In Psalm 23 David refers to God as his shepherd. This begs the question: In what way is God like a shepherd? David teaches that God is like a shepherd in at least five ways. In this post we’ll look at the fifth way. David says:
God is my shepherd in that he disciplines me.
David writes in Psalm 23:4b, “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” The shepherd’s rod and staff had dual purposes. They both fended off wild animals who might want to eat the sheep while also serving as disciplinary tools when the sheep strayed. Here we have in mind how the rod and staff serve as disciplinary tools. David is recalling how God, as his shepherd, disciplined him when he strayed.
For example, in 2 Samuel 12 David committed adultery with a woman named Bathsheba. When she conceived, David had Bathsheba’s husband murdered to cover up his indiscretion. God sent the prophet Nathan to David to confront him because this thing David had done displeased the Lord greatly. Nathan told David that as a result of his sin that 1) the sword would never depart from his household and that 2) the baby he and Bathsheba conceived would die. When David strayed as a sheep, God used his rod and staff – his means of discipline – to get David back on the right path. As a result David repented of his sin and turned back to God.
I discipline my children because I love them. I love them too much to let them stray in the wrong direction. It’s the same way with God and us. When we choose to make the Lord our shepherd we can find comfort in the fact that God will take preventative disciplinary measures to keep us from the devastating consequences of sin and ultimately from hell itself. David said “Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” Do you have the comfort that comes with knowing that God is looking out for your ultimate good? Do you have the comfort that comes with knowing that God will interrupt you when you start traveling down the wrong road? Or are you off on your own – with no one to help you in this way? If you’ll make the Lord your Shepherd, like David you can say: God is my Shepherd in that he disciplines me.