Psalms 23:4 My Protector
Text: Psalm 23:4
Psalms 23:4 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: Sometimes we go through things that we don't
understand. Often on the other side of
difficulties we look back and see that it was necessary for us to pass through
that valley. But we never could have
seen that truth until we make it through the valley.
Joke: It's somewhat like the naïve soldier who went into the
army. He wrote a letter home to his
mother.
Dear Mom,
So much has happened since I joined the army I don't know
where to start. Maybe I should start by
telling you that I am in the brig.
Momma, that's army talk for jail.
I guess I better explain how I wound up here. You see, it's been real tough. First they cut off all my hair, then they
took away all my nice clothes and gave me some uncomfortable green ones. Then they gave me some tags to wear around my
neck and they gave me a number. My
number is 37. They gave me shots in all
parts of my body… at the same time! When
we got to boot camp the first day the got us out of bed at 4:30am. I didn't get up cause I thought someone had
made a mistake. The sergeant came in
real mad and yelled at me. "Number
37 don't you know what time it is?
"Yes sergeant, but someone sure needs to tell the idiot blowing a
horn it's still dark outside."
This didn't
make the Sargent very happy and he told me we get out of bed everyday at
4:30am. Next they took us outside and
made us put on heavy backpacks. They
make us marched 20 miles everyday, except Sunday. On Sunday the sergeant got us up at 7:30a and
said he was going to be nice and only march us 10 miles and then let us
rest. Well I was so glad but the Sargent
told us He was going to march us to church that morning and we had better
behave. I raised my hand and the sargent
asked, "What do you want number 37?"
I asked if I could attend the church of my choice and the sergeant asked
me what church would I choose. I told
him I like to attend Our Lady of the Blessed Heart back home.
This didn't make the sergeant very happy and he told me we
would attend the church of his choice.
Well we marched for hours, finally we arrived at a little Baptist
church. Now Momma, you know I've always
been a good Catholic and you told me to stay clear of any Baptists, but I
didn't want the sergeant to get mad at me again, so I went in and sat
down. And you know mom it wasn't so
bad. It felt so good to quit marching
and the people were friendly. But what
happened next is why I am in the brig.
You see a man got up front waved his hand in the air and called out,
"Number 37. 'Are you weak and heavy laden?" and I jumped up and said, "Yes, sir and
you're the first person who's cared enough to ask since I joined the
army!"
This didn't
make the sergeant very happy and that’s why I'm in the brig.
Signed your son.
In the last
sermon David began to look at the paths of righteousness his shepherd would
lead him on. Now in verse 4 the shepherd
and the sheep are walking those paths through the mountains toward the higher
tablelands. It is time in the cycle of
the sheep's year to begin the trek from the home fold to the mountain
pastures. In between lie the valleys as
deep and shadowed as the mountains are high and bright. The only way to reach the mountain heights
will be with the shepherd through the valley of the shadow of death.
My Shepherd Leads Through the Valleys
Through the valley
This verse begins the dangerous journey to the high mountain
pastures. This trip is necessary because
the summer heat has burned up the grass in the lower home fields.
The passage from the lower home folds to the mountain
pastures meant traveling through narrow mountain passes or along trails which
ran beside steep rocky cliffs. Along the
way predators would wait. Wolves, lions
and others would hide in the shadows of the valley waiting to strike a sheep
that had wondered too far from the shepherd's protection.
Why would the shepherd put the sheep in such danger? Because the lower mountain fields would not
sustain the growth of the sheep. Those
fields had served their purpose but now the flock had to move on or begin to
starve.
Closer to the Shepherd
Notice that David has switched from the third person to the
second person in his speech. In the
first 3 verses he spoke of he, but now is saying you and I. It is as if the sheep now begins to directly
talk to the shepherd. David stops
talking about the shepherd and begins to talk with the shepherd. As if He is right there with David. This is
because the valley and its shadow of death bring the sheep closer to the
shepherd
Phillip Keller writes, "During this time the flock is
entirely alone with the shepherd. They
are in intimate contact with him and under his most personal attention day and
night. That is why these last verses are couched in such intimate first person
language."
