You’ve likely heard the twenty-third psalm at some point in your life. Probably at a funeral. For some reason, it’s one of the greatest hits at funerals. Probably because it has the words “…valley of the shadow of death…” so we figure a funeral is a good place to put it.

It’s not that that’s not appropriate or true, but to relegate this powerful chapter to a spot at the end of life really does miss the point of what the psalmist is saying (singing) throughout this amazing chapter. And today I want to center in an often-overlooked and beautiful truth found tucked in the lines of these verses.

Here’s all of verse 4 of Psalm 23 (read the whole chapter sometime):

“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.”

David (the author) was a shepherd himself, so he was well acquainted with the usefulness of the shepherd’s staff. A shepherd without a staff was…well…a ridiculous thought. Shepherds needed a staff like a baker needs a bowl, a policeman needs a pistol, a plumber needs a wrench, or a seamstress needs a needle. Absolutely essential.

But what you may not know is that the shepherd’s staff was used in two different ways. In order to understand this, we simply need to think about the love of the shepherd for the sheep of his flock.

Let’s look again at this line in verse 4: “your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

So what is the shepherd carrying? Is it a rod, or is it a staff? The answer is yes. The stick the shepherd carried played two important roles: to protect and to correct. And so it is with the Good Shepherd. And so it is with God’s shepherding heart toward you right now.

The staff that a shepherd carried was used to protect his flock from predators. The length of the staff was useful in warding off whatever came the way of the flock. The shepherd would poke, swing, jab, and possibly even throw–whatever needed to be done to keep the enemy of the flock from having any way to get near to them.

Right now, in the heavenly realm, God the shepherd is warding off the attacks of the enemy. You, at times, might catch a glimpse of these protective movements, but I’d dare say that most of them are invisible to you and me. David’s acknowledgement of how God protects him ought to be a point at which we also acknowledge that God is at work in our lives, too. The business end of that staff is thwarting the attacks of your enemy on your behalf. The “rod” part of the staff was what we would normally understand as the end lowest to the ground; that end that touches the ground and would be nearest to any danger.

The other end of the staff was what we normally think of as the “crook” or the “hook”. It was very common for shepherd staff to have this bend in them for the sake of placing around the neck of a wayward sheep that starts to wander while the flock is moving along. It might also be used when a flock is feeding on a grassy place and a sheep isn’t paying much attention to the fact that they’re wandering off and into dangerous places. At those times, the shepherd’s hook was useful in corralling a sheep back in the direction of security. This would be the end of the stick that we’d imagine was closer to the shepherd’s head and shoulders, always ready for deployment in the direction of a sheep who’s headed into a direction different than what the shepherd desires.

So, sheep….what abaaaht you? (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) Where do you see God’s protection in your life? Where do you see God’s desire for correction in your life? Can you recognize that God is working on your behalf to only allow into your life what would bring Him glory and what would ultimately be for your good growth? Can you recognize that God is lovingly corralling your heart toward His? Can you hear and recognize the voice of our Shepherd? Jesus Himself told us that those who know Him know, recognize, and follow His voice. Are you listening? Are you wandering? Are you pulling away? Are you trusting?

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this shepherd’s stick God carries for our good. Feel free to comment or reach out via email. As always, I’m grateful for anyone/everyone who takes the time to read these posts.