The Valley

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)

This is easily one of the most recognizable verses in the entire Bible.  How telling that a verse that deals with the worst experiences of our lives - death, tragedy, loss - is the one many of us can recite from memory.  It is in those darkest times when we seek comfort and reassurance.  And it is in our Shepherd that we find comfort and reassurance.

In his book "God's Psychiatry," Charles Allen states: "The Basque Sheepherder describes an actual Valley of the Shadow of Death in Palestine.  It leads from Jarusalem to the Dead Sea and is a very narrow and dangerous pathway through the mountain range.  The path is rough, and there is danger that a sheep may fall at any moment to its death.  It is a forbidding journey that one dreads to take.  But the sheep is not afraid.  Why?  Because the shepherd is with it."

As Mr. Allen points out, the Twenty-Third Psalm is the nightengale of the Psalms.  The nightengale sings its sweetest when the night is darkest.  When I have found myself in the valley of the shadow of death, it is daunting, overwhelming and terrifying.  But always I find God to be nearer and clearer in the valley than at any other time in life.  Sometimes I don't fully realize His nearness until the darkest part of the darkness has passed, but always I find Him.  He doesn't "fix" things or erase the tragedy that has occurred, but He holds me as tightly and as long as I need.  I can scream and cry, I can even question His place in it all...but still He holds me tight.

If you're like me, the second part of this verse - "your rod and your staff, they comfort me" - has always been a little confusing.  What rod, what staff, and how could such things be comforting?  Charles Allen explains:  "The sheep is a helpless animal.  It has no weapon with which to fight.  It is easy prey to any wild beast of the field.  It is afraid.  But the shepherd carries a rod, which is a heavy, hard club two to three feet long.  Also, the shepherd carries a staff, which is about eight feet long.  The end of the staff is turned into a crook.  Many paths in Palestine were along the steep sides of mountains.  The sheep would lose its footing and slip down, hanging helplessly on some ledge below.  With his staff, the shepherd could reach down, place the crook over the small chest of the sheep and lift it back onto the pathway.  The sheep is instinctively comforted by the shepherd's rod and staff."

With the state of our world, it seems impossible that God could be near enough to comfort and protect us.  But let's not forget that if the shepherd has the wisdom, compassion and know-how to protect and comfort a simple sheep, how much more does our Shepherd endeavor to do the same for us, His most prized possession?  The valley may be dark and treacherous, but if we grab hold of God's hand, He will guide us back into the light.

The Journey to Somewhere

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  (Psalm 23:3)

Continuing in his book "God's Psychiatry," Charles Allen states: "...the sheep has no sense of direction.  A dog, a cat, or a horse, if lost, can find its way back.  They seem to have a compass within themselves.  Not so with a sheep.  The sheep has very poor eyes.  It cannot see ten or fifteen yards ahead.  Palestinian fields were covered with narrow paths over which the shepherds led their sheep to pasture.  Some of these paths led to a precipice over which the stupid sheep might fall to its death.  Other paths lead up a blind alley.  But some paths lead to green pastures and still waters.  The sheep followed the shepherd, knowing it was walking in the right path.  Sometimes the shepherd led over steep and difficult places, but the paths he followed always ended up somewhere.  The sheep was willing to trust that 'somewhere' to the shepherd's judgment."

Oh how thankful I am to have a wise Shepherd to lead this blind and stupid sheep!  This part of the 23rd Psalm, as well as the most familiar part yet to be discussed, gets to the heart of what it means to have faith.  All of us face times of great difficulty in life.  Some of those times are the result of our own sinfulness, while other times happen without our input or choosing.  The question "Why is this happening?" or "Why did this have to happen?" is as natural and necessary to our existence as breathing.  Devising a worldly answer to that question is a futile effort, because no such answer can satisfy the longing in our souls that prompted us to ask the question in the first place.  If we trust God to lead us, even through the rough patches, then the "somehwere" He has in mind is the answer.  Life is about both the journey and the destination.  God is with us on the journey in order to ensure we reach the destination He has in mind.  Our faithfulness during the journey and our gratefulness for the destination glorifies God...for His name's sake.

Charles Allen adds: "Notice that the Psalm says, 'He leadeth me.'  God doesn't drive.  He is climbing the same hill that we climb - man is not alone.  As we take life one step at a time, we can walk with Him the right paths."

The only reliable compass we have is that of our Shepherd.  He is our "true north."  Let us confidently follow His lead.