Let us turn to the 23rd Psalm,
a familiar part of Holy Scripture. We have, of course, in times
past, considered something of the content of this Psalm, probably
the best known part of God's Word, if we speak in very general
terms. Most would still, we trust, have
some familiarity with the words of Psalm 23. And I want to turn
with you tonight to the words that we have here in verse 4,
in particular the end of the verse. Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou
art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Those last words then, thy rod
and thy staff, they Comfort me. And I want to turn to this psalm
in view of what we were considering only the other evening, Lord's
Day evening. We were looking at those words
in the book of the Prophet Zechariah in chapter 11 and verse 7 where
we read of the Good Shepherd and his flock of slaughter. And
I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock.
And I took unto me two staves, the one I called Beauty, the
other I called Bans. And I fed the flock those two
staves, one staff called Beauty, the other staff called Bans. And so we thought of those instruments
in many ways. We see there that they are the
instrument of a foolish shepherd. Verse 15, The Lord said unto
me, Take unto thee yet the instrument of a foolish shepherd. These two slaves had been destroyed. As we saw there at verse 10,
I took my staff even beautifully and cut it asunder that I might
break my covenant which I had made with all the people and
it was broken in that day, and so the poor of the flock that
waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord, the breaking
of the staff of beauty, and then also the breaking of the staff
of bans. In verse 14, I cut asunder mine
other staff, even bans, that I might break the brotherhood
between Judah and Israel. And so we were considering something
of these things and these different states, and on that occasion
we remarked that the staff called beauty represents to us a fleshly,
a self-righteous, a creature religion which must be destroyed
and the staff bands suggest the idea of a mixed religion because
after the division of the kingdom the northern kingdom of Israel
were guilty of the most awful idolatries in the worshipping
of the calves that Jeroboam had set up at Dan and at Bethel. And so the faithful shepherd,
he feeds the flock as he destroys those things, he destroys all
creature, religion, all self-righteousness. Imagine beauty, as it destroys
all that religion that is mixed. And so, we recognize that the
faithful shepherd is one who will set himself against that
that is false. He will expose that false religion. But at the same time, there is
that true religion that is to be proclaimed. and surely when
we come to the words here that we've read tonight in the familiar
language of Psalm 23 God's rods and God's staff and the comfort
that comes by these the instruments of the faithful shepherd and
first of all then I want us to consider something of the persons
who are being represented in the language that we have here as David addresses himself to
the Lord his God he says thou art with me thou art with me
thy rods and thy staff they comfort me it's the shepherd's psalm
of course David himself had been a shepherd boy he was familiar
with the work and the great dangers that the shepherd would have
to endure and he can say in the opening words the Lord is my
shepherd I shall not want and where is it that the Lord God
reveals himself it's in the person of the Lord Jesus who is the
image of the invisible God and Christ is that one who is the
Good Shepherd particularly in John's Gospel he reveals to us
something of the wonder of God the great I am that I am and
amongst other things he declares those words in John 10 I am the
Good Shepherd or the Lord God himself is the Good Shepherd
I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for
the sheep." And again he says, I am the good shepherd and know
my sheep and am known of mine. And remember how the image of
the shepherd is there in the beautiful language that we have
in the 40th chapter in the book of the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah
40 and verse 10. The Lord shall come
with strong hand and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his
reward is with him and his work before him. He shall feed his
flock like a shepherd. He shall guide the lambs with
his arm and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those
that are with young. The Lord God then is that one
who is the true shepherd, the good shepherd of the sheep. And of course when we come to
Psalm 23 we recognize that it is prophetic, it's a Psalm of
David, and yet really we see how it speaks quite clearly of
David's greater son, speaks to us of
Christ. And here we see the significance
of the imagery, thy rod. In the text, thou art with me,
thy rod, and thy staff, thy comfortment. The rod is associated with Christ.
It's associated with that authority that belongs to the Lord Jesus
Christ. In another psalm that's messianic, Psalm 110, the Lord
shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion, rule thou in the
midst of thine enemies, thy people, shall be willing in the day of
thy power." Oh, the Lord Jesus is that one who is given this
name of the rod. Again, in the eleventh chapter
of the book of the prophet Isaiah, and remember the words that we
have there, there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of
Jesse, it says. A rod out of the stem of Jesse
and a branch growing out of his roots. Who is that rod? Who is
that branch? Well, we know that it is the
Lord Jesus. Again, in Zechariah, Zechariah
chapter 3 and verse 8, My servant the branch, God said. And again
there in chapter 6 at verse 12, Behold the man whose name is
the branch. Who is this man? Oh, this is
that one who is the second man, the last Adam, the Lord from
heaven. He is the branch. The branch
that comes out of the roots of Jesse, who was of course the
father of David. David was a branch out of out
of Jesse, his father, but how much more David's greater son,
the Lord Jesus Christ but then also in that 11th chapter of
Isaiah at verse 10 we read these words,
in that day there shall be a root of Jesse a root of Jesse which shall stand
for an enzyme of the people In him shall the Gentiles trust.
