The Staff of God

During my morning Bible study yesterday, I wound up in Judges, chapter six (The story of Gideon). But that led me to the twenty-third Psalm.

Most of you know or are at least aware of this most famous Psalm. Many of you have pondered the meaning of the last part of verse four, “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Some have probably even made the connection back to verse one and the fact that the Lord, being the Shepherd, would obviously have a rod and/or a staff in His hand. I’ve heard it said that the idea of the rod is for beating off predators and the idea of the staff (crook) is for keeping the sheep out of danger. [Personally, I think these are references to the same item, not two different items, as if God had one in each hand.] But what I am betting almost none of you know… is that the Lord actually does have a literal staff in His hand.

Wait, what?

First you need to understand something I’ve explained many times in sermons over the years, that is, that in the Old Testament, the Angel of the Lord was often spoken of also as the Lord, Himself. This is not to say all angels were a manifestation of God. Certainly not Michael or Gabriel, who are distinct angelic beings, not God in any way. But when we see the phrase, “The Angel of the Lord,” we are usually talking about a manifestation of God on earth. We can see this in many places, not the least of which is the book of Judges, chapter six, where Gideon meets the Angel of the Lord, and if you read that chapter you’ll see that this angel is actually referred to as “The Lord” on more than one occasion (i.e. vv. 14 and 23). Jacob had a similar experience (one minute he’s wrestling with an angel and the next minute we are told he actually wrestled with God) as did Abraham, Moses… and others. Most theologians (myself included) consider these and similar instances to be visitations of the pre-incarnate Christ (called a Christophony by the scholars). Remember, Christ (the Word) was always with God and He always was God (John 1). Christ was always The Lord, second person of the Trinity (God in Three Persons). We should understand that the pre-flesh Christ (before the incarnation… before He took on flesh and was born) was the God who would visit man face to face. Christ was always the one manifestation of God, visible to man. Christ has always been God, accessible. But that is sort of a whole other blog (or book). So, assuming that you understand this idea already, let me get back to the rod or the staff of God, which I believe is more than a literary or allegorical reference.

Look at Judges 6:21.

“Then the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock…” (NASB).

Notice that the Angel of the Lord had a literal staff in His hand and notice that He used it to do a miracle in order to help Gideon believe that God was with Him. [One might also note that the rod of Moses became the rod of God at the burning bush and was henceforth used to perform miracles in the name of God. Could this have been the same rod in some sense?] So this angel… this messenger or representative of God who is also apparently to be thought of AS God (i.e. the preincarnate Christ) has in His hand an ACTUAL staff and He uses it to calm the fears of Gideon, who was being asked to follow God into dangerous battle.

So, what if the rod and staff mentioned in Psalm 23 are real? What if Christ, our Shepherd, actually has a literal staff in His hand and what if He uses it to reach into our lives and do REAL stuff… like miraculous stuff? What if the Lord, Christ always did have a staff in His hand, as He did when He met Gideon more than 3,000 years ago? What if Christ our Shepherd has been using that same staff to care for His sheep… for those who trust in Him… throughout history? What if His comfort is just as real as the staff? What if the whole thing is as real as wood in His hand? Well, if so, maybe I can take courage. Maybe I can some day even hear the Lord say to me what He said to Gideon: “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior” (v. 12). If the staff of the Shepherd, who is Christ, is being used in my favor, BY HIM, what have I to fear? Nothing.

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Amen.

