Psalm 23 series, part 8. Preached by Chris Broom, 11/18/2007

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Joel Klemmer (4th from left) is baptized

Your Rod and Your Staff, They Comfort Me - Outline

This is part 8 of our Psalm 23 series, The Lord Is My Shepherd

Psalm 23:4 b
“”¦your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Shepherds in the field would carry a minimum of equipment. The rod (Knob-Kerrie) and the staff were essential. David knew this all to well. He had used his rod and his staff to care for, protect and discipline the sheep. Now he declares that God’s protection, compassion and discipline are a comfort to him. “”¦your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Let’s talk about the rod and the staff”¦

1. The Rod:

As young boys, these “shepherds to be” would select their own sapling which would be pulled up from the ground and shaped (the part near the roots into a smooth football shape and the handle to the young shepherds hand). They would have competitions to see who could throw his rod with the greatest speed and accuracy over the greatest distance. It becomes an extension of the owner’s right hand. This crude instrument, in the hands of a skilled shepherd was powerful. A symbol of his strength, his authority, and his power in any serious situation. Cowboys would later call their handguns rods, and it’s the same connotation as used in the Psalm.

There are three things the rod is useful for”¦

1. To discipline the sheep.
If a sheep were to wander away or end up near poisonous weeds, the shepherd”˜s rod would go whistling through the air and that wayward sheep would go scurrying back to the flock.

Psalm 119:9-16

It has been said of the scriptures, “this book will keep you from sin.” The Bible is God’s expressed intent, the extended activity of God’s mind and will in dealing with men. It carries with it the convicting power and irrefutable impact of “thus sayeth the Lord.” The scriptures are, in fact, His Rod. They are the extension of his mind and will and intentions to mortal man. In our day, there are so many confusing voices and strange philosophies. Isn’t it great to have the word of God and know that it is our Great Shepherd’s hand of authority in our lives. How swiftly the word comes to our hearts to correct us when we go astray. In this way, we are kept under the control of Christ, who wants us to walk in paths of righteousness.

2. To examine and count the sheep.

Ezekiel 20:37
says, “I will take note of you as you pass under my rod”¦” 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. A sheep that passed “under the rod” was one which had been counted and looked over with great care to make sure all was well with it. Because of the long wool it is not always easy to detect disease, sounds or defects. For example, at a “sheep show” an inferior animal can be clipped and shaped and shown so as to appear a perfect specimen. But the skilled judge will take his rod and part the sheep’s wool to determine the condition of the skin, fleece and body. ” One just does not pull the wool over his eyes.” From time to time, the shepherd will make a careful examination of each individual sheep. As each sheep comes into the corral and through the gate, it is met with the shepherd’s outstretched rod. 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. This is a comfort to the sheep, for only in this way can its hidden problems be laid bare before the shepherd.

Psalm 139:23-24

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

David wants God to get below the surface, underneath our masks and expose what needs to be made right. We can’t pull the wool over his eyes. God does it for our own good.
(Counting the cost and ongoing discipling provide this type of careful examination. Counting the cost is like a good haircut; about every six weeks or so, you need another one.)

3. To protect the sheep against predators.

To protect the sheep against predators like coyotes, stray dogs, wolves and cougars. Also to beat the brush discouraging snakes and other creatures from disturbing the flock. In extreme cases, as David writes in the Psalms, the shepherd would use his rod against even the lion and the bear. Keller, the author of “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23,” writes of a time when he and an African Shepherd were trying to roll a boulder down a hill, a snake appeared ready to strike. The shepherd immediately struck it with his rod which never left his hand. Jesus, in the same way, used God’s word against Satan in the desert. Satan desires to destroy us. Revelations teaches us that he leads the whole world astray, and we know that to be true because in our social order, we face a world of men and women whose code of conduct is contrary to all that Christ has advocated. We are therefore exposed to an enormous amount of temptation and sin. Still, God’s word can meet and master any difficulty if we rely on it.

Last night on America’s Most Wanted, I saw a piece about a man in India that noticed someone strange hanging out around a children’s school. This strange man asked for help getting a fake passport for himself and a child, and he told the man his first name. It turned out that the man from India was able to Google the strange man and find out he was a rabbi and a child psychologist. He also found him on a website he had never heard of “¦ America’s Most Wanted. It turned out this rabbi / child psychologist was also a pedophile and the subject of a world-wide manhunt. He was believed to be hiding in Israel. This man contacted America’s Most Wanted and now Horowitz is in prison till 2012.
(Scriptures on False Doctrines. 2 Timothy 4:3-4, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, Acts 20:28)

When Moses used his rod to demonstrate the power vested in him by God. The miracles he performed were done not only to convince Pharaoh of Moses’ divine commission, but also to reassure the people of Israel. In this way, his rod comforted them. (When we see the Bible work in people”˜s lives, it reassures us. When we see people reject the Bible, and see the fruit in their lives, it should also reassure us.)

2. The Staff:
No one in any other profession carries a shepherd’s staff. It is normally a long, slender stick with a crook or hook on one end, and It is an instrument uniquely formed for the care and management of sheep. It is a symbol of the concern and compassion that a shepherd has for those in his charge. Whereas the rod conveys the concept of authority, power, discipline and defense against danger; the word “staff” speaks of all that is long suffering and kind. It is also quite a comfort to the shepherd himself during long treks up the mountain and long hours in the fields. (We need both the Rod and the Staff / Compassion and Correction / Love and a Club.)

The Staff:
Let’s talk about what the staff is useful for”¦

1. To gently lift the sheep:

A. To gently lift a newborn lamb and bring it to its mother if they become separated.

B. Sheep stubbornly get themselves into the craziest of circumstances. Keller talks of a sheep who for another mouthful of grass, climbed down a steep cliff where she slipped and fell into the sea. Only his long shepherd’s staff could lift her out of the water and back onto the solid ground again. We do the same thing when we get ourselves into circumstances that we can’t get ourselves out of. Then in tenderness, compassion and care, our shepherd comes to us. He draws us near and lifts us out of the difficulty we are in. What patience God has with us. What forgiveness.

2. To guide the sheep:

To guide the sheep gently into new paths or through some gate or along dangerous, difficult routes. The tip of the stick is placed gently on the sheep’s side, and pressure is applied to guide the sheep in the way the shepherd wants it to go. (like walking hand in hand.) In the same way, God’s spirit guides us, and as we comply with his guidance, even on dangerous paths, a spirit of safety, comfort and well-being envelopes us.

Acts 13:1-3
In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

(Sharing about the trip to Syracuse, the love of the church there and how the Holy Spirit works to multiply disciples.)

Categories: Lord is my Shepherd, Sermons