“Go in Peace: Courage for the Way”
Ps. 23:4
In the Peanuts comic strips, Snoopy often tries to be an author. In one particular strip He’s shown on his doghouse typing a novel. He begins his story with, “It was a dark and stormy night.” That’s the way he always begins his stories. Lucy comes and bluntly shouts, “You stupid dog! That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever read. Who ever heard of such a silly way to begin a story? Don’t you know that all good stories begin, ‘Once upon a time’?” So the last frame shows Snoopy starting over. This time he types: “Once upon a time, it was a dark and stormy night.”
Snoopy is close to the truth about life. David agrees with him: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...” David knew of dark and stormy nights. He knew that there are times when there simply is no shortcut through life. He lifts up a basic truth of Scripture and life: there is AN INEVITABLE DARKNESS.
The most literal translation of this verse is “through the darkest valley.” It refers to deep gloom, the death like experiences of life. Job 10:21 uses it to describe the black hole that is the abode of death, and Job 28:3 uses the word in describing a mine shaft. If you’ve ever toured a cave and the tour guide turned out the lights you know what it’s like - total, eerie, steely, thick darkness; blacker than black. David says there are times in life like just like that.
He’s speaking, of course, from the context of a shepherd. In order to move the sheep up to the mountain heights – to the wonderful, lush pasture - the shepherd had to walk them through valleys. These valleys were cut so deeply between the hills and into the walls that even when the sun was shining it was still dark. These valleys were an inevitable part of the journey upward.
So it is, claims David, with life. Darkness is inevitable. IT IS NOT WHETHER BUT WHEN the dark valleys will appear. Isaiah the 43rd chapter makes the same claim: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah does not say “If” or “Should you” but “When you” go through the rivers, the waters, and the fires. These penetrating images are metaphors for all of those uncontrollable events that sweep over human life. When the waters rain and pour in torrents, when the rivers flood and surge over their banks, when the fires crackle and burn - WHEN - life is dark. There are times when there is no shortcut. So David utilized a word for darkness that represents a vast array of disastrous possibilities. He could have used the Hebrew word for death or the place of death, but he did not. He could have used the words for darkness like night, but he did not. He could have used a word meaning trouble, evil, pain, persecution or affliction, but he did not. He used a word which portrays the precise moment when life is at its worst - when we are in the darkest valley.
And certainly David could speak not only from the experience of a shepherd with his sheep, but from the rest of his life as well. He knew the dark times and the fear - as a young boy tending sheep at night, fending off the enemy animals; as a teenager squaring off against Goliath when no one else dared face him; battling the pesky and overwhelming Philistines even though He was God’s chosen king; running and hiding from Saul who unjustly sought his life; dealing, at the height of his reign, with his failure and sin; mourning, fasting, praying, and pleading at the death of his son - David painfully endured the agonizing dark valleys of life.
It is inevitable. THERE IS NO SHORTCUT. We’ve been there and will be there again. I still feel the horror of many of my darkest valleys - observing the pain of my parents when my sister was killed; the heartache of rejection when the older boys in the neighborhood wouldn’t choose me to play ball with them; the desolation of the stupid argument which forever separated me from my best friend; the humiliation of not being able to find a date and hearing those words, “No.”; missing the fly ball and dying inside as the coach verbally undressed me in front of the team; struggling, questioning, agonizing through the never ending year when our son suffered constant headaches of undetermined origin; the heartache of slowly watching my parents die and struggling to release them.
And I’ve no doubt you’ve just now recited in your mind a similar litany from your life. A loved one dies, and you’re distraught, overwhelmed with grief. Mother has just been diagnosed with cancer; her husband and children are shell shocked and alarmed. Dad has just been let go from work due to cutbacks; panic and bewilderment rush through your mind. The high school senior misses the free throw as time runs out and his team loses the championship game; despair and embarrassment flood his heart. The doctor tells you “Your baby will never be normal.” You find drugs in your son’s closet. Your teenage daughter tells you she’s pregnant. Your spouse said she wants out. You’re battling depression and just can’t seem to see the light. Each of these valleys is but an echo of death. Is it any wonder we fear such darkness?
As children, we often feared being alone in the dark. All we could think of was evil - someone, something lurking there to lunge out at us and harm us; lions, snakes, monsters ready to gobble us for lunch. Our minds manufactured the worst scenarios. And they still do the same when the dark valleys envelop us. The question before us is WHAT WILL I DO? How will I get through it? Will I get through it? How will I cope? When there is no shortcut for the journey of life, when there is no way out but through, how will I make it through?
David confidently tells us we can walk on through because we have AN INCOMPARABLE PRESENCE. “Even though I walk through the valley...you are with me.” The presence of God empowers us to walk. It was once reported to a group of ministers near Baylor University that the Bible in the chapel at Baylor Hospital had to be replaced frequently because the page with Psalm 23 either became too worn or would be missing. People needed this assurance for the dark valleys of life. Think about what this presence means.