2017: Random Thoughts, Ideas and Resolutions

1.) It is time for me to stop asking what I can do for God and start asking what He can do for me. I realize that sounds terrible at first. This thought came from my time in the Word of God this morning. 2^nd Samuel 7 tells of David’s decision to build God a house. His heart is very good on the matter. David says, “Why should I live in a house of cedar and God in one of curtains.” And Nathan the prophet says, “Go for it!” But later that day, Nathan receives a Word from God and reverses his support, stopping David in his tracks. You probably remember God ultimately wanted David’s son, Solomon to build the temple instead, but you may have forgotten that this is not the first thing God said to David. The first thing God said is that He (God) is actually going to build the house of David (v.11). See, David wanted to build God a house, but God’s response was, “No, I will build your house instead.” I believe sometimes God is saying to us, “Ask not what you can do for Me, but what I can do for you.” Of course, this cannot be taken to the extreme of “health and wealth” nonsense, but neither can the truth of it be ignored by those who really want to understand God. The Lord builds the house, or else those who labor are wasting their time (Psalm 127:1). Christ builds the church, and He does so in response to our faith in Him (Matt 16:18). Believe it or not, many of us pastors hear that once again and in our minds we sort of go, “Oh yeah. I keep forgetting that.” Yes, it is time to stop asking what I can do for God and start asking what He wants to do for me. Refusal to consider such a thing is like Peter refusing to let Jesus wash His feet. It’s a false humility that says God doesn’t have a plan or doesn’t want to do anything for us. Meanwhile, God is saying, “Stop! Believe! Watch!” Yeah, that’s what God showed me this morning in His Word. What does God want to do in 2017? What does He want to do in and through and for me (and in and through and for the church I shepherd). At least for now, that is the question. 

2.)  It is time for me to stop whining about the fact that my kids all left to go so very far away in the same week and that now we must actually get on a plane and take vacation time to even see them at all. Okay, that was my last whine about this situation. The turning point in my thinking came this morning in the realization that this is a VERY exciting time for all of them. I have thought about how proud I am, but I have not thought a lot about the joy that is set before them as they begin their adventurous adult lives, following Christ. With Conner and Caroline at seminary and Tory on the mission field, they are all living out the earliest days of their callings and the truth is that those are some of the most exciting times that I remember. I am genuinely happy for them and this helps me find contentment. Since this is such a great time for them, I will not let it be a bad time for me. My grown children are doing what we raised them to do and what we prayed they would be privileged to do. They are following Jesus. I am as fulfilled in this as in any part of my life; therefore, I refuse to be sad about it anymore. I choose joy. I trust God with the future of our relationships, whether at a distance or not.

3.) It is time to let gratitude win. It is not that I am ungrateful or that I do not see how good I have it. I probably spend 43% of my time thinking like that. But the other 57% of the time, I’ve been complaining. Yuck. It is time to let gratitude win, because I have way more to be thankful for than I have about which to complain. [Mental note: Turn complaints to thanks in 2017. Let's turn this thing around.]

4.) It is time to let the grace of God be enough. I have an overactive conscience. People who are close to me know I feel guilty all the time for basically nothing. I feel guilty for not having work to do most evenings and relaxing in my home. How dare I have time to play WORDS WITH FRIENDS. Aren’t pastors supposed to work all the time? (Answer: No) I feel guilty that I don’t pray and study for hours every day like my wife. I feel guilty for not evangelizing enough. I feel guilty for having it so good. I practically feel guilty for existing. They say confession is good for the soul. The Bible says, “Confess your sins one to another” (James 5:16). My confession is that I feel guilty all the time, not about any particular sin, but about general, overarching areas of my life. Wait a minute. Am I now feeling guilty for feeling guilty?

Note: Most people just have no idea what it is like to be a pastor… to know that a mistake or a weak area could ruin or end your ministry (and on the inside your “ministry” and your “life” seem pretty much synonymous). But the pressure doesn’t come mostly from the people. People are generally gracious. My problem is not the expectations of others, but my expectations of myself. And really, nobody knows my self that well, except me. The truth is that I am probably a whole a lot better than some people think I am. The more I “get real” with people about myself, the more some people jump all over that and they tend to think of me as less spiritual or less moral or basically less… than I actually am. Some people love to think less of leaders. But on the other hand, I am definitely a whole heck of a lot worse than others think I am. Bless these encouraging folks hearts, they just think I’m awesome. And sure, that feels good. But who am I, really? I am a sinner saved by grace. I am a spiritual beggar. I am hopelessly dead on my own BUT I am alive in Christ and His grace makes me spotless before God. And oh, that last part does not equal a license to sin in my mind. Not for me, no. That’s not my problem. I’m on the other extreme… still trying too dang hard. Oh wait… I said “dang.” I also said, “heck” earlier. Does that mean I’m slipping spiritually? Or does it just mean that someone out there will think that? What do I think? Well, let me just say that the introspection that came with this particular new year has brought me this one clear revelation: Personally, I need to give myself a stinking break! I need to remember that the Cross was enough. The Cross was enough. The Cross was enough. Thank you, Jesus.