Stephen Haboush talks similarly, "Palestine has more
mountains and hills for its size than any other country known to me. The correlate of these multitudinous mountain
heights is the presence of valleys equally numerous and as deep as the heights
are towering. I used to dread taking the
sheep thorough one particular valley in Galilee. This is called in the language of the Holy
Land "Wadi el-naar," which means "the valley of fire." Next to the Dead Sea, it is the hottest place
in Palestine, being over five hundred feet below sea-level. Wadi el-naar was
the rendezvous of thieves and robbers, also of the wild beast that harassed the
shepherd and his flock. I would dread
leading the sheep through this valley, but it was necessary whenever new
pasture ground must be sought on the other side. My sheep would sense the danger and gather
closely to my side. My continual calling
and the sense of my presence gave them confidence and allayed their fear."
In the spiritual dark valleys, David says to his shepherd,
"I will fear no evil for thou art with me."
Going on Higher Ground
Moving to Higher Pastures
The pasture of my early Christian life must be left behind
if I am going to grow spiritually. I must go on to higher ground with my
shepherd, moving from the old, the familiar and the comfortable to the new, the
unfamiliar and the uncomfortable. That journey is through the valleys and often
under the shadows of danger and even death.
Hebrew 6:1-3 Therefore leaving the principles of the
doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the
doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the
dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.
As Christians we long for mountain top experiences in our
walk with God. Yet, we do not like to
consider that the path to the sunny peaks must always lead through the dark valleys.
David’s valley was being chased as an outlaw by Saul but his
peak was being crowned as King of Israel.
Peter's valley was denying Christ, but he found the peak when
he peached the sermon that saw thousands respond on day of Pentecost.
Paul and Silas were in the valley after being beaten and
thrown in prison, but what a peak later than night when the jailer who beat
them brought them out and asked, “What must I do to be saved?”
Jesus Christ, our Lord was mocked, beaten, crucified and
buried in a valley that went to the depths of eternity but three days later he
rose from the grave to a peak that ascended to the heights of heaven!
The valley is never enjoyable, but it is always necessary if
I am to be drawn closer to my shepherd and journey on to the tablelands with
Him. It is in the valley that I realize
my weakness and Jesus' great strength, my fear and His courage, my doubts and
His surety.
To our shepherd, Jesus Christ every valley can serve as a path
to a higher ground if I will follow Him.
We may not be able with our limited sight to ever understand or see
this, but the shepherd knows the way. It
is not necessary that He tells me every reason, it is enough that in the
shadows He walks with me.
When I find myself in the valley my goal should be to focus
on the shepherd and his leading me through, not upon the darkness of the
shadows but upon the brightness of Jesus who walks before me.
Illustration: I Wish I were Blind
The hymn writer Fanny Crosby gave us more than 8000 Gospel
songs. Although blinded at the age of 6 weeks, she never held any bitterness in
her heart because of it. Once a preacher sympathetically remarked, “I think it
is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many
other gifts upon you.” She replied quickly, “Do you know that if at birth I had
been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born
blind?” “Why?” asked the surprised clergyman. “Because when I get to Heaven,
the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!”
The darkness of her lifelong valley had made the presence of
her Shepherd so much brighter.
My Shepherd Protects me through the valley
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
David gives two things that the shepherd uses to comfort the
sheep; thy rod and thy staff. These two
tools represent the basic arsenal of the shepherd.
The Rod
Haboush writes, "My shepherd equipment was never
complete without the rod and staff. They
were the most essential tools. Without
them the shepherd is helpless. The
safety of himself and of his sheep depends upon the use of these two
instruments. Let me describe them. The rod, about twenty-eight inches long, made
of oak, was carried in my pouch attached to my cloak, and used as a club. It must be chosen carefully, a straight young
tree often being torn up for this purpose, and the bulb at the beginning of the
root being trimmed to make the head of the club. The handle is shaved to the needed thickness,
with a hole in the end by which it is tied to the belt or hung from the wrist
like a riding whip. Into the head are
hammered nails and pieces of steel."
The rod could be used as a club or it could be thrown with
great accuracy at a predator or if need be at a disobedient sheep. The rod gave the shepherd power to protect
and control his flock; it was his symbol of authority.
The Staff
The staff was usually a much longer more slender pole and
its purpose was complementary to the rod both were necessary to the work of the
shepherd.
Keller adds, "The staff is also used for guiding
sheep. Again and again I have seen a
shepherd use his staff to guide his sheep gently into a new path or through
some gate or along dangerous, difficult routes.
