The good shepherd leads his sheep to still waters and rich pastures. He watches diligently over them and conducts them safely through the deep and dark vale where dangers abound – flash floods, falling rocks, predators. Because the shepherd is present, all is well; his presence brings comfort to the flock. In the same way, the psalmist felt comforted by the presence of the Good Shepherd. Even when he passed through a valley dark and gloomy as the shadow of death, where surprises and calamities of every kind threatened him, he could confidently say: “I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.”

The shepherd carries with him, a rod and a staff; these are the hallmarks of his vocation, particularly in the Middle East. By these “tools of his trade,” he guides, protects, corrects and comforts the sheep.

In his book, “A shepherd looks at Psalm 23,” Philip Keller shares his observation of “the African herdsmen shepherding their stock with only a long slender stick and a rough knob-kerrie in their hands … the shepherd boy takes special pride in the selection of a rod and staff exactly suited to his own size and strength … he spends hours practising with this club (or rod) learning how to throw it with amazing speed and accuracy. It becomes his main weapon of defense for both himself and his sheep.” The shepherd uses the rod to drive off preying beasts like wolves, cougars or stray dogs. It is often used to beat the brush, discouraging snakes and other creatures from disturbing the flock. While attending his father’s flock, David no doubt used his rod to kill both “the lion and the bear” (I Sam. 17: 34-35).

In this verse, the sheep asserts that the shepherd’s rod – his weapon of power, authority and defence - is a continuous comfort to him. For with it the shepherd exercises control over his flock in every situation. Using the rod as “a rod of correction,” the shepherd keeps the flock in check by disciplining any recalcitrant sheep. “If the shepherd saw a sheep away on its own, or approaching poisonous weeds, or getting too close to danger of one sort or another, the club would go whistling through the air to send the wayward animal scurrying back to the bunch” – Keller.

We have often heard it said of Scriptures, “God’s Word will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from God’s Word.” Yes, God’s Word is the rod that defends us from the Enemy of our souls. At an opportune time, the Holy Spirit brings to mind some portions of Scriptures to awaken us to the temptation of the moment. Our heart is convicted, our spirit is moved to resist the urge to sin against the Lord. It is God’s Word that comes swiftly to our hearts, to convict and correct us when we go astray. It is a weapon of offence: “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb 4: 12). Let us confidently affirm with the Psalmist: “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee” (Ps. 119: 11).

Interestingly, the shepherd also uses the rod to examine and count the sheep; in this sense, they are said to “pass under the rod” (Lev. 27: 32; Eze. 30: 37). A sheep which passed “under the rod” was one which had been counted and put through a thorough check. Keller observes: “As each animal comes out of the corral and through the gate, it is stopped by the shepherd’s outstretched rod. He opens the fleece with the rod; he runs his skilful hands over the body; he feels for any sign of trouble; he examines the sheep with care to see that all is well.” This detailed searching process brings comfort to the sheep for only in this way can its hidden defects be laid bare before the shepherd. It is likely that David had this poignant picture in mind when he penned: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139: 23-24). May we, like the psalmist, search our heart and put away all sin from our lives.

The shepherd’s staff is usually a long sapling, well trimmed and rounded into a crook loop at the top. “The shepherd will use his staff to gently lift a newborn lamb and bring it to its mother if they become separated. He does this because he does not wish to have the ewe reject her offspring if it bears the odour of his hands upon it” – Keller. At times, the shepherd will hold his staff against a favourite sheep as they walk along seemingly “hand in hand.” In this way, the animal enjoys the “personal touch” of the shepherd and revels in the close, intimate contact between them.

Sheep are easily distracted. It is common to find them stuck fast in some bramble or thorny shrub because of a mouthful of leafy greens. Soon the thorns are so hooked in their wool they could not possibly pull free. Only the shepherd’s staff could free them from the entangled trap. Drawing a parallel, Keller comments : “Likewise with us. Many of our jams and impasses are of our own making. In stubborn, self-willed, self-assertion we keep pushing ourselves into a situation where we cannot extricate ourselves. Then in tenderness, compassion and care our Shepherd comes to us. He draws near and mercifully lifts us by His Spirit out of our difficulty and dilemma. What patience God has with us! What longsuffering and compassion! What forgiveness!”

What a wonderful Shepherd we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Good Shepherd Who giveth His life for His sheep (Jn. 10: 11). What joy and comfort to know that He is ever by our side as our Companion, our Guide, our Protector. Like the psalmist, we can triumphantly proclaim, “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.” God bless us all who are the sheep of His pasture.

- Pastor