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Passing Under the Rod
Psa 23:1 [[A Psalm of David.]] The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psa 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psa 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Psa 23:4 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. Psa 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Entire volumes of books have been penned about the wisdom and comfort found in the 23rd Psalm. My efforts aren’t likely to increase that wisdom, but I would like to look at the 4th verse a little more closely.
David speaks with the authority of experience. The young shepherd spent his youth guiding and protecting the flock and reports in another place his encounter with a lion and a bear.
“Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” The bible talks about Jesus ruling with a rod of iron and but that rod suggests judgment. David says the rod comforts him. He’s using the imagery of a shepherd and his sheep to teach us something.
The shepherd’s rod was wood, crafted over time to the desire of the shepherd for fit, weight, balance and length. It had several uses for the good of the sheep.
It is an emblem of power and authority to the sheep and the sheep look to the one who holds the rod. Some say the rod represents the power and authority of the Holy Scriptures.
The rod could be used like a weapon. It would be thrown with great accuracy to drive off predators. David took his staff or rod with him to meet Goliath – He may not have known which weapon he would use until he neared the battle and inspiration told him to reach down for five smooth stones. 1 Sam 17:40
The rod can be used for discipline. A tap on the hindquarters would keep the sheep in line, and a rod thrown nearby would alert the sheep to dangerous cliffs, harmful plants, snakes and similar quiet dangers.
The rod was a tool for the inspection and counting of the sheep. As the shepherd stood at the gate of the sheepfold, he would hold out the rod and the sheep would pass underneath in single file and be counted. He inspected each sheep as they passed – are they truly his? Have any wayward sheep from other folds tried to fit in? Are they in good health? Have they been injured in travel? The rod parts the wool to check their condition when they enter the sheepfold.
They pass under the rod in single file to make sure he has the right number.
Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Eze 20:37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:
Psa 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
In the eternal covenant of election, God caused us to pass under the rod and brought us into the bond of his covenant. Rom 8:28-30
This beautiful verse tells of how the Lord takes us form the dark and cloudy day in which we fell in Adam: Eze 34:12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
Psa 74:2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.
Jer 10:16 The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name.
Psa 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
The comfort of the rod.
Brother Royce Ellis
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