Psalm 23:4 - I Will Fear No Evil; For Thou Art With Me.
Psalm 23:4 (KJV) 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.
INTRODUCTION
For You Comfort Me: The very center of
this psalm; [NIV SB]. Note this Psalm mentions
three ways God comforts us; 1) with His presence,
2) with His rod [His word], and 3) with His
staff [His Spirit].
COMMENTARY PEARLS
Walking with the Shepherd
Psalm 23:4 often has been taken as a
truth to provide comfort to someone who is dying.
I think that is fine. But I dont think
its really the primary intent of the verse. In
context, its a picture of a shepherd guiding his
sheep through a dangerous situation: 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
(NKJV).
Notice the psalmist David does not say,
Yea, though I collapse and die in the valley of
the shadow of death or Yea, though I crawl
through the valley of the shadow of death.
Rather, David says, Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death (emphasis
added).
David was saying, Im going to keep
walking. Im going to keep moving, and Im going
to get through this.
Of course, we dont like trials. We
dont like valleys. In fact, if we had our way, we
would choose to go from mountaintop to mountaintop
and from glory to glory. We would go from one
happy day to another with no hardship, no tragedy,
and no sorrow. But that is not the way it
works.
Heres something we need to know:
Spiritual fruit doesnt grow on mountaintops. It
grows in valleys. And the real fruit and depth and
character in your Christian life will not come through
the good times, per se.
Instead, it will come from times of
difficulty and suffering as you are being conformed
into the image of Jesus Christ and are learning
to completely trust Him.
Maybe youre in a valley. Dont
panic. Know that it wont last forever. Jesus,
the Good Shepherd, will get you through it. His
rod and His staff will comfort you. [Greg Laurie
from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
God Is There in Your Darkest Valley
What things are you worried about? The
economy? Your health? Your bills? Your kids? Are you
worried about the future? You can find lots of
reasons to be afraid in todays world, but God
promises that even in your darkest valleys, he is
walking beside you.
There are about 365 verses in the Bible
that say, Fear not. God provided us with
one fear not message for every day of the
year! Perhaps God is saying, Get the message.
Dont be afraid. Its interesting that almost
every time God talks to someone in the Bible, the
first thing he says is, Dont be afraid!
Why? Because our hurts and hang-ups can
often cause us to think that God is out to get us,
that all he wants to do is condemn us and punish
us. But that simply isnt true, and Jesus is
the proof of that.
When we understand Gods grace and
mercy, we have no need to fear the future. God
isnt trying to get even with you. Jesus has taken
the penalty for everything youve ever done
wrong or will do wrong. He paid for it on the
cross. So when a bad thing happens, you dont
have to think that Gods getting even with you;
instead, remember this: Even when I walk through
the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for
you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4 NLT). [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
In the Valley of the Shadow, Look to the
Light
Loss is a common source of stress. You
can lose your job, your health, your money, your
reputation, or a loved one.
When people go through loss, you see two
common reactions: One is fear, and the other is
grief. Grief is good. Grief is the way we get
through the transitions of life. In fact, if you
dont grieve, you get stuck! Grief will not kill
you if you let it out.
On the other hand, fear is a bad thing.
Not once does the Bible say, Grieve not,
Mourn not, Weep not, or Cry not.
What it does say is, Fear not. And it says
that 365 times! Grief doesnt paralyze, but
fear does.
David says in Psalm 23:4, 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
(ESV).
Shepherds always carried a rod and a
staff to protect their sheep. David knew that in
the same way, God has the tools to protect him,
and he trusted God, even in the darkest
valleys.
You might be going through the valley of
the shadow right now - maybe the valley of the
shadow of death. It may be the valley of the shadow
of debt. It may be the valley of the shadow of
conflict. It may be the valley of the shadow of
depression. It may be the valley of the shadow of
discouragement.
Shadows are scary. Remember being afraid
of shadows when you were lying in bed as a kid?
Ive learned a few things about shadows.
First, shadows cant hurt you.
Second, shadows are always bigger than
the source.
And heres more good news: Wherever
theres a shadow, there has to be a light. You
cant have a shadow without light. So the key when
youre going through the valley of the shadow is to
turn your back on the shadow and look at the
light. Because as long as you keep your eyes on the
light - Jesus, the light of the world - the shadow
wont scare you.
Thats how you go through the valley of
the shadow of death. Thats how you lower your
stress. You trust God in the dark valleys, just like
David, who prayed, When I am ready to give up,
he knows what I should do (Psalm 142:3 GNT).
[Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
COMMENTARY
Three Things to Remember About the Valleys
In Israel, on the road from Jerusalem to
Jericho, theres a canyon called the Valley of the
Shadow of Death. In his day, King David probably
traveled through it many times. Some of the canyons
along the Jericho Road were narrow at the bottom
and as tall as 800 feet. The only time you can
see sunshine at the bottom is when it is noon
and the sun is straight overhead. In the Bible,
valleys are often a metaphor for difficult times,
times of darkness, despair, defeat, or
discouragement.
Psalm 23:4 says, Even though I walk
through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for
you are with me (NIV). The Bible teaches us
that God is God not just a part of our
mountaintop experiences. He is also with us in the
valleys. There are three things you need to remember
about the valleys:
1. Valleys are a part of life. The Bible
says in Deuteronomy 11:11, The land you will
soon take over is a land of hills and valleys
(NLT).
2. Valleys are inevitable. All of us just
came out of a valley or were in the middle of
one right now or were headed into another
one, because thats life. You cant avoid
valleys. Instead, you can count on them.
3. Valleys happen to everybody. Theyre
impartial. Good things happen to bad people, and bad
things happen to good people. Were in a fallen
and broken world, so we have problems.
Nobodys immune. Nobodys insulated from pain.
Nobody sails through life problem free.
The good man does not escape all
troubles - he has them too. But the Lord helps him in
each and every one (Psalm 34:19 TLB).
Valleys are unpredictable. You cant
plan them. You cant time them. Problems
typically catch you off guard. In fact, your valleys
and your problems come usually at the worst time
- when you dont have time, when youre
unprepared, and when its inconvenient. Wouldnt it
be easier if you could schedule all your
valleys in life - when youre caught up on your
sleep, your health is good, and nobody is bugging
you?
Proverbs 27:1 says, Dont brag about
tomorrow, since you dont know what the day will
bring forth (NLT).
When you know better what to expect when
it comes to the valleys of life, you know
better how to prepare for them. [Daily Devotional
by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
Three Things to Remember When You Walk
through the Valley
You may not be in the valley of the
shadow of death right now, but you may be in
another valley. These are hard places on your
journey, where its easy to doubt or overlook
Gods goodness. But you can always trust that God
walks through the valleys with you. And hes
promised to bring you through to the other side.
Psalm 23:4 says, Even though I walk
through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for
you are with me (NIV).
Here are three truths worth remembering
when you are in the valley:
1. You are not alone; God is with you.
The shadows in your life are the evidence of
the presence of light. How do you deal with a
shadow? You turn your back to the shadow and look at
the light. Jesus said, I am the light for the
world! Follow me, and you wont be walking in the
dark. You will have the light that gives life
(John 8:12 CEV).
The Bible says God is light and in him
there is no darkness at all. You need to stop
focusing on the things that scare you: those bills,
those fears, those worries, that stuff that keeps
swirling around in your mind. Move your focus off
your fears so you can focus on the Father.
2. God has a good purpose for your valley.
God cannot do evil. Even when youre
facing problems, conflict, grief, fear, or failure,
God is at work creating some good from your
valley.
Romans 5:3-5 says, We rejoice in our
sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
and endurance produces character, and character
produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame,
because Gods love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us
(ESV).
3. Remember: The reward will last forever.
Youre going to be rewarded for
remaining faithful to Christ in the valley of failure,
in the valley of fear, in the valley of
conflict, in the valley of grief, in the valley of
brokenness, and in the valley of trouble. Youll be in
heaven less than a minute before thinking, What
was I thinking? Why did I complain so much? Why
did I worry when I was going through those
valleys? God was right there with me all the time,
and he was good to me all the time.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:17,
For our present troubles are small and wont
last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory
that vastly outweighs them and will last
forever! (NLT). [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
Youre Never Alone - God Is With You
Have you ever gone through a spiritual
valley in your life? Perhaps it was a time when
unexpected circumstances suddenly came crashing down on
you. Perhaps it was a time when it seemed as
though even God himself had abandoned you.
In Psalm 23, David speaks of how God is
with us, even when we go through valleys in our
lives: 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 (verse 4 NKJV).
David was no stranger to calamity and
hardship. This was a man who knew what it was like to
suffer. He knew what it was like to face
difficulties. He had been hunted like a wild animal by the
paranoid King Saul, even after being anointed as the
next king of Israel by the prophet Samuel.
When David brings us this and other
psalms, which he penned under the direction of the
Holy Spirit, he candidly speaks of his own
shortcomings, weaknesses, and questions he faced in life.
