Psalm 23:4c

When spying out the gear of a shepherd one would find a couple things that are essential to the task.  The rod and staff are often the stereotyped “tools of the trade” in the area of shepherding.  The Hebrew word for rod has many different facets.

For a king the rod is a scepter of authority

For a tree the rod is an offshoot of Life

For the tradesman the rod is a standard of measurement

All of these are perfectly fitting of Our Lord because all of these give so much insight to the character traits of our Lord, King, Creator, and Tree of Life. 

In this particular passage however, the word rod describes a club-like instrument often used by the shepherd to defend his flock.  When any danger threatened the beloved life of his flock the shepherd is diligent to defend, with rod in hand he will crush the bones of the enemy that preys on his possession.  We are the possession of the Good Shepherd, as His beloved flock the Lord is so diligent to defend us from the enemies that seek to prey on the peace, joy, love, and intimacy of our relationship with the Lord himself and those around us.  With the rod of His truth the Lord comes down and crushes the lies that this world, Satan and his demons, and the flesh try to deceive us with. 

 Some might ask “Well if that’s true; why is it that my circumstances have chewed me up and spit me out?”

The one problem that often leaves us wide open to attack is the sheep-like tendency we all have to stray from the truth of God’s word.  Like it says in Isaiah 53 “we all like sheep have gone astray” and so it is for us in life, we get distracted by that relationship that wasn’t so fruitful, we get derailed by that desire that was sinful, and we like sheep find ourselves straying off the path of righteousness right into dangerous territory. 

“What now?” You might ask

“I’ve walked off the path so many times and I’ve wandered so far that there’s no hope for me!”

Not True!

You see, the shepherd also carries a staff for situations such as these.  When sheep would get lost, straying a bit too far after this or that, the shepherd’s priority is to search out and rescue that which is lost.  He tracks the lost sheep down and skillfully cradles them with the staff, and lifts them from their trouble, carrying them back to safety. 

Perhaps that’s where you are today.

You’ve strayed off the path, lost your direction, and don’t think that returning is an option.

If so, then know this…the staff of His Holy Spirit will support you in your weakness and direct you safely back into His loving arms.

The rod of defense and the staff of direction are present in the hands of the Good Shepherd, and because His heart is one that loves us so radically and so deeply we have nothing to fear.  This truth was David’s comfort in his moments of delight and despair and so it will be for you as well. 

All you have to do is call out to the Shepherd.

Don’t worry.

He’s very familiar with your voice. (John 10)

Genesis 20:1-2

Kadesh being an area in the Southern most regions of the land of Promise, and Shur being an area within the borders of Egypt we see a striking picture of compromise and backsliding.  Abraham had made this mistake before when in this area, now he has reverted once again to the South and finds himself back to his old habits which end up getting him into the same trouble.  The same is true for us; we’re all prone to slip a bit in our walk with the Lord.  The symptoms are common, we become too busy to have regular time in the Word, maybe we stop going to church here and there, or perhaps we become too familiar with the Lord and put our faith on cruise control.  And here is where the problem begins, because without the Word we have no map and when we put things on auto-pilot no one is navigating, then the direction of life heads south pretty quick.  We start returning to old sinful habits God had freed us of, and we begin to get compromised not totally dwelling in Kadesh (the land of promise) but then again we aren’t fully running into Sin and the Flesh (Egypt).  We’re just kind of dabbling in between like Abraham. 

“Don’t you think your speculating a bit on this scripture Dan?” You might say.

Let’s take a look at the meaning of these words – Kadesh and Shur.

“Kadesh” when translated means “Holy”, and “Shur” literally means “wall”.

“For you are the temple of the living God…therefore having these promises beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1

When we as the Temple of God’s Holy Spirit go back to the old fleshy sinful ways we begin to move from the Holy promised land of God to the Fleshy Southern regions of Sin in Shur, “hitting the wall” spiritually.  We stop growing, we stop hearing from God, and we get disconnected from the Holy Spirit.  Being the Beloved children of God that’s not the place He wants us to hang out.

When I was growing up in New York there were certain parts of the city that everyone knew wasn’t a safe place to be.  My parents would never have let me hang out in those places. 

Why?  

Because they knew what happened in those areas.  Those places were the locations where drugs were being abused, people were being raped and killed, and crimes were regularly being committed.  It wasn’t that my parents were looking to take all the fun out of life; it was that they cared enough for my life that they separated me from those places.  So too, your heavenly Father desires to see you separate from the fleshy locations and dwell in Holiness. These spots aren’t necessarily places on a map, but places in our thoughts and desires.  He’s not looking to steal joy or kill fun, but to give you an abundantly wonderful life. 

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

John 10:10

Genesis 19:31-38

As Lot went to the mountain and obeyed God we see his daughters beginning to despair.  Lot was learning to trust the Lord but to his shame, and his daughter’s sin, he wasn’t passing on these life lessons to his kids. 

Listen closely parents, teachers, youth volunteers and anyone who has any involvement with the next generation.  When God is speaking truth and instruction into your life it is of the utmost importance to share that with the children that God has entrusted into your life. 

Apparently Lot didn’t reassure his girls that God was in control; his girls then despaired when they considered “the custom of all the earth”. 

That’s the way it goes, if we aren’t pumped up with the promises of God that say, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) then we’ll crumble under the customs of this earth that say, “There is no help for him in God.” (Psalm 3:2).  The daughters of Lot heard those voices, they obeyed the fleshy temptation to trust in their own ingenuity because they were ignorant to the Glory and intimate promise of God’s loving provision.  Their flesh gave birth to sin (James 1:14-15) and their sin gave birth to death in a very real way.  For the boys that they gave birth to would later be the fathers of two nations (Moab and Ammon) who would terrorize and oppress the nation of Israel (who in reality was their own family, being that Lot and Abraham where uncle and nephew).  Whenever we satisfy the desires of the flesh we will always grieve and terrorize the Spirit of the Lord and the family of God. 

I cannot emphasize enough the blessings you give to your children when you teach them the ways of the Lord.  Something will be taught to them every day of their lives, and if it isn’t the truth of the Lord then it’s the Lies of this world or “the custom of all the earth”.  If we aren’t doing our job to prepare them then we are allowing them to fall into the bondage and destructive ways of this world.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6

You’ll come to see that those of us who have been encouraged and nurtured in God’s truth will have a huge advantage when we come to those “cave-like” times, preventing the opportunity for the temptation of the flesh, the enemy, and this world to wreck our lives.