Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
I am a sheep. According to Psalm 100 and John 10 God describes me as such and that He is my shepherd. God cares for His sheep. He feeds and waters them. He makes sure they are safe from predators and seeks them out when they are lost. He heals their wounds and loves them as His own. God is a good shepherd.
As a sheep, I like much of what I find in Psalm 23. The idea of my Lord leading me to green pastures and quiet waters sounds very appealing. I am encouraged by His desire to “restore my soul”. I take comfort in His presence during dark and evil times. It is the portion afterward, in verse four, which causes me to wonder.
If I properly interpret David’s poetic song I should be comforted by my shepherd bearing the “rod and staff”. When I first think of a shepherd (God) using a rod and staff with his sheep (me) I do not think of comfort. I think of discipline, that I need my “sheep-ness” to be trained. Sheep get poked, prodded, and pulled with the “rod and staff”. My flesh might rewrite verse four: “your rod and your staff, they teach me lessons for my own good and keep me out of trouble”. However, I am learning to not trust my human response to God working in my life.
Sheep need a shepherd that uses a rod and staff. Sheep need to be prodded in the right direction. They need to be pulled out of dangerous places. Sometimes sheep need to feel a little pain from authority to avoid a much bigger pain down the road. I need these things as well. I need someone doing some pushing and pulling in my life to keep me out of danger and on the right path. This can be a comforting thought.
I am reminded of a teenager I worked with years ago. She shared how angry she was with her parents’ permissive parenting, allowing her to do whatever she wanted. Although the hurts that she experienced came from her poor decisions she felt her parents could have kept her from much of the pain in her life. “I felt like I was on a bridge without any guardrails. I just wanted someone to keep me safe”. If I love my kids well I am always looking to protect them from fatal decisions that may inflict a lifetime of serious pain, whether or not they understand my unreasonable parenting actions at the time. The same is true with God.
God’s rod and staff have become sources of comfort for me. I don’t want to be knee deep in a mess constantly. I don’t enjoy receiving the consequences of my poor decisions. I do need someone to pull me back when I drift close to a cliff of sin. I should draw comfort from a God who is committed to keeping me on a good path because He loves me, desires good to come from my life, and deserves to be glorified through the life of one of His kids.
