1The
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.
The
phrase "I shall not want" is totally dependent upon knowing
"The LORD is my shepherd." There is no comfort in this Psalm
for those who have not made the LORD their shepherd.
As
the Psalmist begins to explore this idea of "The Lord my
shepherd," he takes us into the fields where the sheep live. The
scene he paints for us in verses 2 and 3 are idyllic. The fact that
the sheep are made to rest in lush green pastures and drink from still
waters suggests provisional security. In applying this to his own life
the Psalmist declares that God had brought life back to his soul. He
rejoices in the fact that God had kept him from going astray by
leading him in the path that was right and thereby glorified Himself.
The
pictures of verses 2 and 3 deal with security and overwhelming
well-being. If we had to choose the life we wanted to live these
verses would describe that which is more than acceptable to any of us.
It suggests a life where every conceivable need is more than
adequately supplied. A life that is free from disturbance and
overflowing with material and emotional security. If the Psalm ended
there, then the last line should read "and they lived happily
ever after," but that isn't the way real life is. Two-thirds of
the Church doesn't even have running water and many are facing hunger,
persecution, and death because of their faith. There are times when
green pastures and still waters seem a world away. A cupboard full of
groceries and a closet overflowing with the latest fashions from
Europe are no comfort to the mother who is looking at the lifeless
form of her newborn child.
Thankfully,
the Psalmist is not afraid to face life realistically. He moves from
the lofty heights of verses 2 and 3 and descends into the valley of
verse 4. The same God who leads us besides still waters and in paths
of righteousness also leads us through the valley of the shadow of
death.
I
am most aware of my need for God, not in the midst of green pastures
or beside still waters, but in the valleys of life. It is here that
this Psalm shines its brightest, for the Psalmist declares, "Yes,
even though I find myself being led through the valley over which
looms the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."
For
me, the phrase "the shadow of death" carries two messages. First,
there is the sense in which all of us live under death's shadow. The
person who is fighting terminal cancer may be more aware of this
shadow, but in moments like this we are all forced to acknowledge it. Second,
there is a sense in which death, by taking a loved one, casts it's
shadow on us. There are times when the darkness is so thick that it
robs us of understanding. It can be so oppressive that we feel
claustrophobic. The Psalmist goes on to declare, "even though
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
harm." In the verses that follow he states three things
that contribute to his freedom from fear.
I.
THE SHEPHERD'S PRESENCE
– "…I will fear no evil: for thou
art with me…" (v.4a).
Writer
Kenneth Wilson tells of growing up in Pittsburgh:
That
house in which we lived on the side of one of Pittsburgh's hills was
three stories high in the front and four in the back. The bottom
layer was the cellar and the top was what we called the third floor,
really a finished attic, the ceiling of which was cut into shadowed
geometric shapes by dormer windows. Up there were two bedrooms, a
hallway, and a mysterious storage room for trunks that always
smelled of mothballs and history. Our family slept there, because
the second floor was usually rented out for a tenant to help pay the
rent.
Kenneth
remembers that, being the youngest, he had to go to bed first,
braving that floor of dark bedrooms. It felt like a long way up the
steps, especially because they did not have electricity above the
second floor, and a gas light had to be turned on, then turned off
once the boy was settled.
That
bed in that room on the third floor seemed to be at the end of the
earth, remote from human habitation, close to unexplained noises and
dark secrets. At my urging, my father would try to stop the windows
from rattling, wedging wooden matchsticks into the cracks. But they
always rattled in spite of his efforts. Sometimes he would read me a
story, but inevitably the time would come when he would turn out the
light and shut the door, and I would hear his steps on the stairs,
growing fainter and fainter. Then all would be quiet, except for the
rattling windows and my cowering imagination.
Once,
I remember, my father said, "Would you rather I leave the light
on and go downstairs, or turn the light out and stay with you for
awhile?" . . . [I chose] presence with darkness, over absence
with light.
Jesus
promised that He would be with us in the darkness and in the light,
yet it is in the darkness that I am most aware of my need for Him. The
darkness may keep us from seeing Him, but we can rest assured that He
is near. William Bradbury, author of "Jesus Loves Me" and
"Just As I Am" also wrote:
"When
darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace…When
all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay."
Though
God is everywhere, He is especially near to the broken hearted who
travel through the valley of the shadow of death. With the Psalmist, I
encourage you to draw comfort from the immediate presence of our
Shepherd.
II.
THE SHEPHERD'S PROVISIONS
– "…thy rod and they staff they
comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of
mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life:" (v.5, 6a).
There
are aspects of God that can only be known, understood and appreciated
when we are in the valley. God did not reveal Himself to Abraham as
Jehovah Jireh until Abraham was in the valley of the shadow of death.
Only
God would have the boldness to have a picnic in such an environment.
My thought is, "God, I'm surrounded by despair, loneliness and
other enemies, all I want to do is get out of here." It is here
that God decides to feed us. Joni Erickson Tada, in her testimony,
declares that she has learned more about God in her wheelchair that
she could have learned out of it. It is my personal belief that the
valley develops within us an appetite for things we didn't even know
existed when we were in the lush green meadows. The blue skies of
midday conceal the diamonds that are only revealed in the darkness of
night. Feed me Jesus, feed me!
It
is here that we experience the anointing, the enabling and
strengthening of the Spirit, because we need it. It is not a luxury,
but a necessity.
God's
provisions come in such abundance that they overflow our capacity to
hold them—"my cup runs over." What the enemy hoped would
be my undoing becomes the place of my greatest blessing. I am an
overcomer because of the presence and provisions of my Redeemer.
In
addition to these, we are being pursued by goodness (benefit) and
mercy (loving kindness or hesed, covenant keeping kindness) ever day
of our life. God is constantly seeking to do us good, even in the
worst of circumstances. Some of us need to quit running from the
blessing God wants to pour on us in the valley. We have misidentified
mercy and goodness as enemies we must avoid. Perhaps we need to stand
still and let God's blessings overtake us.
Thus
far the Psalmist has told us that his fear is dispelled by the
Shepherd's presence and His provisions, but there's more.
III.
THE SHEPHERD'S PROMISE
– "…and I will dwell in
the house of the Lord for ever" (v.6b).
When
this mortal aspect of the believer's life ends it is not the end of
life. The Psalmist's desire was to dwell in the "house of the
Lord forever." Jesus said, "In
my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a
place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that
where I am, there you may be also" (Jn.
14:2-4). The promise of God is sure and imparts hope to those who
stand in this dark valley.
CONCLUSION:
Isaiah
declared, "Who is among you
that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of his servant, that walks
in darkness, and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD,
and stay upon his God" (Is. 50:10). The
darkness of this verse does not refer to sin, but to lack of
understanding. There are times when we do not understand why things
happen as they do. Bad things do happen to godly people, but God is
still trustworthy. Instead of giving us a list of answers He gives us
His presence, His provisions and His promises.
©2000
by Louis Bartet, all rights reserved.