His rest shall be glorious." There, it is clearly the Lord
Jesus Christ who is being spoken of, but not the branch out of
Jesse, but the one who is also the root of Jesse. And then when we come over to
the New Testament, there in Revelation 22, the very end of the Scriptures,
We read of Christ who declares, I am the root and the offspring
of David. He is the root and offspring
of David, and in that sense he is also the root and the offspring
of David's father Jesse, whose son is the Lord Jesus Christ, whose
son is he? Remember the language that we
have, the question that Christ puts to the Pharisees there at
the end of Matthew 22. While the Pharisees were gathered
together, Jesus asks, What think ye of Christ, whose son is he?
They say unto him, the son of David. He saith unto them, How
then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord saith
unto my Lord, Set thou on my right hand, till I make thine
enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord,
how is he his son? And no man was able to ask him
a word, neither dost any man from that day forth ask him any
more questions. Why, he is the Lord of David,
he is David's God. He is David's shepherd, but he
is also David's son. What we're being reminded of
then in these various passages that we've referred to is that
blessed truth concerning the person of the Lord Jesus. That he is both God and man. In Him there are those two natures.
He is truly divine and He is truly human. He is the eternal
Son of God, but in the fullness of the time God sends forth His
Son made of a woman. He is also that One who is the
Son of Man. And remember, again, the language
of the Apostle, how he brings it out there at the beginning
of Romans as he is defining the Gospel that he's been separated
to. The great message that he is
to preach, it concerns this man, the Lord Jesus. Concerning his
son Jesus Christ our Lord, he says, which was made of the seed
of David according to the flesh. and declared the Son of God according
to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. Oh, He is both David's Son and
He is also David's Lord. What a comfort it is when we
rightly understand the significance of that person and the two natures
in that one person. How as a man the Lord Jesus is
able to sympathize with us in all our humanity. We have not
an high priest, Paul tells us, which cannot be touched with
the feeling of our infirmities. Why? He was tempted, in all points,
like as we are, though a son, yet learned the obedience by
those things that he suffered. And how he suffered, how he was
assaulted by Satan, how he withstood all the temptations of that great
adversary of sorts, and overcame or we can sympathize because
he is a man touch with the feeling of our
infirmities but he is also that one who is truly God and how
strong he is why remember the language that we find in another
of these psalms these psalms how they speak to us time and
again of the Lord Christ In Psalm 89, verse 19, Then thou spakest in
vision to thy Holy One, and says, I have laid help upon one that
is mighty. I have exalted one chosen out
of the people. I have found David my servant.
With my holy oil have I anointed him, with whom my hand shall
be established. My arm also shall strengthen
him. But it's not David the king in
Israel in the Old Testament that's being spoken of. No, Psalm 89
is speaking of that one who is the greatest son of David, able
to save them to the uttermost that come to God by him. That's our comfort. We come by
the Lord Jesus Christ and there is salvation to the uttermost.
because he is able he has all the power and all
the authority that belongs to God all power is given unto me
he says in heaven and in earth the Lord Jesus Christ then is
that one that we are to recognize in the language of the text thou
art with me thy rod oh what a comfort there is in that rod Not that
rod or that staff that is called beauty in Zechariah 11. Not the imagined beauty of men
who think that they can make themselves righteous. No. The
righteousness that saves is that that is found only in the Lord
Jesus Christ. That should be our desire to
be found in Him. Not having our own righteousness
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ. the righteousness which is of God by faith, that justifying
righteousness. And as we see the Son incarnate,
the Savior, in that rod that comes out of the root of Jesse,
so also when we think of the staff, are we not to think in
terms now of God, the Holy Spirit, There's a sense in which we see
in the words of this text, the end of this fourth verse, the
three persons in the Godhead, the doctrine of the Triniton.
David says, Thou art with me. Thy rods and thy staff, they
comfort me. Who is the one with him? That
is God the Father. But there is comfort also in
the rod, in God the Son, and also comfort in the star, God
the Holy Spirit. And doesn't the Lord Jesus himself
speak of the ministry of the Holy Ghost in terms of the Comforter? That's the language that is used
repeatedly there in those three chapters in John's Gospel, 14,
15, and 16. Another Comforter, says Christ.
