A Certain Trumpet: Psalm 23 series — Psalm 23:4 — Inside the Valley of the Shadow of Death

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4).

The video, filmed somewhere in Iraq, is filled with kneeling, blindfolded, orange-clad people. Hands tied behind their backs, the fate of these Christians will soon be realized. Seemingly the masked captors appear to be in control. Little do they know that God is in control and present at that moment.

Later in Charleston, South Carolina, a young man who has been living in the shadow of hatred and fear emerges from the darkness. He walks into the Bible study and sits down, engaging the small group in debate about what they are reading. Later this young man forces evil upon those who willingly invited him into the Light. Instead he brought the shadow of death with him.

The faintest of lights can penetrate the deepest darkness, but for a few brief moments in the two situations the deep darkness overcame the light — or so it seems.

Psalm 23:4 is not about death, it’s about the shadow of death. It’s about such a dark and lonely and frightening place that death seems very near. It’s about a place that seems so very far away from everybody and everything — including God — that we might even wish death would relieve us of the incredible fear and loneliness there.

I don’t know how many people live in the valleys, but there are millions in America who do. There are those who live in the valley of mental illness and homelessness. Some live in the valley of poverty and addiction. These people, if they could, would flee their lives of destitution, sickness and hardship.

But perhaps the worst valleys of the shadow of death are the valleys of bigotry and hatred. It seems as if those who inhabit these valleys want to be there. 

These valleys of the shadow of death are evil and malicious. Most of us cannot begin to understand why anyone would not want to find their way out of those dark valleys as soon as possible. Why are some content to live in the shadows — the shadows of death?

John the Gospel writer has an answer for that question, “And this is the judgment: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the Light and does not come to the Light, lest his works should be exposed” (John 3:19–20).

The reality is this: we live in a world where evil exists and it has existed since the beginning of time. God has been fighting evil for eternity. That’s what He told Job.

Evil loves darkness

And evil loves the darkness. On that Wednesday night in Charleston, evil waited in the dark and struck at dark. 

 David, who wrote Psalm 23, found himself in the darkness of the valley where the shadow of death was upon him.

We too find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death from time to time. We find ourselves in the valley of selfishness or greediness. We wander into the valley of revenge and retaliation. We willingly hike down into the valley of jealousy and envy, of strife and conflict.

The truth is, most of us can scratch and claw our way out of the valley. We can use our own strength and courage to find the way out of those valleys. 

But death cannot be defeated by our sheer determination. Death, the mere shadow of death, is more than we can overcome. Only God can provide the way out of that valley. 

The literal translation of verse 4 is, “Even though I walk through the valley of deep darkness.” Life in the valley of the shadow of death means a life in darkness.  

It is very interesting that David does not say God’s light will guide us out of the valley — that the Light of the world will illuminate our way out of the valley of the shadow of death/deep darkness. Rather it is the rod and the staff of the Shepherd that will comfort us and lead us out of the valley.

David used the shepherd analogy because it is a perfect picture of God. He is not detached from us; He is not distant; He is not aloof. God is in the valley of the shadow of death/darkness with us.

We hear the doubters ask, “Where was God when those people needed Him? When they needed His protection?” The answer is that He was right there with them, guiding them out of the valley of the shadow of death. He was guiding them home.

They were in the light. They knew the Light. They were being and doing everything that God had asked them to be and to do. Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my Light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”

I’m not saying our Christian brothers and sisters were not afraid as they faced their deaths. The shadow of death is frightening. I’m saying God never left them and never abandoned them. 

So where do we go from here?

Some have suggested we abandon the missions field or arm our deacons with guns. I suggest we do what we were called to do: take the Light to the world. It is not a proposal or an idea. It is a command of what we must do. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

We also must seek out those who live in the darkness. We take light to the darkness. We can take light to those in the valleys of deep darkness. But it will be God who guides them out by His rod and His staff. Guiding people out of the valley of the shadow of death is God’s job. We are here to assist and we should do so as often as we can. But it will be God who leads them.