God, Protection and Weapons?

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/386a759c/god-protection-and-weapons-the-23rd-psalm

Protection . . . ever need it? 

Years ago, I sold college rings for Jostens and spent a lot of time at the U.C. Berkeley student union. The blocks around the campus were dicey, and the secluded cement stairwell I navigated in the parking garage sketchy! And so, I frequently carried a weapon . . . just in case. It was a ring mandrel - a metal cylinder used to size rings. Oft a student would pull his own ring off his finger and say, ‘could you check what size this is? I want my class ring to fit like this one.’ The ring would slide down the graduated cylinder to the marked number on the mandrel - ‘Ah, so you’re a size 10.’ That cylindrical metal gizmo is a ring mandrel. (pictured below)

Protection sometimes calls for a weapon. 

We find ourselves in the last couple verses of beloved Psalm 23~

because sometimes we read through a passage for its overall content, and other times, we do well to take a look at it, line by line:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Rod and staff... hmmmm. Experienced Middle Eastern and African shepherds who tend flocks out in the open land carry both rod and staff. While we kinda get the idea of the staff, we read right over David’s mention of rod without understanding its distinct function and vital role. 

Pictured are rod and staff. Both are suited to the size and strength of the individual shepherd. [Stick with me here because this is really interesting.] When David tended sheep as a young teen, he would have fashioned his own rod - usually a sapling dug from the ground, carved and whittled to just the right size. Picture him taking the enlarged base of a sapling where its trunk joined the roots, and shaping the smooth round head of hard wood that would fit in his hand.1  Interestingly enough, it sort of resembles the ring mandrel, large on one end, narrow on the other. 

As the psalmist noted, the presence of both rod and staff was a comfort to the sheep; they represented protection and guidance. To the skilled shepherd, the rod was like an extension of his own arm. He could hurl that rod and drive back or even kill a wild animal posing a threat to his flock. 

The good shepherd does whatever it takes to protect his flock. Consider this illustration: ‘Once in Kenya photographing elephants, I was being accompanied by a young Masai herder who carried a club (rod) in his hand. We came to the crest of a hill from which we could see a herd of elephants in the thick bush below us. To drive the elephants out into the open we decided to dislodge a boulder and roll it down the slope. As we heaved and pushed against the great rock, a cobra, coiled beneath it, suddenly came into view ready to strike. 

In a split second the alert shepherd boy lashed out with his club, killing the snake on the spot. The weapon never left his hand even while we worked on the rock.’2 Amazing. There it is--this is just like our Shepherd who defends against evil, rising up on our behalf, always ready to fight our battles, when we look to Him. 

No matter what you are up against today, you are not alone. You have a Good Shepherd who loves you and promises never to leave you. What’s more - he is fighting for you. What good news this is!

Reminds me of what Moses said to the Israelites as they were leaving Egypt, looking over their shoulders at the advancing army of Egyptians,

“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord,

which he will work for you today...

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”3

For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you 

to fight for you against your enemies 

to give you victory."4

No wonder David was willing to take the role of sheep to the Shepherd, saying,

The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need.

He lets me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside quiet waters.

He renews my life;

he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Even when I go through the darkest valley,

I fear no danger, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff—they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

as long as I live. CSB

Our Shepherd is always on the lookout for us ... ready and willing to fight our battles. He truly is what he said, our Good Shepherd.

Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."5

There is not another like our Shepherd. Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdkuU052smc

May we look daily to You, Lord~

Christine 

p.s. Missed one in this series? The 'Morning Briefings' button above accesses previous briefings.

this is a ring mandrel!

1 - A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, W. Phillip Keller 

2 - ibid

3 - Exodus 14.13a, 14

4 - Deuteronomy 20.4

5 - John 10.11