Another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever. Oh, He is that One who is the
Paraclete. He's called to come alongside
the people, to support them, to strengthen them, to comfort
them. That's His ministry. And how
We're told, aren't we, in the 11th of Hebrews concerning the
faith of Jacob amongst all those who were of faith in the Old
Testament. Dying Jacob. He worshipped, it says, leaning
upon the top of his staff. He worshipped as he was leaning
upon his staff. But what is that staff that we
have to lean on if we're going to worship God aright? God is
a spirit and we have to worship God in spirit and truth we need
to know that gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit and He comes
to us as the Spirit of Christ He comes to reveal to us the
things of Christ who is the only mediator there's not only the
rod there's also the star strengthened with might by the Spirit of God
in them, says the Apostle. Or are we those who look then
to the Holy Spirit that He would come in all the consolations
and all the blessings of the everlasting Gospel? The persons
then who are intimated here in the language at the end of this
fourth verse, my rods and my staff, they comfort me. But then to say something also
with regards to the purpose the imagery that we have in the psalm
is that of the shepherd and what we have here are the instruments
of the shepherd just as there in Zechariah 11 it was the instruments
of the foolish shepherd that had to be broken but these are
the instruments of a wise shepherd, he needs these. And why does
he need them? Well, they're needed in a sense
to defend the sheep. That's how the sheep are comforted,
because they're defended, they're kept safe. Because the shepherd knows his
business, he knows how to care for the sheep. And David certainly
was one who knew what the work of the shepherd was, and how
diligent David was in defending the sheep. We read of him there
in 1 Samuel 17, remember, when he will go and confront a champion
of the Philistines, he will stand against a giant, Goliath, looking
to the Lord, not looking to anything of himself, not looking to the
armor of King Saul, and how he appeals to Saul that Saul will
permit that he, amidst stripling of a boy, should go out against
that champion. And what does David say? Well,
he reminds the king of how he had cared for his father's sheep,
why he had delivered the sheep out of the mouth of the lion,
out of the paw of the bear, when these beasts of prey would come
and fall upon the sheep. David was there ready to defend
his sheep. But besides having to defend
the sheep, and thinking of the sheep in terms of the people
of God, Christ the Good Shepherd says, I know my sheep, and am
known of mine. Well those sheep they also need
at times Not just defending, but they need disciplining. They
need correcting. And can we not think of these
instruments in terms of that? Their correction. The rod. The language that we
have there in the book of Proverbs, of course, concerning the need
for the father to discipline his child. He that spareth his
rod hateth his son, it says. but he that loveth him chasteneth
him betimes." Chastens him betimes. It's an old-fashioned word. It
means chastens him in good time, chastens him when it's necessary.
He doesn't want to use the rod. He will spare the rod, but he
won't always spare the rod when he sees that the rod is necessary
and it's good for the child. Again, look at the words of the
wise man. in chapter 23 of Proverbs. There in 23 and verse 13. Withhold
not correction from the child for if thou beatest him with
the rod he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the
rod and shalt deliver his soul from hell. Oh, there is a need then for
those correctings of the child, and so too with regards to the
child of God. We look to God and we address
Him as our God, our Father, which art in heaven. We know that like
as the Father pitieth His children, so the Lord pities them that
fear Him. He knows us, He knows our prime.
He will never ever allow us to be tempted above that we're able,
but with the temptation, He always makes a way of escape, but He
corrects us. And we read of various ways of
the sheep throughout the Psalm, of course. We have mention here
of the green pastures. In verse 2, He maketh me to lie
down in green pastures, pastures of tender grass, we're told in
the margin is the literal rendering of the Hebrew. He makes me to
lie down in pastures of tender grass. But there might in these
situations be too much pampering of the flesh. Life might begin
to become too comfortable. And the Lord sees that. Good
for us always to be in the green pastures. We might overfeed. Oh, the Lord is a wise God, isn't
He? It's those who have no challenges
that fear not God. the Lord sees that his people
do need to experience various changes in order to their growth and
their development besides the green pastures we read of the
paths of righteousness and I'm sure as the Lord's children we
do desire to walk in those paths of obedience to live holy lives
to be a righteous people that's good But is there not also a
danger when we begin to get puffed up? When we look to ourselves
and become proud? Or the Lord has to deal with
us. How necessary is it that the Lord correct us? And how
Paul found that in his own experience. He writes of it quite clearly
there at the end of his second epistle to the Corinthians. Remember
how he speaks in chapter 12 concerning that thorn in the flesh that
was sent to try him. He'd been so favored with remarkable
revelations. How the Lord had favored him.
