“And the Lord of Hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Orb; as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt.” (Is. 10:26)
Here and throughout the Scriptures, God insists that all things belong to Him. There is nothing outside of His rule and power. God sends Moses to Pharaoh with a rod that turns into dragon, and when Moses grabs the dragon by the tail, it becomes a rod in his hand. And then God proceeds to destroy the nation of Egypt with that rod, ultimately drowning Pharaoh and his chariots in the sea. Yahweh insists that everything and everyone is a rod in His hand. Nothing is so dangerous, so wicked, so evil, so chaotic, so painful, so dark that it cannot be used as a rod in His hand.
But for Yahweh to insist that everything can be used as a rod in His hand is for Him to insist that He is the Great Shepherd of the sheep. “Yea 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 runs over.” (Ps. 23:4-5)
This table is your life, and here at this table, the Lord your Shepherd feeds you. But here with you at this table are your enemies. Sin, weakness, pain, death, they are all here. We do not pretend to be living different lives when we sit at this table. But here, as the Lord serves you, He insists that there is nothing that can separate you from His love. There is no enemy that is so grim, so complicated, so evil that Yahweh will not turn it into a rod of comfort for you. So as you come, come in faith, come believing the promises of God down into your very bones. Believe with all your heart, and cry out for more faith. And look to Jesus, our Great Shepherd.
Leave a Reply