“The Lord is my shepherd,” the Psalmist wrote …
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:1,4).
The “rod” and the “staff” were part of a shepherd’s field equipment. The staff was a cane about six or seven feet long. It had a “crook” on one end — a curved hook which the shepherd used to keep the flock together. The crook was shaped to fit around the neck of a wandering sheep and pull it back into line.
The shepherd’s “rod” was three to four feet long. It was made from the lower trunk and the upper roots of a sapling. The roots formed a gnarled ball at one end of the rod. This made it a powerful weapon which the shepherd could use to protect the sheep against attack by wild animals. When the shepherd brought his…
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