But what does Paul say? Lest I should be exalted above
measure through the abundance of the revelation, there was
given me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet
me, lest I should be exalted above measure." Oh, the Lord
has to come and deal with us and chasten us. And that's the
purpose of the rod. That's the purpose of the rod. When we transgress, what does
He say? Psalm 89 and verse 32 then will
I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with
stripes. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening
with old, God dealeth with you as with sons. What son is he
whom the Father chasteneth not? It's a mark of sonship, it's
a mark of favor, it's a mark of our adoption into the very
family of God. No chastening for the present
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward, it yieldeth
the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them who are exercised thereby. Ought to be a people who are
truly an exercised people with regards to these things. The
Lord deals with us. He's always dealing with us.
And sometimes his ways seem to be so contrary. But how the Lord
brings comfort from the rod even. The rod is an instrument of comfort. That's what we're told in the
text. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort them. Remember the
rod of Moses. And Moses could take that rod,
he used it of course at the Red Sea, in the dividing of the water
so the children of Israel go through on the dry land and then
he raises his rod again and the waters return and as the pursuing
armies of Pharaoh are in the midst of the waters they drown
and the children of Israel see them dead upon the seashore. Mighty things does Moses do with
that rod. He takes that rod and he strikes
the rock and waters flow forth out of the rock. And I like the
remark in that little book on the Psalms by Richard Baker. It's on this particular psalm,
Psalm 23. It's a Richard Baker's commentary on the psalm. And
he says this, could Moses with his rod fetch water out of a
rock And shall not God with his rod bring comfort out of trouble? Shall not God with his rod bring
comfort out of trouble? Even in the midst of our troubles,
God is able to comfort us. We're to kiss the rod. Or we're
to kiss the sun, aren't we? We're reminded of that here in
the second Psalm. verse 12 kiss the son lest he
be angry and ye perish from the world when his wrath is kindled
but a little blessed are all they that put their trust in
him but previously verse 9 he speaks
of his rod they shall break them with a rod of iron they shall
dash them in pieces like the potter's vessel that's how the
Lord deals with his enemies But the rod that he uses with his
children is a different rod. It's not to destroy, it's to
correct, it's to chasten, it's to teach them. Again, think of
that incident when Jonathan dipped his rod in the honey, and he
was so refreshed when he tasted the sweetness of the honey. His rod dipped in honey. Oh, there's sweetness, you see,
when the Lord lays His rod upon us, when He chastens us. Though
our cup seems filled with gall, there's something secret sweetens
all, says good Joseph Hart, how true it is. There's something
sweet in the way in which the Lord deals with us, even with
His rod. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort
me. And so besides the comfort of
the rod, there's the comfort also of the staff. The sheep
don't only need correcting, they also need to be directed, they
need to be guided in the right way, in the narrow way. And the staff is there to lead
them, the shepherd's crook. And isn't the Holy Spirit that
one who leads us? Isn't that one of the marks of
those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ? He is the only begotten
Son of the Father, yes. But all who are in the Lord Jesus
Christ are the adopted sons of God. And Paul tells us, as many
as are led by the Spirit, they are the sons of God. Those who
are led by the Spirit of God such as these are the sons of God, the sheep of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, we are prone to wonder. We're prone to leave the God
that we profess to love. Don't we need that the Lord should
come and pursue us and bring us back and gather us to Himself? Oh, the the shepherd as his his
crook and he's able to pull those sheep that are caught in the
thickets he's able to rescue them and restore them there is
a ministry there there's a purpose here there's a ministry of God
the Son there's a ministry of God the Holy Spirit there's all
the persons of the Godhead here in our text the God who is with
us whatever be our situation when we're in the deep waters
when we're in the fiery furnace he's with us and he's there to
comfort us and here of course in the context it's the valley of the shadow
of death but there's comfort Because God
is with His people and God ministers to His people in every situation.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
David says, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod
and thy staff, they comforts me. May the Lord bless His word
to us. Let us, before we come to prayer,
seeing the hymn 871, the tune is Wiltshire 268. Happy the man that bears the
stroke of his chastising God, nor stubbornly rejects his yoke,
nor faints beneath his rod. 871, tune 268. of Jesus. of his chastising God. Nor stubbornly rejects his yoke,
nor faints beneath his wrought.