The Good Shepherd’s Rod and Staff, Part 2
We continue our examination of Psalm 23, and the tools of a shepherd.
The Staff
“The staff [or crook] is essentially a symbol of the concern, the compassion that a shepherd has for his charges…
Just as the rod of God is emblematic of the Word of God, so the staff of God is symbolic of the Spirit of God…
The first…[use of the staff] lies in drawing sheep together into an intimate relationship. The shepherd will use his staff to gently lift a newborn lamb and bring it to its mother if they become separated. He does this because he does not wish to have the ewe reject her offspring if it bears the odor of his hands upon it…
But in precisely the same way, the staff is used by the shepherd to reach out and catch individual sheep, young or old, and draw them close to himself for intimate examination…
Similarly in the Christian life we find the gracious Holy Spirit, the Comforter, drawing folks together into a warm, personal fellowship with one another. It is also He who draws us to Christ…”
“The staff is also used for guiding the sheep…[T]he tip of the long slender stick is laid gently against the animal’s side, and the pressure applied guides the sheep in the way the owner wants it to go…
Sometimes…the shepherd will actually hold his staff against the side of some sheep that is a special pet or favorite, simply so that they are ‘in touch’…
In our walk with God we are told explicitly by Christ Himself that it would be His Spirit who would be sent to guide us and to lead us into all truth (John 16: 13). The same gracious Spirit takes the truth of God, the Word of God, and makes it plain to our hearts and minds and spiritual understanding…
It is He, too, who comes quietly but emphatically to make the life of Christ… real and personal and intimate…The Christian life is not just one of subscribing to certain doctrines or believing certain facts. Essential as all of this confidence in the Scriptures may be, there is, as well, the actual reality of experiencing and knowing firsthand the feel of His touch…He can be relied on to assist in every decision, and in this there is tremendous comfort for the Christian…
Many of our jams and impasses are of our own making. In stubborn, self-willed self-assertion we keep pushing ourselves into a situation where we cannot extricate ourselves. Then in tenderness, compassion, and care our Shepherd comes to us. He draws near and…lifts us by His Spirit out of the difficulty and dilemma. What patience God has with us! What longsuffering and compassion! What forgiveness!”
–W. Phillip Keller in “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23“
Part 1 in this series was posted last week.
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A Lawyer's Prayers 
“… the feel of his touch…” Experienced that more recently amid the ‘normal’ trials of life. Thanks Anna.
Though God is always present in our lives, it is a great comfort when we can feel His presence. ❤
Thank you for this, Anna. I believe your posting this was by Divine order, for you see, I was recently contacted by a former co-worker who has Cancer as is looking to me for comfort. I had not heard from this person in many years, then seemingly out of the blue she found a way to reach out to me.
Raised in the church, she left her faith as a young lady and never looked back. Now, she has begun again to call upon the Lord, for which I praise Him. This explanation of the Shepherds rod will be of great comfort to her.
I’m sure you will find a way to share your faith w/ this woman, Ron. May God give her comfort. If He has used me in this, even indirectly, I am immensely gratified.
I read Philip Keller’s book decades ago. These truths are well worth reviewing! I’d forgotten all the uses for the shepherd’s staff. The imagery certainly brings to life the nuances of Psalm 23. Thank you, Anna!