The Fearsome Valley of Death

“1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23 NIV).

We are continuing our study in Psalm 23. Our focus this morning is on verse 4a – 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.

Death. That is not a topic we like to think about or discuss for long. Unfortunately, because of sin, death is total in every generation. Lewis once observed that death does not increase in time of war, it is 100% in every generation. He’s right. One out of one dies. So while we may not want to think of death, its presence is painfully real. Gregory Zilburg, a prominent Psychologist said, “Fear of death is present in our mental functioning at all times.”

Death is not always a “sweet release” as some Christian writers have said. The Bible describes death as “the last enemy.” (See 1 Corinthians 15:26).

Now David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (and I cannot emphasize this enough. The Bible is not man’s word it is God’s Word.), says something very interesting about death. He says it is but a shadow.

George Sweeting, President emeritus of Moody Bible Institute use to say about this passage. “Just as the shadow of a gun can shoot you, or the shadow of a knife can’t stab you, so for the Christian, death is nothing but a passing shadow–it can’t hurt you.” He’s right. The shadow may be dark and scary, but in that hour of our greatest need, Jesus Christ promises to be with us. The Good Shepherd will not let those of us who know Him venture through that dark valley alone!

One more thought along these lines. Often we use this Psalm in funerals. Death is the final enemy. But I think that there is more going on here than a reference to death. The sheep are not going to death, they are going through a valley fraught with dangers, fraught with fear and they normally would be scared to death! (Remember we talked about scared sheep in our study of the first verse of this wonderful passage). These sheep, by all accounts, should be scared to death, but they are not. Why not? The shepherd is with them.

I don’t know what dark valley you may be in this morning. I do know you are not there alone. The Good Shepherd is right there with you, leading you, guiding you, guarding you, keeping you, and he will deliver you safely out the other side. Count on it! Even in death, the believer has nothing to fear. Christ promises to be with us. Take heart!