Psalm 23 came from the school of hard knocks, from
a man who knew what it was like to need
Gods help.
But we might say, A valley? I dont
like valleys, Lord. I prefer mountaintops, okay?
I like the sun to be shining and the birds
singing. I like good times. I dont want friction.
I dont want hardship.
Yet the Lord is saying, You see that
mountaintop in the distance? The way to that mountaintop
is through this valley. You come with Me now
through the valley.
We all go through those valleys in life,
those hard times. Whatever valley it is, remember
this: You are not alone. That is Gods great
promise to the believer. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
There Is Comfort From The Shepherd
As a child of God you are never alone!
Your Shepherd is with you at all times. You never
have to call Him in to your situation. You never
have to wonder where He is. You never have to
fear that if things become too difficult, He will
abandon you. He goes before you; He walks beside
you; He comes behind you. He protects you
securely. Just as He sees every sparrow and knows
every hair that is on your head, so His gaze is
constantly upon you (Lu 12:6"7). Even when you cannot
see Him, He always keeps His eyes upon you. He
comforts you with His strong presence in times of
sorrow and grief. He leads you through the valley
of the shadow of death. He does not necessarily
lead you around the valley as you might wish.
There are times when your Shepherd knows that the
only way to get you where He wants to take you is
to lead you down the path that passes through
the dark valley. Yet, at those times He walks
closely with you, reassuring you throughout the
journey that He still loves you and is with you. It
is during those times that you experience His
love and compassion in a deeper dimension than
you ever have before.
You never need to fear evil. As
intimidating as evil can be, there is nothing you will
ever face that intimidates your Shepherd. He has
seen it all and soundly defeated every form of
wickedness. Evil never catches Him by surprise. Your
Shepherd is always prepared and knows exactly when
and where you will experience difficulty. Place
your absolute trust in your Good Shepherd that He
will protect you and demonstrate His love for you
through the darkest valley. [Experiencing God Day by
Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby re Psa. 23:4]
CLOSING THOUGHT
If we watch the sheep in a pasture, we
will see them do an interesting thing. Sometime
during the day, each sheep, entirely on its own,
leaves the flock and trots over to the shepherd,
one at a time. The shepherd tenderly caresses
the nose and ears, rubs the neck and head, and
whispers in its ear. Calmed, encouraged and
reassured, the sheep goes back to graze with the rest.
We also need such daily affirmation and
reassurance from God. When our souls are restored, they
are revived and stimulated. We need the caress,
the rub, the "pep talk" from our shepherd.
Unless we hear an "encouraging word," we become
fearful and frantic. by A. Philip Parham
Good Shepherd, thank you for your loving
words of reassurance and restoration. [Life
Recovery Devotional SB]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Do not dread walking through the valley
of the shadow of death. My radiant Presence
shines brightly in that deep, sunless valley -
strengthening, encouraging, and comforting you. Since I
never sleep, I am able to watch over you
constantly. Moreover, no valley is so deep, no pit so
dark, that I cannot see all the way to the bottom
of it.
Even if you wander from Me at times and
fall into a slimy pit, you can count on Me to
rescue you. When you cry out to Me, I lift you out
of the mud and mire and set your feet on a rock
- giving you a firm place to stand. Find
comfort in My commitment to help you, even when you
slip up.
Whenever you start to feel afraid,
remember that I am with you. I've promised I will
never leave you; I Myself go before you. While you
are walking through the valley of adversity,
keep these words of comfort flowing through your
mind: I will fear no evil, for You are with me.
(Psa. 23:4; 121:2, 3; 40:1, 2; Deu. 31:8) [Jesus
Always by Sarah Young]
If you learn to trust Me - really trust
Me - with your whole being, then nothing can
separate you from My Peace. Everything you endure can
be put to good use by allowing it to train you
in trusting Me. This is how you foil the works
of evil, growing in grace through the very
adversity that was meant to harm you. Joseph was a
prime example of this divine reversal, declaring
to his brothers: "You meant evil against me,
but God meant it for good."
Do not fear what this day, or any day,
may bring your way. Concentrate on trusting Me
and on doing what needs to be done. Relax in My
sovereignty, remembering that I go before you, as well as
with you, into each day. Fear no evil, for I can
bring good out of every situation you will ever
encounter. (Gen. 50:20; Psa. 23:4) [Jesus Calling by
Sarah Young]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Psalm 23: One Of The Crown Jewels Of
Scripture; v. 4:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2003/20030212-0713.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug
Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW (Live
Series):
https://www.discoverhopeawakens.com/webinar-registration-21585698406854
