Your Rod and Your Staff
Whereas the rod conveys the concept of authority, the staff speaks of all that is comforting.
The shepherd’s rod is a shorter piece of wood with a round knob at the base. It comes from pulling a sapling tree out of the ground at its base, and the knob is formed by the roots meeting the base of the tree. Shepherds would practice throwing the rod with great accuracy and amazing speed. The rod became a weapon of defense, and a symbol of the shepherd’s strength, power and authority. It disciplined and corrected wayward sheep. A shepherd also used his rod to examine his sheep by pulling back their wool, and it would help him count his sheep and make sure they were all present.
Much like God’s Word does for the Good Shepherd’s sheep today.
“The staff is essentially a symbol of the concern, the compassion that a shepherd has for his charges. No other single word can better describe its function on behalf of the flock than that it is for their comfort. Whereas the rod conveys the concept of authority, of power, of discipline, of defense against danger, the word ‘staff’ speaks of all that is longsuffering and kind. The shepherd’s staff is normally a long, slender stick, often with a crook or hook on one end” (Keller, p. 99).
The Holy Spirit, also called the “Comforter” or “Counselor,” is often compared to the staff of our Good Shepherd. He “proceeds from the Father and the Son,” like a staff sticks out as a shepherd stands watch over his flock.
PRAYER: Let your Word be my defense, Lord, in times of temptation. Let it guide me within the holiness of your will. Let me love its correction so that I may ever draw closer to you. Send your Holy Spirit to work mightily, yet often quietly, in my heart and the hearts of others, calming us, comforting us, and creating peace. Amen.