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Sunday, August 02, 2009
THY ROD AND THY STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME
Seventh in the Psalm 23 Series
By Rev. Jerry Herships
Scripture: Psalm 23 New Revised Standard Version _1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long. _
When Harvey approached me and asked if I would do one of the sermons for the 23rd Psalm series I thought that sounded great. A lot of people know the passage. It’s pretty straight forward. Everything in it makes sense for the most part. It would be pretty easy. Then he said, “Okay great, it will be on Aug 2nd, and we should be at ‘thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.’ You take that part of the Psalm.” I was fine with that but then I got to thinking, the Psalm makes sense for…THE MOST PART? There really is only one part that doesn’t make a lot of sense. It is right in the middle and it’s only eight words, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
This part has always bothered me. The Psalm is about comfort and peace. I always struggled with why after lying down in green pastures, resting beside still waters, having my soul restored and guiding me, I would find comfort in a rod and staff? Getting smacked, even if for discipline’s sake, didn’t seem to fit with the overall context of the Psalm.
Now it is true that God’s anger and discipline are mentioned many times, especially in the Old Testament. It is in Isaiah and Lamentations and Job. And it is true that this understanding of discipline is the interpretation among many Jewish scholars. But there are other ways to understand what the Psalmist might have meant in the context of THIS passage. In order to do this, we have to understand how the rod and the staff were used in the hands of a shepherd. They were two distinct tools that served different purposes.
Each Shepherd would select and hand carve their own rod and staff to fit their own size and strength. They would do this from the very beginning when they were just young boys tending their dad’s flock.
The rod was a stick about a yard/meter long with a knob on one end, while the staff, or "shepherd's crook," looked somewhat like a modern cane, although sometimes longer. The shepherd boy would spend hours practicing leaning how to throw his club with speed and accuracy. It was what he used to defend both himself and his sheep. The rod was pretty much an extension of the owner’s own right arm. It was a symbol of the shepherd’s strength, power, and authority. The rod was what he relied on to safeguard both himself and his flock in danger. And it was, also, the instrument he used to discipline and correct any wayward sheep that insisted on wandering away. Sometimes if the sheep was headed towards danger, the shepherd would throw the rod towards the danger (say poisonous plants or shrubs) and this would make the sheep scurry back to the safety of the flock. It was also used to defend against dangerous animals like wolves, or other animals that might attack the sheep. It was used to keep the sheep safe, sometimes from their own stupidity and sometimes from the dangers of the world.
The Bible sees the rod as something that is not only used for discipline but for other uses of the shepherd. The rod in the shepherd's hand was used to examine and count the sheep. In the terminology of the Old Testament this was referred to as passing "under the rod." Here it is in Ezekiel:
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: (Ezek. 20:37).
This meant not just being under the shepherd’s control and authority, but also to be subject to a very careful, and thoughtful examination. A sheep that passed "under the rod" was one which had been counted and looked over closely to make sure it was well. The sheep was not just seen as part of the flock, but the shepherd took the time to know it personally and to care for the sheep.
This to me fits the tone of the rest of the Psalm. When we are grieving and needing comfort, God let’s us “pass under the rod” and is there with us in a personal and intimate way. That to me is comforting.
The Shepherd would also use the rod to part the sheep’s wool, looking closely at what lied closer to the skin. The shepherd could spot any defects, disease, or wounds that might be harder to see with the naked eye. It was only by doing this that the Shepherd could see any hidden problems. They were laid to bare before the shepherd. This way nothing escaped his glance. Even when things might look fine on the surface, the shepherd knew any problems or challenges that lay deeper. This too is a comfort to me.
We all look so great on the surface. When we show up here on Sundays, no one has any problems. There are many smiles and we find ourselves saying, “Jeezz, I wish MY life and family were as together as THAT family over there.” And yet we know none of us are immune to money problems, health issues, body image junk, job struggles, and the list goes on. God knows each and everyone of the struggles you are working through and He loves you deeply anyway. God knows all your struggles and is there to offer comfort and safety from the world.
Now the staff served a different function. The staff was used for guiding sheep. It was much longer and looked a lot like what we might think of as a cane with a hook on the end.
Interestingly, the Hebrew word used for rod and staff is the same word, pronounced “mat-taw.” It translates sometimes as rod and sometimes as staff even within the same translation, like in the King James Version. A shepherd would use his staff to guide his sheep gently into a new path or through some gate or along dangerous, difficult routes. He wouldn’t beat the beast. Instead, the tip of the long slender stick was laid gently against the animal's side and the pressure applied guided the sheep in the way the owner wanted it to go. Thus the sheep are reassured of the proper path.
I want this kind of guidance in my life. I pray that God will always find ways of gently guiding me back in the direction that is the best for all concerned.
See, sheep are stubborn creatures and often get into some tough and hard to get out of situations. Sound like anyone you know? One shepherd I read about said he had seen his own sheep, greedy for one more mouthful of green grass, climb down steep cliffs where they slipped and fell into the sea. Only his long shepherd's staff could lift them out of the water back onto solid ground.
Contrary to popular belief, God is not the good shepherd. God is the GREAT shepherd. Our God does lie us down next to green pastures, does show us the still waters and does restore our soul. But our God does much more.
Our God keeps us safe from dangers in the world. Our God knows each of us intimately. Our God takes the time to look deeper, and see what lies under the surface where maybe the rest of the world doesn’t see. Our God guides us on the right path and directs us away from situations that might not be the best for us. Our God gives us comfort. Because of the comfort of the rod and staff, we will never be able to pull the wool over God’s eyes. (I had to try.)