top of page

The Staff of Union

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever." - Psalm 23

Pay attention to the word choice here; David called a wooden stick a source of comfort.


Why?


Because of the pair of hands that hold it. David believed that the Lord would use this stick in a way that reflected the posture of His compassionate heart. He trusted that His Shepard would use His staff as a tool to help David prosper, and not use it as a source of harm to beat him up whenever he did something wrong.


Note how our Shepard holds two staffs in His hands, one to defend and protect His flock against any threats (rod), and one to gently draw His wandering sheep back to Himself (staff). In Zechariah, a book steeped in prophecies of the coming Messiah, our Good Shepard, these two staffs are given names that reveal so much about their purpose:


"So I became the shepherd of the flock...and I took two staffs, one I named Favor, the other I named Union. And I tended the sheep." -Zechariah 11:7

Christ guides us using favor and union. This verse grants us so much more perspective on David's mindset as to why wooden sticks are so comforting- the deep compassion Christ has for His own is made clear in the way He guides us. When we are in Christ, when we are in deep union, or communion, with Him, we can follow the voice of the one who holds the staff, because He deals gently with us. When we stray away from Him or get lost, we don't get whipped with the stick, we are lovingly drawn in by the crook of His staff, and welcomed back into His arms, ushered into His sweet communion once more.


In the parable of the prodigal son, the Father runs and wraps his arms around his son, and joy fills his heart to have his child back home, safe and sound. It is the same whenever Christ gathers up a lost sheep.


John Gill explains in his commentary on Zechariah 11:7 that


"...we find that Christ's rod and staff... are of use to feed, refresh, and comfort, as well as to guide and direct."

Though a lousy shepard may use a rod and staff to punish, harm, or scatter the flock (Jer. 23:1), the Good Shepard uses it to unify.


Yeshua's heart is reflected in the way He uses His staff- and that is to love. His divine love differs much from human love because it is not a feeling that ebbs and flows, it is Him. Everything He does- including how He uses His staff to lead us -flows from His love, because He is love. Even His justice and righteous anger come from a place of passionate love and the desire to protect. How could we feel anything but comforted when we know that the King of kings is our Shepard, how could we feel anything but comforted that His staff is guiding us to a place of green pastures and still waters?


I think we often forget how deep His love for us truly is. Some of us are so filled with pride that we actually think our sins are too big for Him to forgive, and we've certainly sinned our way out of His love. Friend, I assure you, you cannot outrun or outsin His love. Allow the Good Shepard to draw you into His arms, and allow yourself to be comforted by the staff of His Union.

Comments


bottom of page