The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he lead me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me,
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

It might be confusing as to how someone can find comfort in the passage in Psalm 23 where it states, "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." They might consider a rod and/or a staff as an instrument for discipline or punishment.

As a young shepherd boy, David carried a staff while tending his sheep. It could be said that all wise and good shepherds carried a staff while tending their flocks to ward of danger and aid in protecting their flocks in time of need. The crook aided the shepherd overseeing his flocks in terms of safety.

A few years ago, we were boating down a canal in England with my husbands family. A lamb had somehow gotten away from its mother and was down at the edge of the canal and couldn’t get back up. My father in-law steered the boat to the side and I jumped off and wrestled with that little guy until I won and got him out of the water and up the hill to the pasture. (It should be noted that having raised sheep, I had a fondness for them and couldn’t bear to see this little one bleating his heart out.) If I had a staff with a crook in it, I could have probably had an easier time of it.

His rod and his staff are for our protection – for our good. Knowing we are protected should bring us comfort. Matthew Henry said, that if Christ is our shepherd, then He will not only “conduct, but convoy, his sheep through the valley, where they are in danger of being set upon by the beasts of prey, the ravening wolves; he will not only convoy them, but comfort then when they most need comfort.”

I like the way Henry says that – “he will not only convoy them, but comfort them… .” There was a popular song years ago about a convoy of truckers and how they all ‘convoyed’ together for a united purpose. You’ve heard it said that there is power in numbers and so it is that there is power in keeping the flock together.

If you’ve ever watched a herd of deer, gazelles, or any other animal being stalked and chased by a lion, dog, wolf, or some other ravenous animal, you’ll see how they go for the weaker one in the group – the one who isn’t crammed in the middle of the pack. The one who lags behind just enough to be separated from the rest of the herd. This makes them easier prey to feast upon. The enemy doesn’t have to work so hard to get his prize supper. To develop a convoy within the flock then, creates protection. It creates more of a barrier from danger. The shepherd is able to keep a closer eye on his sheep if they are in a tight group and not all spread out.

Have you ever felt like you’re being attacked from the enemy in life? Lately I have and as I write this, I realize I feel like that weaker lamb and the rest of the herd is far ahead and I’m struggling to keep up. I feel like the enemy has been at my heels, ready to pounce upon me at any second and capture me for his meal. The rest of the flock isn’t going to turn around and rescue me at this point. They’re busy running for their lives. Instead, I hear the rap of a rod strike against a skull and as I glance back, the enemy tumbles to the ground as the Shepherd grabs hold of me with the crook of His staff and pulls me safely to His side.

The Lord’s rod and staff can be considered not only an offensive weapon, but a defensive one as well. This is evidenced by the use of the ‘rod’ to combat the enemy in the situation above. Matthew Henry tells us that the staff could be considered to be a stick or ‘rod’ with a crook in it. Therefore, the shepherds ‘staff’ pulls us from danger, while the rod wards off dang