PC Study Bible Data
WALKING THROUGH THE VALLEY WITH JESUS
23 PSALMS Verse 4
Ps 23:1-24:4
23 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name\’s sake.
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.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Notice in the first three verses, the Shepherd
led the sheep to places of peace, quite, and
Abundance, green grass and still waters.
When He gets to verse 4, The Shepherd talks about
trials and tribulations, and threats of violence.
Even though I walk through
It is the shepherd that leading the sheep.
Just because you have a relationship with the Lord,
does not mean you want have some difficulties in your
life, in fact the norm is problems. The good thing is
The Shepherd is with us through your problems,
The disciples were in a boat going across the sea of Galilee
when a storm arose and the ship was about to sink. Jesus
was in the ship asleep. They woke Jesus up and accused
Him of not caring if they drown.
Paul and Silas were on a mission for Jesus, and got thrown in to
Jail. At midnight, they starting praying and singing to
the Lord.
In each case they would not have seen the power and glory of
God if they were not in trouble
V: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.
A. The word walk is a Hebrew word yalak. It is verb that is
first person singular, imperfect, active, and causative.
1. The action is not complete, so it is ongoing.
2. So it should read. He makes me walk
3. The shepherd is leading the sheep in the valley.
4. The Shepherd makes me to continuously walk.
5. Think about it, in order to get to green pastures
by still waters, you got to take a journey with Jesus.
6. Your journey includes the valleys of life.
B. Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death
1. The “shadow of death” is a Hebrew phrase that can be interpreted
As a shadow of deep darkness.
2. The world is a place of deep darkness. We live in a place where
sin and violence is the norm.
3. It is the Shepherd, Jesus that makes us go through the valley of
deep darkness
4. It is the Shepherd that’s making us go through this coronavirus.
PAY ATTENTION TO THIS;
C. To have a valley, there must be a mountain or high place
1. The high place is the throne of God.
2. To have a shadow there must be light,
that light is Jesus
2. The light shines above the object
3. The light shines from behind the object
4. Not only is the Shepherd leading us, but He has our back.
D. Let me suggest, that the valley is the place we live as sinners.
1. The valley can be a dark place of doom and
gloom
2. Even though we are in the valley, there is a light that
creates the shadow.
“
3. Since the shadow is created by light, it points to
a physical death that leads to eternal life.
4. While in the valley, we can live in the light, if we accept
Jesus as our shepherd.
E. “I fear No Evil”
1. There is no need to fear what is meant to be
a reminder of the light that produced it.
2. Fear is a condition of the mind that has been learned
through life’s experiences and circumstances.
3. The word fear in verse 4 is the Hebrew word yare which
Mean frighten or dread.
4. “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but power
love and sound mind.” 2 Tim 1:7
The word fear in 2 Tim 1:7 is the Greek word deilia which
Means, timidity , cowardice
5. God did not give us a spirit to be frighten or to be a coward.
He gave us His power, His Love and His sound mind
6. This kind of fear, yare, is the way of the world.
We are fearful of this pandemic virus, but we don’t
have to be. We can live in the Power of the Love,
protection, and the assurance of Jesus.
Look at what the Psalmists says
Prov 14:27
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
The word fear in this verse is the Hebrew word yirah which
Means morally reverence. We reverence the Shepherd.
Prov 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
The word fear is yirah
One fear, yare is tied to the ways of the world
One fear yirah, is tied to faith in Jesus, Our shepherd
God commands us to yirah Him.
Notice what yirah does for us
Prov 10:29
The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous.
We can take refuge in Jesus with this virus all around us
Prov 18:10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
It is God who give us strength YIRAH
Prov 22:2
The Lord is the maker of them all.
The Lord made the good and the bad
God made the good times and this virus
Prov 29:25
But whoever trusts, (yirah), in the Lord is kept safe.
Here is the key to getting through the virus;
Trust the Lord YIRAH
In every day situations, You have to make decisions.
Of yare, being a coward or yirah trusting the Shepherd
3. Even if God allows evil to over take us, it only hastens our
eternal life with Jesus.
4. If we focus on the fear, which Satan desires, we lose sight of
God’s power, love and sound mind.
5. All believers must faced the physical death which is immanent
in order to gain the Spiritual life with Christ which is promised.
All of us need to YARAH the Lord
V:4b. your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
The Rod is for Our Protection.
For a shepherd, the rod isn\’t a long stick but rather the curly end of the staff. The rod was used to pull sheep out of dangerous or unfortunate situations such as if a sheep was caught in thick brush or had fallen into deep water. The rod was also used to defend the sheep against predators.
The words Rod and Staff have often been
used interchangeably, but most often a rod is used for correction, discipline, and guidance, while a staff was used for personal use as in a walking staff and as a defensive weapon.
What comforts us is to know that the Lord is always looking out for our best.
He is here to direct, correct, protect and provide for us.
We face dangerous situations each day of our lives.
It is up to us to trust the dangers of life to the Lord.
Sometimes the Lord has to use His rod to pull us out of
situations.
Have you ever had a door shut on you?
It may have been the Lord.
Ever came upon an accident that happen just before you got there?
It may have been the Lord directing your time.
There are times when you will pay the price for disobedience. It will be the Lord correcting you with His staff.
Have you ever got out of something that you couldn’t
see your way out of? It was the Lord’s rod and staff.
God’s GRACE and MERCY endures with us forever
Take comfort in the Lord, doing this time of testing
And correction
AMEN
Rev M. Mitchell
