It is for good reason that so many Christians commit Psalm 23 to memory, for as it tells of the love of the Shepherd for his sheep, and as it describes the tender protection of his flock, it assures us that God is leading and guiding us through the dark valleys of our lives. “Even 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” (Psalm 23:4).
The rod and the staff were the instruments a shepherd would use to guard and to protect, to drive wolves away and to draw sheep close. Each of us passes through dark valleys of pain and suffering and other forms of difficulty. David Mathis wants us to consider that often the Shepherd’s means of protection is not a wooden rod or staff, but our fellow sheep, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Mathis says, “As you pass through the valley of the shadow of death, and the shepherd comforts you with his staff, you will discover that he has fashioned his people to act as his rod of rescue.”
As he writes this, he echoes James who says, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).
