“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” Psalm 23:4 ESV
One of the most well-known verses in Psalm 23 is where David writes, “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” (vs4). This speaks of going through dark times, uncertain times, times of adversity.
What you might not know is that the “valley of the shadow of death” is an actual place in Israel. In the rugged terrain of the Judean wilderness, east of Jerusalem, there is a very narrow, steep gorge known as WadiQuelt (Kelt). It goes along the road that travels from Jerusalem, down to Jericho and the Dead Sea.
The valley itself is about four-and-a-half miles long, with walls that, in some places, reach 1,500 feet high. The width of the floor at the bottom ranges from 10 to 15 feet. The sun only hits the floor of the valley at high noon. The rest of the time it’s a very dark valley. What makes it even darker though, is that it is an extremely dangerous place. The threat of flash flooding is very real. It also has deep gullies, poor footing and even wild dogs who lurk in the shadow of the valley, looking for prey.
Still, to this day, because of the climatic and grazing conditions, shepherds still lead their sheep through this valley for seasonal feeding. In fact, it is a very real possibility that David would have led his sheep through this valley when he was growing up, making him very familiar with this place.
This is a far cry from the green pastures and still waters that David spoke of earlier in this psalm. It is a place of uncertainty and danger. It is a place where you feel closed in and threatened. It is a place where your first instinct is to be afraid, worried and in despair. Every single one of us has been in that valley at one time or another. Whether we were struggling with financial issues, relationship issues, health issues, spiritual issues, or even looking at death square in the face, we have all spent some time in that valley of deep darkness.
So, how do we get through this valley? I believe that David gives us the answer to that. David did not panic. He says that he ”walks” through that valley. He is not running or even shaking in his boots (sandals). There is no sense of fear in his words at all. He even states “I will fear no evil”. That is a choice he is making. He is choosing not to fear. So, he is walking through that valley of deep darkness with confidence. Why? As he states, “For You are with me”. Of course, David is referring to the Lord, His Shepherd. Think about it, the Lord God, the Creator of everything that exists, is walking with him every step of the way. David knew that. He counted on that. He trusted in that.
But wait, there’s more! It wasn’t just that his shepherd was walking him through that darkness. His shepherd was “packing”. David writes, “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me”. The rod and staff are basic tools for the shepherd.
The rod is a short but thick stick kept under the shepherd’s belt. It’s usually around two feet long with a knot at the end of it. This was mainly used as a weapon against predators.
The staff was much longer with a familiar hook, or crook at the end of it. The straight, bottom section was used to guide the sheep, while the hooked end was used to pull sheep from the danger or when it got stuck in thick, thorny bushes. What David is emphasizing is that our Shepherd is faithful to walk with us, protect us, and guide us through every day and every valley.
We have all walked through the valley of the shadow of death, and there are probably more valleys ahead of us. But what we need to take hold of, is that they are just shadows. They Cannot Hurt Us! Shadows may be dark, but they are just shadows. Even the darkest shadow of death is still, just a shadow.
Our life is in Christ Jesus and that life is eternal. What we must cling to is that we have this life right now. This is a promise that Jesus has made to us. Of course, this means that not even the power of death can touch us. Because of Jesus, our Shepherd, death is just a shadow.
What great peace and joy and hope we have when we know to the depth of our soul that every day our Shepherd walks with us. He protects us with His rod and He guides us with His staff. So, no matter how dark the shadow of that valley is, we can trust in our Shepherd and walk confidently with Him.
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you,
Keith Enko