Lesson 299: “Psalm 23 - With A Twist"
When we think of the psalms we automatically think of David and when we think of David we think of a shepherd; a shepherd who wrote about the Lord being his shepherd. David was also God’s shepherd, chosen to lead the nation of Israel. Therefore, when David wrote the 23rd Psalm he wrote from experience, both as being a literal shepherd for his father’s flock and as being the shepherd of THE FATHER’S flock. “The Lord is my Shepherd” the psalmist writes, and David knew more than most of us what this meant. Throughout his lifetime as the King of Israel, the Lord was with the man after His own heart. David sought the counsel of His Shepherd before going to war, being assured the Lord was ahead of him winning the battle (1 Chro. 14:14-17). David fought with swords and spears but he knew what Paul later realized; “the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. They have divine power” (2 Cor. 10:4).
The weapons that God used to protect and comfort his shepherd were the same ones that David used to protect and comfort his sheep. The rod and the staff! The rod was used to kill the enemies of the sheep and a shepherd could throw this “stick” accurately and powerfully and hit the predators square between the eyes, dropping them in their tracks. The staff he used to prod the sheep along the trail as he drove, led, coaxed and aided them to still waters and green pastures. Sheep are not the smartest animals in the world and need constant care. They will stand on one plot of grass and eat it to the roots (and then eat the roots) unless they are led to another patch of land. On the way they would fall into brier patches and off of small inclines so the shepherd would “hook” them with the crooked end of the staff and pull them back into the safety of the fold. Still waters were most important for the shepherd to find since the sheep would wade into it and if it were rapids they would be swept away and drowned. The staff was used to pull the soppy, wooly, creatures from a sure death.
Jesus Christ I believe had a rod which I can visualize as being used on the Cross to destroy the enemy; “where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting” (1 Cor. 15:55)? The devil, our enemy, still prowls around looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8-9) but trust God when He says that the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1Cor. 15:26) and He will do just that; “the One who calls you is faithful and He will do it” (1 Thess. 5:24). The rod has been thrown, accurately and powerfully and in Christ all will be made alive (1 Cor. 15:22). The staff, Jesus Christ left behind in the form of the Holy Spirit; “He will convict the world of guilt” (John 16:8). This is the prodding, the urging, coaxing and aiding you feel when the unsaved need to come to Christ and the backsliding need to repent. He is your “staff of counsel” and will draw you into the truth of the Word of God.
The Christian has within his hands the rod and the staff and with God’s strength (2 Tim. 4:17, 2 Thess. 3:3), he can do miraculous things (Phil. 4:13) Use the staff to restore someone caught in sin gently (Gal. 6:1); use gentle persuasion to draw them back into the fold and the rod to beat the devil to a pulp. Use the staff to keep your balance lest you become a stumbling block (1 Cor. 8:9); urge others to continue to gather together for worship (Heb. 10:25); and snatch others from the fire and save them (Jude 25). When you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, which we will all go through, the rod and the staff will comfort you and the psalmist says that we will fear no evil. The valley of the shadow of death is but an instant, a flash, a twinkling of an eye (1 Cor. 15:52) and the evil one, your enemy, that old devil, Satan will not be present for our Lord and Savior will be with us; “I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Ps. 23:4).
If the devil is tormenting you, your loved ones and friends then you are not using the rod; if your congregation is at a standstill or diminishing in membership, perhaps you are not using the staff. They are at your disposal, they are free and they are backed up by the power of God, and hey! They are not even heavy (Matt. 11:30).