He does not use it actually to beat the beast. Rather, the tip of the long slender stick is
laid gently against the animal's side and the pressure applied guides the sheep
in the way the owner wants it to go.
Thus the sheep is reassured of its proper path."
Comfort in the tools of the Shepherd.
Many applications could be made from the twin tools of the
shepherd, let me make these. The rod is
a weapon of power, authority, protection and punishment. By it the shepherd shows he is in control and
will provide protection and sometimes punishment. The rod speaks of the judgment and justice of
Jesus Christ.
Psalms 45:6 says, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and
ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a sceptre of justice." Here God as ruler is holding a different kind
of rod, a scepter but it also is a symbol of his authority and his judgment.
Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule
all nations with a rod of iron:
Why would the Lord's justice and judgment bring comfort to
his sheep?
The sheep know that his shepherd is righteous. He will protect the flock from those that try
to do it harm. And He will also deal
with those of the flock who are rebellious. Like a child who longs for the stability of a
strong parent, the sheep finds comfort in the shepherd's unfaltering justice.
Passing Under the Rod
Another use of the rod by the shepherd also speaks of
judgment. Both or our shepherd authors
write of "passing under the rod."
Keller describes it this way, "In caring for his sheep,
the good shepherd, the careful manager, will from time to time make a careful
examination of each individual sheep.
The picture is a very poignant one.
As each animal comes out of the corral and through the gate, it is
stopped by the shepherd's outstretched rod. He opens the fleece with the rod;
he runs his skillful hands over the body; he feels for any sign of trouble; he
examines the sheep with care to see that all is well. This is a most searching
process entailing every intimate detail. It is, too, a comfort to the sheep for
only in this way can its hidden problems be laid bare before the shepherd.
This is what was meant in Psalm 139:23,24 when the psalmist
wrote, ''Search me, O God, and know my
heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."
How does such an "intimate judgment" bring
comfort? To submit myself fully to the
authority of Jesus Christ I must ask Him to examine and cleanse me. I realize I must meet His standard not my
own. He must be my judge now for He will
be my judge in eternity.
Guided by the Staff
Yet justice without compassion is an unbearable burden, so
David also looks to the staff. The staff
was a tool of guidance, of support and love.
With it the shepherd would draw the sheep to himself rather than beat it
into compliance. The staff speaks of the
Lord's love and mercy. The staff would
also be used to guide the sheep by tapping them on the side and direct them
into the path the shepherd wanted them to take.
Psalms 5:8 Lead me, O
LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight
before my face.
Psalms 25:5 Lead me
in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I
wait all the day.
Psalms 61:2 From the end
of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the
rock that is higher than I.
The rod comforts by establishing the boundaries of my life
while the staff comforts by bringing me back to the paths of life where to my
shepherd Jesus Christ walks with me.
The Path I Feared
I said, "Let me walk in the field."
He said, "No; walk in the town."
I said, "There are no flowers there."
He said, "No flowers, but a crown."
I said, "But the skies are black,
There is nothing but noise and din."
He wept as He sent me back.
"There is more," He said, "there is
sin."
I said, "But the air is thick,
And fogs are veiling the sun."
He answered, "Yet souls are sick,
And souls in the dark undone."
I said, "I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say."
He answered, "Choose tonight
If I am to miss you, or they."
I pleaded for time to be given.
He said, "Is it so hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in Heaven
To have followed the steps of your Guide."
I cast one look at the fields,
Then set my face to the town;
I said: "My child, do you yield?
Will you leave the flowers for the crown?"
Then into His hand went mine;
And into my heart came He;
And I walk in a light Divine,
The path I had feared to see.
I said, "But the air is thick
-George McDonald
Conclusion
All of God’s Children will have our valleys and our
peaks. As David shows us these are
events which will be repeated over and over again in my life. How then, will I go through the valleys? In fear and frustration, blaming God and
questioning his love for me? Or will I
understand that I must press on other pastures if I am to grow. Will I realize that the valley means my
relationship with Jesus will be closer for I must depend on him to bring me
through?
The valleys will always be there but if you are his sheep
the shepherd will always be with you. Yet,
if I stray too far, if I rebel against his leadership or if I determine to find
my own way, the predators and the shadows wait.
If I walk away from Jesus I am walking toward darkness. Won't you trust
Him? Won't you trust His love, his
judgement and his justice? He won't fail
you and He won't leave you. Follow where He is leading this morning.
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