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What are your equivalents of the rod & staff?
In caring for his sheep, the good shepherd, the careful manager, will from time to time make a careful examination of each individual sheep. He opens the fleece with the rod; he runs his skillful hands over the body; he feels for any sign of trouble; he examines the sheep with care to see that all is well.
Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O 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.”
Our Shepherd also uses His rod to drive off predators and enemies. He knows how to club the foes that attack us!
For our Rod, we must use God’s Word or Scriptures. In fact, there is great assurance in our own hearts as we contemplate the power, veracity, and potent authority vested in God’s Word. As has been said of the Scriptures so often, “This Book will keep you from sin!”
There is no substitute for the Scriptures in coping with the complexities of our social order. 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.
In a sense, the staff, more than any other item in the shepherd’s personal equipment identifies the shepherd as a shepherd. Our Shepherd uses a staff with the crooked or curved top, so He can snag and snatch us if we get too close to the edge of the precipice. He knows how to restrain our footsteps, how to protect us even from ourselves and our missteps.
For our Staff, we turn to the Holy Spirit, our Comforter. In our walk with God, we are told explicitly by Christ Himself that it would be His Spirit that would be sent to guide us and to lead us into all truth (John 16:13). In the Christian life, we find the gracious Holy Spirit, the Comforter, drawing folks together into warm, personal fellowship with one another.
In stubborn, self-willed self-assertion, we keep pushing ourselves into situations where we cannot extricate ourselves. Then in tenderness, compassion, and care our Shepherd comes to us. What patience God has with us! What longsuffering and compassion! What forgiveness! Your staff comforts me!
David said, “I fear no evil” because he knew where to look: “You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Rather than stare at the problems, he stared at the rod and staff.
If you’re not in the valley today, you will find yourself there at some point. When David faced the valley, he stared at the rod and staff. We should similarly focus on Scripture & the Spirit.