THE VOICE OF THE VALLEYS
Pt 4
“The Valley of the Shadow”
Ps. 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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This is our 4th and last message on Bible valleys.
So far we’ve looked at:
The Valley of Achor (trouble)–becoming a door of hope
The Valley of Baca (tears)–becoming a place of springs
The Valley of Decision–becoming a place of healing
And today we’re going to see how the Valley of the Shadow becomes a place of comfort.
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The 23rd Psalm is the best known psalm in the world.
It is routinely read at funerals, in hospitals where the critically ill fight for life, and we all read it from time to time as a source of comfort and strength.
But I want us to see today that the 23rd psalm isn’t just a psalm to DIE by, it’s a psalm to LIVE by!
Each verse builds a bridge to the next verse and lays out a beautiful picture of our journey through life with the Great Shepherd, Jesus.
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It begins with the acknowledgment that He has become our shepherd, so we could say it depicts the moment we’re saved.
At that sacred, special moment we say, “The Lord is MY Shepherd.”–not just A shepherd, but now he’s MY shepherd.
Then in vs 2 we experience the Shepherd’s guidance to healthy places and things, rather than the sinful places and things that once destroyed us.
“He makes me lie down in green (healthy, nourishing) pastures, and leads me to still (quiet) waters (of peace and calm).”
Next, in vs 3 the Shepherd is restoring us as we walk in the righteous paths he leads us to.
“He restores my soul (back to a healthy condition); he leads me in righteous paths for His name’s sake.”
Then in vs 4 a shadow enters our journey–the shadow of death–yet there is no fear!
Then in vs 5 the focus changes from our journey with the Shepherd on earth to what He has for us in Heaven.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”
He is preparing a great and awesome blessing for us on the other side–and the enemy of our soul can’t do a thing about it!
Then vs. 6 sums up the Christian journey both on earth and in heaven:
“Surely (on earth) goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life; and (in heaven) I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!”
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Now I want to go back to verse 4 to the valley of the shadow of death, because here we have yet another Bible valley presented to us.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”
Once again the word “THROUGH” is used, as with the other 3 valleys we’ve looked at.
So we’re not resigning ourselves to a perpetual valley kind of life–we’re passing through!
This valley is described as the valley of a shadow of death.
Not very attractive!
Not a place you would choose for a picnic!
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Now, when you see an approaching shadow you know that whatever is casting it is also getting closer.
That’s the idea here.
First comes the shadow, then what’s causing it.
First and foremost the psalmist here is talking about approaching death.
–And when that time comes to go home to heaven our great comfort is in knowing the Savior,
–the Great Shepherd,
–the one who died for us and rose again from the dead.
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But the valley of the shadow can represent much more than physical death!
There are other things in life that can also experience a death of sorts, and they too cast a shadow.
For instance, the Bible talks about shadowy experiences like the “darkness of a dungeon” (Psalm 107:10),
of “the pathless desert” (Jeremiah 2:6);
or, “the blinding darkness of a sandstorm,”
or the darkness of “affliction” (Isaiah 9:2),
Jeremiah the Prophet describes:
a barren wilderness
a land of deserts and narrow ravines,
a land of drought and utter darkness,
a land where no one travels and no one lives
In other words, there are “valley of the shadow experiences” that can make you feel like death is near, or like something valuable and precious in your life is, figuratively speaking, dying.
Paul the Apostle went through a “valley of the shadow” experience:
2 Cor. 1:8-10 “We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;”
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Forr instance,
The valley of the shadow can be a MARRIAGE that appears to be on the verge of death–you see the creeping shadow of its approaching demise and feel helpless to stop it.
The valley of the shadow can be a DREAM that you’ve long carried that has never materialized, and the shadow of its death is in your line of view, causing deep disappointment and perhaps even disillusionment.
The valley of the shadow can be a catastrophic ACCIDENT or DIAGNOSIS–an event that casts a shadow of the approaching death of your “old normal”…things may never again be quite the way they were before.
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Now, David says–Though I am in peril of death,
though in the midst of dangers,
deep as a valley,
dark as a shadow,
and dreadful as death itself,
three things anchor my soul and comfort me:
The Shepherd’s Presence
His Rod, and
His Staff
I. The Shepherd’s Presence
“I will fear no evil; for You are with me.”
In the dark valleys of life the number one most important thing to remember is, HE IS WITH ME!
The assurance of His presence carried many Bible saints through the darkest valleys!
God assured Jacob as he traveled to an unknown land, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go,”–Gen 28:15
And He assured His people in captivity, “Fear not, for I am with you…”–Is 41:10
Jesus assured the Apostle Paul, “For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you,”–Acts 18:10
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The SECOND anchor for every valley is:
II. The Shepherd’s rod
“Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Now, a real shepherd in Bible times would use a long, straight, wooden, club-like pole to throw at or drive predators away from the sheep.
So the ROD was a symbol of the Shepherd’s PROTECTION!
For us today the Shepherd’s ROD is the Word of God, by which we drive the devil away!
“I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one” (1 John 2:14).
The Word of God is the ROD that overcomes the devil!
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And the THIRD anchor for the soul in the valley is:
III. The Shepherd’s STAFF
The shepherd used the familiar long pole with a hook at the end to nudge and guide the sheep down the right path.
Every sheep in the flock became very familiar with the gentle nudge of the shepherds staff coaxing and guiding them in the way they should go.
Jesus knows His true flock so well that He Himself said,
John 10: 3 “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
And for us today the Shepherd’s STAFF is the indwelling Holy Spirit that nudges and guides us throughout the day, keeping us on the right path and warning us if we stray.
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So remember:
When in a valley take comfort, “He’s with me.”
And the ROD–God’s word, close to your heart.
And learn to lean on the strength, power, peace, and guidance of the indwelling STAFF–the Holy Spirit,
You will pass THROUGH the valley without staying forever IN it!