THE GOOD, GOOD SHEPHERD
Part 2
“The Shepherd of Your Darkest Valley”
Psalms 23:1-6 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
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Again, the 23rd psalm is not just a psalm to die by, it’s a psalm to live by.
Each of the 6 verses builds on the next one so that our lifelong journey with the good, good Shepherd is beautifully captured in 6 beautiful, succinct verses.
We saw last time that our Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, first PROVIDES for us: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” (I have all I need).
Then in verse 2 we see that He feeds me in the rich, green pastures of His word, and the quiet waters of His Spirit.
In doing so He RESTORES my soul!
Then in verse 3 we saw that He GUIDES us onto the right path—the narrow road of obedience that leads to life.
So the first 3 verses picture a joyous journey with the Shepherd as we experience His PROVISION, His RESTORING touch, and His GUIDANCE.
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But the next verse takes a different, darker turn.
“Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”
Suddenly there is a VALLEY.
And the valley is described as dark, shadowy, and frightening.
—VALLEYS are a part of life.
In fact, there’s no mountaintop without a valley.
In King David’s day, narrow, constricted valleys between two mountains greeted every shepherd leading his sheep to the beautiful grazing lands they hungered for.
Because the mountains were so high, very little sunlight made its way into the valley.
Hence, David’s words “the valley of the shadow.”
But a word of encouragement to all of you in a valley of some kind today—the richest fruit is in the valley!
The mountaintop is majestic and breathtaking, but it’s also mostly barren of anything growing or that you could eat!
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It is in the valley where the sheep learned to trust the shepherd’s skill and care while guiding them through the dark and often treacherous path.
Not only were the valleys shadowy, they harbored hungry predators watching from perches above the journeying flock.
The faithful shepherd would endanger his own life to fight off a charging lion or bear!
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Now, many Bible translations read “the valley of the shadow of death.”
But this is NOT the most accurate translation of the original Hebrew words.
The NIV, NLT, and others translate the phrase as “darkest valley,”—“Even though I walk through the darkest valley . . . .”
The Hebrew word for the phrase “shadow of death” means “darkness” or “dark shadows,” so that the verse might better read——“though I walk through the valley of the deepest darkness.”
So this Psalm is about, not just death, but the darkest, deepest valleys of life that come as trials and tests of our faith.
For instance, there is:
—The valley of bitter BETRAYAL.
—The valley of vexing FAILURE.
—The valley of crushing HEARTBREAK.
—The valley of debilitating LOSS.
—The valley of DISILLUSIONMENT.
—The valley of FINANCIAL crisis.
—The valley of DEPRESSION so many battle.
—The valley of aching LONELINESS.
These and many other things can become dark valleys where, more than any other time, we need our good Shepherd to guide and comfort us!
The fact is real sheep lack good vision and are easily frightened in new circumstances, especially where it’s dark.
Only the presence of the shepherd calms them.
When passing through a dark valley, a real shepherd would move from the back of the flock to the middle so the sheep could gather around him.
In the same way our good, good Shepherd is never closer to us than when we are in a deep, dark valley!
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This verse assures us there is no place so dark that God is not present, or can’t reach you.
—In your darkest valley, He is there!
Hence, David confidently proclaims, “Thou art there!”
Now, the passage tells us there are two things by which the Shepherd brings comfort and reassurance to the sheep:
“Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
So there is a “ROD” and a “STAFF.”
First,
I. The Rod
The rod was a short, heavy, wooden club—about 2.5’ long—with the end filled with heavy pieces of iron embedded into it.
The shepherd’s rod was his primary offensive weapon for protecting the flock from enemies, be they wild animals or human thieves.
With this formidable weapon the shepherd could stun or kill an attacking beast.
So how does the Shepherd’s rod or club bring comfort to the sheep in a valley?
Because they know he will PROTECT them—that he will fight for them at risk of his own life!
Likewise, our good Shepherd protected and protects us from the devil—with His Presence and His Word!
He “laid down his very life” for us sheep so that we could be delivered from the jaws of the roaring lion!
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But the rod had another purpose!
The shepherd’s rod was also used as a counting device for his flock.
As the sheep re-entered the sheepfold on returning from the valley, the rod was held up across the entrance and the sheep were counted as they passed beneath the rod.
This is the shepherd’s way of personally checking that his sheep are all present and accounted for.
This is a beautiful picture, for the rod of warfare is now used as a symbol of His loving possession of us!
The sheep could never get more than 24 hours out of the Shepherd’s presence!
In your deepest, darkest valley, the good, good Shepherd is keeping close track of you!
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And then there was:
II. The staff
The staff was the shepherd’s long cane-like stick that turns into a hook at the end.
He used his staff to keep the sheep in the safe boundaries of the flock.
If a sheep started to wander or to fight with another sheep, the shepherd would extend the staff and use the hook at the end to pull the sheep back into the fold.
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The good news regarding the valley is that Jesus is not a hireling who runs away in our tough times.
He is a true Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. (John 10:11-15)
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The valleys of life reveal that defeating enemies and protecting sheep is what our good, good Shepherd does!
Listen to our Shepherd’s words:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27–28).
Jesus knows exactly who belongs to him.
He “calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
He goes before us, and we, His sheep, follow him, for we know his voice!
So…Numbered by Jesus, we’re led by Jesus;
And led by Jesus, we’re protected by Jesus;
And protected by Jesus, we’re comforted by Jesus!
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Some of you feel weak today.
The circumstances of life have taken you down, and you feel broken in your valley.
Isaiah writes that when the good, good shepherd comes to us in our valley, He will not break a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick (Matt. 12:20, citing Isa. 42:3);
Meaning, if you’re bruised, He won’t harshly break you.
And if your strength and faith are like a barely flickering candle, He won’t blow it out.
—He is tender in dealing with our brokenness.
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So today, let the ROD and STAFF in Jesus’s hands encourage your faith!
Remember, he’s leading you THROUGH the valley, not leaving you IN it!
On the other side is the house of the Lord where we’ll dwell forever!
NEXT WEEK: “Your Table is Ready!”