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Dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus, part of the growing repentance remnant, members of His flock, of which Jesus is the Shepherd (John 10:16), Jesus being the first to preach His gift of repentance (Matthew 4:17), now calling on each of us also to preach repentance (Luke 24:47).
The Lord God Almighty, Adonai, counts the hairs on your head; He knew you in your mother's womb.
We are now in a holy time leading up to the day of atonement, a Feast of the Lord, Leviticus 23:26-32. That day is a time to "afflict your soul." As Pastor James Nesbit teaches us it's also connected to the Shepherd's Rod.
The Shepherd’s Rod and Yom Kippur
“I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.” Ezekiel 20:37
Yom Kippur is the day of passing under the rod. It is the moment when the Shepherd stands at the gate and the flock moves before Him one by one—not to be scattered, but to be counted, examined, and claimed. In ancient practice, the shepherd’s rod was not first an instrument of correction, but of identification. Sheep passed beneath it so the shepherd could mark who belonged to him.
On the Day of Atonement, Israel stood before God in this very posture. Hearts were weighed. Lives were searched. Not for condemnation, but for covenant. Yom Kippur is not about rejection; it is about belonging restored. The rod separates what is His from what must be released.
The Shepherd’s Rod represents authority submitted to mercy. The same rod that protects the flock also exposes hidden wounds. On Yom Kippur, God touches the places we conceal—not to shame us, but to heal us. Nothing passes under the rod unnoticed, yet nothing submitted is left uncovered by grace.
The rod also speaks of direction. A shepherd uses it to gently guide wandering sheep back into alignment. Yom Kippur is the great realignment day of the year—a holy correction that redirects destiny. What drifted is brought home. What strayed is restored to the fold.
In Christ, this mystery is fulfilled. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who bore the judgment we deserved, so that when we pass under the rod, we do so covered by His blood. The rod no longer strikes us—it identifies us as His. The accounting ends in atonement. The inspection ends in acceptance.
The Lord is saying: Do not fear My examination. Passing under the rod is how the flock is secured. Those who submit to the Shepherd on Yom Kippur emerge marked by mercy, sealed by covenant, and positioned for peace.
This is the day to yield—not resist. To stand still—not justify. To trust the Shepherd who knows every sheep by name. Those who pass under the rod with humility walk out lighter, cleaner, and firmly within the bond of the covenant.
Good Shepherd, on this Day of Atonement we willingly pass under Your rod. Search us, mark us as Your own, and restore us to covenant alignment.
Thank You for the blood of Jesus that covers us fully. Lead us in Your paths of righteousness and keep us in Your fold. In Jesus’ name, amen
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