first to come up. So I went to my Bible and read it and thought some more on what is the meaning of rod and staff. So I went back to what you had written. These are some powerful little words that God gave us! And as I read your blog, I was given a vision and went on a journey with God as my Shepherd and me as HIS sheep. What a wonderful time I had with Him this morning which instilled hope in me. Thanks again for sharing this and leading me on a hope filled journey with my Shepherd this morning!

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  2. I too, sat down with my Lord today in some pain. Acutely feeling the truth of the Proverb that says Hope deferred makes the heart grow sick. But I professed that God is good and asked Him to help me see his goodness over me. And He too, brought these words to my mind and I similarly said, " what the heck does that mean!?!?" ha ha. And I googled and here we are. Thank you for writin and thank you, Holy Spirit for leading me beside these still waters. Our God is so good!!!

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  3. I am going through a rough phase and the other day, on telly, Psalms 23 was the preacher's theme. I have since then, taken up to confessing this particular Psalm but as of yesterday, "your rod and your staff, they comfort me" took up a whole new meaning as far as the daily confession goes...i did Google this today and surprisingly, your blog affirms what the Holy Spirit put in my heart - the word of God being synonymous with the rod/staff. It is indeed living and active and sharper than a double-edged sword! God bless.

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  4. Its a late night and Im covered In Hives all over my body and the itch is so intense. I started crying out to God and all I had left in me was to pray in tongues. I sensed the Lord told me to look up Psalm 23. Thy Rod and thy staff comfort me. I did not know the meaning until i read this. It is a beautiful analyses of God tender care for us. My hives have calmed down now and my spirit is full.

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  5. Great read. Thank you for the spiritual parallels given, it brought more clarity to these verses that I have recited so many times. This Psalms has so much depth to it we just need to study it beyond the surface and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to us. God Bless

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    1. Thanks Jordyn. I wrote this series of posts as part of a book club where we studied Phillip Keller's book. I had no idea so many people would read them. It really was a wonderful book if you're interested in going deeper into the meaning of Psalm 23.

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  6. Thank you! Very helpful. John Parker of www.simplechurchsuccess.com

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  7. Jodi, thank you for your blog. As I was spending time with the Lord this morning…. Ps. 23 came to my heart. I have wondered many times when I read the part about the rod and staff what those two were about. So I googled "His rod and His staff they comfort me", and up popped your post. This post has been a blessing to me. I also read more of your blog. You are a wonderful mother, and it is so obvious how much you love the Lord. Blessings to you and your family!

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    1. Thank you Diane for taking time to send me a note. I am so encouraged by what you wrote. If you want to study Psalm 23, I highly suggest Philip Keller's book as commentary. It is so rich. I was reading it as part of book club and so half-way through, I decided to write a blog post about each chapter. I had NO idea so many people would read this post. I love how God works. Grace and peace to you today!

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  8. Greetings from beautiful Kentucky Jodi !
    I was searching for the meaning of "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me" and I stumbled on your blog. Two words: Thank You!!
    I look forward to reading more of your writings. Have a blessed weekend.
    Thanks again, Mike

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    1. Hi Mike. Thank you for taking time to write. I highly encourage you to read Phillip Keller's book, "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23." I led a book study on that book and started writing a weekly blog post to summarize what I was learning. Good stuff, paired with God's Word. Have an awesome day!

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  9. The phrase "thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" has been gliding into my consciousness repeatedly over the last few days. Being a dedicated 21st century student I consulted the interweb for help clarifying the message. Your blog came up and, since I'd been thinking of Keller's book but couldn't remember the author's name, I was gratified to see your reference. Diving into the essay, I caught my breath over the spiritual parallels: a returning to the w/Word and a more intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit was exactly the stuff and my recent thoughts and prayers and musings. Then I sheepishly (HA!) realized that that was the point. Your blog was confirmation of this direction adjustment. Thank you for being faithful to your calling and exercising the gifts God's given you for his glory and our encouragement.

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  10. I've seen my enemies have happen to them what they attempted against me. That is comforting. I've too been disciplined by that same rod when I was wrong and wayward. I'm also glad when I was most discouraged God counted me and showed me He loves me.

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  11. Aaron's rod turned to a serpent when he cast it down before the first judgment against the gods of Egypt. Christ was lifted up like the serpent on a pole (staff?) in the wilderness to heal after Israel rebelled.

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  12. We have had 4 deaths over the past 3 weeks in our family. This morning, the Lord directed me to Psalm 23. I thought to myself "why do they always quote this passage at funerals? And what does 'thy rod and thy staff they comfort me' anyway." I've been a devout Christian and lover of the Word for practically my entire life. That question has always challenged me....until this morning. The comments in your blog rang true in my spirit and I see the Psalm in a whole different light now. Thank you. This is the first time I've ever read one of your blogs. It won't be the last.

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    1. Hi Kim. I'm so sorry for the all the loss your family has experienced. And I'm so glad that God used this blog to bless you today. I have taken a giant hiatus from writing, but hope to get back into it at some point again. May Jesus bless you and your family as you walk through this grief process.

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  13. Thankyu Jodi...received those words as i attempted to pray today...n thts all i could say...your blog has shed light on the verse...keep posting❤

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