His Rod to Protect
Your rod [to protect]
and Your staff [to guide],
they comfort and console me.
Psalm 23:4 AMP
Above is a scripture from one of the most famous chapters in the Bible, Psalm 23. This week, I have been going through this Psalm line by line and just focusing on single concepts from the passage. It's amazing what you can pull out of scripture when you take it in bite-sized pieces.
Today, I was focusing on His rod and His staff. As I read it, the Holy Spirit highlighted something to me... a shepherd's rod was not to beat the sheep with, it was to beat the enemies of the sheep with. I guess I knew that already, but the Holy Spirit illuminated it brighter to me saying, "No, listen Valerie, Jesus doesn't beat His sheep with the rod. He protects them with it." And just like that my brain exploded. haha. It was like I was reading it for the first time in my life. I thought about it again:
Jesus doesn't beat His sheep with the rod,
He beats His enemies with it.
But how many of us perceive it the other way around? Many of us (including myself at times) are waiting for God to hit us over the head with His rod. Now, this doesn't mean He doesn't discipline us or correct us. But, He's not coming at us in an abusive way with condemnation on His lips. No.
If we are in His sheep fold, if we are in Christ, there is NO condemnation. Correction, yes. Conviction, yes. Condemnation, NO. It says it right in His Word:
Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]. [John 3:18] For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
Romans 8:1-2 AMP
So what say you on this matter today? How do you perceive your Great Shepherd? Do you see Him as a loving Guide ready to beat off the wolves for you? Or are you waiting for Him to beat you?
Listen, God loves you so much. So much that He was willing to give up His Son for you. Would you give up one of your children for someone? But that is God's love for us. And He defends us against our enemies. His rod is for them, not for His sheep.
But, with that being said, if you do feel you are out of alignment with God, there is something you can do. You can come to Him and ask for forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. You can repent (turn away) from your sin. There is quick alignment when we do this! He scoops us right back to where we need to be! And He doesn't reach for His rod. No. He reaches for your heart.
The LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], [Ezek 34:11-31] I shall not want. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. [Rev 7:17] He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. ¶Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the LORD.
Psalms 23:1-6 AMP
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