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Psalm 23 - III
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil - Psalm 23:4
Each year we travel to north-central Pennsylvania, to a Christian camp that we have attended since 1976. The camp with all its buildings, is in the bottom of the valley with high mountains towering above and around it. In the morning and evening, the mountains cast their shadows on the road where bikers, joggers, and hikers are enjoying the fresh air and the beauty of the unique mountains in that area.
The shadows don't really hurt anyone, but for a child or an elderly person, they can be a little intimidating. They often bring on fear and anxiety, as the people wonder if they will make it to their destination before complete darkness sets in at the end of the day.
This is kind of what David is talking about, the shadow which is cast, not the reality of death itself. Just the shadow of death can cause fear and anxiety as we face the challenges of life. When people receive the bad news from the doctor about cancer or some other disease, the arrow, and pain of fear seems to hit hard.
For most of us here in the United States, we have been living in the shadows of death since covid made its presence known among us. Even now as I write, a man and his wife are in a hospital room, struggling for their lives, as the shadow of death tries to cast its darkness over them.
For some people, being dead isn't what gives them great fear; the fear is in what lies between here (life) and there (being dead). What will you and I have to go through, what will we have to endure until our spirit has left our body? Sometimes the cure (or what appears to be the cure) can be almost as bad as the disease or physical problem we have.
David goes on to say in verse 4, "I will fear no evil." Exactly what did David mean when he said that? We most certainly know that he had a fear of Saul killing him. David fled when Saul threw the spear at him. He also said in I Samuel 27:1, "Now I shall perish someday at the hand of Saul." So David fled to the land of the Philistines.
When David made that statement (I will fear no evil), I believe he was really trying to reassure himself. He was trying to convince himself of a truth, that God would take care of him; he had nothing to fear. Even for us today, the question isn't, can God take care of us and protect us? The question that causes fear for
us is this, is it His will to do so? David knew that God had the power, authority, and control to protect his life, but would He? Was it in His sovereign plan and purpose?
It seems that David forgot about the anointing by the prophet Samuel. He forgot that he would rise to become the king of Israel. Just like many of us today, David had times when he doubted the goodness and faithfulness of God. Are the shadows of death closing in on you?
Have you begun to doubt the faithfulness of God? Remind yourself of God's goodness, like David did in Psalm 23:4. In I Samuel 30:6 it says, "But David strengthened (encouraged) himself in the Lord his God." David was a person just as we are today. Maybe we should be a man of God as he was back then. Comments or questions, contact me at: thoughtsonword@gmail.com.
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published three books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016 and Eye of a Needle in 2017 and Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.