THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH

Like stubborn sheep, the fool says, ‘There is no God’. He goes his own corrupt, abominable way that leads to certain destruction, Ps. 14. Religious leaders two thousand years ago flaunted their religion even in the way they dressed, yet the Lord Jesus called them a ‘Brood of vipers!’, Matt. 12. 34 NKJV Sadly, fools never walk in the paths of righteousness.

To walk the paths of righteousness, we follow the Shepherd. We do not obtain righteousness by walking behind the Shep­herd. Rather, we show in practical ways that, by God’s grace, we are being led in the right direction. By the way we walk, we express true righteousness. God’s gift to us in His Son is that, through His blood, He has erased our sins forever, 1 John 1. 7, leaving us, in God’s sight, whiter than snow, Ps. 51. 7.

Does ‘the valley of the shadow of death’ point to the ultimate human experience that marks the end of life here? Some suggest that the main thought is ‘shadow’, in the sense of darkness, and that ‘death’ modifies the noun darkness, making it intense dark­ness. In the latter sense, David, the author of this psalm, went through numerous moments of black darkness.

Whatever still lay ahead, and there would be many dark moments yet for David, he affirms, ‘I will fear no evil’. That assurance springs from the fact that the Shepherd would walk with him and that His rod and staff would provide him with comfort and security right to the end of life.

Centuries later, the same Lord assured His followers that He would always be with them, Matt. 28. 20. When Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, the Lord’s presence was so real that Stephen’s face shone like the face of an angel, Acts 6. 15. Standing alone in Caesar’s court in Rome, Paul later shared with Timothy that ‘the Lord stood with me, and strength­ened me’, 2 Tim. 4. 17. Both Stephen and Paul showed not a twinge of fear. Why? They knew the Shepherd was with them. Although they both died as martyrs they were both magnani­mous towards their enemies. In our dark moments may God help us to continue walking in the paths of righteousness.