I am continuing on to the next phrase in our 23rd Psalm series.\u00a0 We find ourselves looking at the phrase “Your Rod and Staff, they comfort me”.\u00a0 I am going to break it down in two parts so we can see what the Rod is and represents and then look at the Staff and what it is and represents.\u00a0 Before we dive in I appreciate many of you praying for Tony and I as we traveled the first of this week to North Carolina for his best friends funeral.\u00a0 It has been a difficult but emotional week for us we see God’s great demonstration of grace all over this.\u00a0 While we do not always fully understand things of this nature, we can find much comfort in the love of our Abba Father.\u00a0 He knows what He is doing and will never allow us to hurt needlessly.\u00a0 This world is not our home and we eagerly await our Savior who is Christ the Lord to come and get us as He raptures His church – the Bride of Christ!\u00a0 Take heart…for our Lord is coming soon!\u00a0 We will not be separated very much longer from our loved ones who have gone on before us so take heart and prepare yourselves, Church!\u00a0 Now….back to the 23rd Psalm…<\/p>\n
What is the Rod:\u00a0 an extension of the owner\u2019s right arm.\u00a0 It stood as a symbol of his strength, his power, his authority in any serious situation.\u00a0 The rod was what he relied on to safeguard both himself and his flock in danger.\u00a0 And it was, furthermore, the instrument he used to discipline and correct any wayward sheep that insisted on wandering away.<\/p>\n
\u00a0The sheep asserts that the owner\u2019s rod, his weapon of power, authority, and defense, is a continuous comfort to him.\u00a0 For with it the manager is able to carry out effective control of his flock in every situation.<\/p>\n
\u00a0The rod speaks therefore of the spoken word of God \u2013 the expressed intent, the extended activity of God\u2019s mind and will in dealing with men.\u00a0 It implies the authority of divinity.\u00a0 It carries with it the convicting power and irrefutable impact of \u201cThus saith the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0Just as there was much comfort and consolation in seeing the rod in the shepherd\u2019s skillful hands, so in our day there is great assurance in our own hearts as we contemplate the power, veracity, and potent authority vested in God\u2019s Word.\u00a0 For in fact, the Scriptures are His rod.\u00a0 They are the extension of His mind and will and intentions to mortal man.<\/p>\n
\u00a0*The 2nd<\/sup> Dimension where the Rod was used by the shepherd for the welfare of his sheep was that of Discipline and for this purpose more than any other.\u00a0 If the shepherd saw a sheep wandering away on its own, or approaching poisonous weeds, or getting too close to danger of one sort or another, the club would go whistling through the air to send the wayward animal scurrying back to the bunch.\u00a0 It has been said of the Scriptures so often, \u201cThis Book will keep you from sin!\u201d\u00a0 It is the Word of God that comes swiftly to our hearts, that comes with surprising suddenness to correct and reprove us when we go astray.\u00a0 It is the Spirit of the living God, using the living Word, that convicts our conscience of right conduct.\u00a0 In this way we are kept under control by Christ who wants us to walk in the ways of righteousness.<\/p>\n *The 3rd<\/sup> Dimension is that the rod was used to examine and count the sheep.\u00a0 In the terminology of the Old Testament this was referred to as passing \u201cunder the rod\u201d (see Ezekiel 20:37).\u00a0 This meant not only coming under the owner\u2019s control and authority, but also to be subject to his most careful, intimate, and firsthand examination.\u00a0 A sheep that passed \u201cunder the rod\u201d was on which had been counted and looked over with great care to make sure all was well with it.\u00a0 Psalm 139:23-24<\/p>\n \u00a0f we will allow it, if we will submit to it, God by His Word will search us.\u00a0 There will be no \u201cpulling the wool over His eyes.\u201d\u00a0 He will get below the surface, behind the front of our old self life and expose things that need to be made right.\u00a0 This is a process from which we need not shrink.\u00a0 It is not something to avoid.\u00a0 It is done in concern and compassion for our welfare.\u00a0 The Great Shepherd of our souls has our own best interests at heart when he so searches us.\u00a0 What a comfort this should be to the child of God, who can trust in God\u2019s care.<\/p>\n \u00a0Wool in Scripture speaks of the self-life, self \u2013will, self-assertion, self-pride.\u00a0 God has to get below this and do a deep work in our wills to right the wrongs which are often bothering us beneath the surface.\u00a0 So often we put on a fine front and brave, bold exterior when really deep down below there needs to be some remedy applied.<\/p>\n \u00a0*The 4th<\/sup> Dimension of use for the rod is as an instrument of protection both for himself and his sheep when they are in danger.\u00a0 It is used both as a defense and a deterrent against anything that would attack.<\/p>\n \u00a0The skilled shepherd uses his rod to drive off predators like coyotes, wolves, cougars, and stray dogs.\u00a0 Often it is used to beat the brush, discouraging snakes and other creatures from disturbing the flock.\u00a0 In extreme cases, such as David recounted to Saul, the Psalmist no doubt used his rod to attack the lion and the bear that came to raid his flocks.<\/p>\n Your rod\u2026..comfort\u2019s me.\u201d\u00a0 It was the rod ever ready in the shepherd\u2019s hand used in His own encounter with that Serpent \u2013 Satan-during His desert temptation.\u00a0 It is the same Word of God which we can count on again and again to counter the assaults and attacks Satan.<\/p>\n Wow!\u00a0 What a Rod we have in the inspired Word of God!<\/p>\n Dana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I am continuing on to the next phrase in our 23rd Psalm series.\u00a0 We find ourselves looking at the phrase “Your Rod and Staff, they comfort me”.\u00a0 I am going to break it down in two parts so we can see what the Rod is and represents and then look at the Staff and what it is and represents.\u00a0 Before we dive in I appreciate many of you praying for Tony and I as we traveled the first of this week to North Carolina for his best friends funeral.\u00a0 It has been a difficult but emotional week for us we see God’s great demonstration of grace all over this.\u00a0 While we do not always fully understand things of this nature, we can find much comfort in the love of our Abba Father.\u00a0 He knows what He is doing and will never allow us to hurt needlessly.\u00a0 This world is not<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anewlifedesign.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anewlifedesign.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anewlifedesign.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anewlifedesign.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anewlifedesign.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/anewlifedesign.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anewlifedesign.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anewlifedesign.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anewlifedesign.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}