Devotion 4.21.26

Psalm 23

4 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.

I did a search (on Google) to see if there were any psalms that came out of David's battle with Goliath. Psalm 23 came up as one possibility. As I read it under the lens of David's anticipation of and actual battle with Goliath, I believed the results of the findings, To read Psalm 23 as a preparation for daily life and the battles we may wage on those days is a great way to view this psalm.

It does fit with our pastor's teaching on this psalm: this is a psalm about life and not death. Reading this psalm for the bereaved provides comfort, and it makes it the single-most well-known passage in scripture. However, Luther writes on this psalm that "a Christian heart praises and thanks God for... comforting and protecting him in every danger through his Holy Word."

It is the psalm for the 4th Sunday in Easter (April 26). That means that Christ is about half-way through his ministry after the resurrection which means that he is still giving comfort to and teaching the disciples in preparation for his departure. The staff of s shepherd is well known, but the rod is equally important in that it is a more severe way to save a sheep from itself. My dad's large 6'2" frame was imposing, and his large hands could provide comfort and security. They could also at times send the message of "the rod," "Cross this line and you'll find out the meaning of 'Boy! Don't you do it.'"

Christ doesn't cut an imposing figure in our minds, but he is the "good shepherd." In John 10, Christ takes a considerable line of thought on being the "good shepherd" who has laid down his life for his sheep. Others have pretended to be him, but they are thieves and robbers. Christ notes that the Father loves him because "I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord."

Christ, our good shepherd, laid down his life for us in order that our lives can be free from sin, Satan, and death. In short, he took the punishment from the rod, so that we are freed from God's wrath. Our life in eternity is assured. As we go through the valleys of life, we can be at peace in the knowledge of this salvation. 

Pray with me: Gracious Father, I give thanks for your Son Jesus Christ. He is my good shepherd. I pray that I hear his Words and take them to heart. Help me to not hear the words of men who mean me harm and follow them, but help me to turn to Christ in all of my stations of life and to hear his Word, Your Word, and to follow him. Amen.