First, GOD GOES WITH US. God, through Isaiah, promised “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” Remember Israel when they came to the Red Sea with the Egyptian army breathing down their necks? God, the Shepherd, accompanied them – and the waters parted. God, as the Shepherd, has promised His presence to all His sheep.
And yet He does more than just walk with us - IN JESUS, GOD SUFFERS WITH US. Jesus takes upon Himself our sufferings. That’s why He was baptized - to take on our sin. That’s why He was tempted - to take on our struggles. That’s why he was crucified - to take on our death. As Hebrews summarizes it, we have a high priest who is able to identify with our life, even with our darkest valleys. When we hurt, He hurts. When we mourn, He mourns. When we are rejected, He’s rejected. Indeed, with Isaiah we claim that he bears our grief and carries our sorrows. Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? When they were thrust into the piping hot furnace for refusing the edict of the king, they were not alone. There was in the fire a fourth person. He, God, took the burning flames upon Himself. Jesus absorbs the experiences of our lives. We can count on it. So we never walk alone – not even in the darkest valley. Jesus goes with us and bears our load.
But we also know we can make it through because we have AN INVINCIBLE PROMISE. There are four words or phrases which are the key to this promise. First, notice David carefully wrote, “Even though I WALK THROUGH the valley ...” We will get out! We will arrive on the mountain; we will get home. Again, even Isaiah records it: when you pass through the waters, when you pass through the rivers, when you walk through the fire. The valley is not a dead end. You cannot get to the other side if you will not walk through. So go through; you will come out the other side. The valley is but a road to higher ground.
The second significant word is “SHADOW.” “Even though I walk through THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW of death ...” Even the ultimate darkness - death itself - cannot harm me. It’s only a shadow! The substance has been removed and only the shadow remains. A shadow cannot bite, cannot attack, cannot capture, cannot hurt anyone. It merely hovers behind us! And realize that if there is a shadow, there must be light! Have you ever seen your shadow when there was no light? Even in the darkest valley we are not in danger; we are merely stalked by an impotent shadow. When there is no shortcut, no way out but through, go through - there is light for the way. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Yet there are two more key words. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The rod and staff bring the comfort. THE SHEPHERD’S ROD was a specially designed tool or weapon which served as an extension of the owner’s right arm - a symbol of his strength, power, and authority used for the benefit of the sheep. The shepherd used the rod for discipline and guidance, often gently but firmly nudging the sheep in the right direction. He used the rod in the evening to count the sheep as they filed into the fold. The rod was used to protect the sheep – it was the shepherd’s main weapon. Yet traced throughout Scripture it is clear the rod is ultimately an even deeper symbol - THE ROD IS THE WORD OF GOD. We can walk through the dark valleys because we have the Word of God which guides and disciplines us, which reminds us we belong to Christ, and which enables us, like Jesus, to fend off the enemy during times of temptation, trial, and stress. Never try to walk through the valley without the Word of God; it is your comfort and strength.
David also mentions THE SHEPHERD’S STAFF. The staff is designed for the management of sheep; it would work for no other animal. It is used solely for their benefit. Because of the way the shepherd uses the staff it symbolized concern, compassion, and love for the sheep. The shepherd lifted a newborn lamb to its Ewe or drew it to himself with the staff. He would use the staff to rescue a sheep that had fallen off a cliff and was stranded on a ledge. The staff was a comforting, rescuing presence for the sheep. Yet throughout the Bible we find that such a ministry is the realm of the Holy Spirit: THE STAFF IS THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Spirit brings to our remembrance all the promises of God. He reminds us that we are precious to Christ, that Christ is with us, that Christ cares for and understands us. So often in the valley, words are inadequate. We do not know what to say to someone suffering in the throes of despair. That’s when we reach out and embrace them; we hug them; it reminds them we are with them, and that we love them. So THE HOLY SPIRIT HUGS US in the darkness. He embraces us for God. The feeling cannot be explained, only experienced. But you know it - you’ve experienced it. And you have the assurance of Christ’s never ending love and presence. Do you need the assurance today of Christ’s love for you? Ask Holy Spirit to hug you - even now His arms are open, waiting for you. The staff, the Holy Spirit comforts us.
It’s no wonder David could say “I WILL FEAR NO EVIL.” Since fear is a strong, unpleasant emotion caused by the expectation or awareness of danger, we need not fear - in the valley God goes with us; In Jesus, He suffers with us. His Word comforts us. We will go all the way through and arrive at home. The shadow cannot harm us. We will wind up at home in the pastures and presence of God.
So WHEN THERE IS NO SHORTCUT, WHEN THERE IS NO WAY OUT BUT THROUGH, GO THROUGH. It’s the only way to the higher homeland of rich, eternal pasture. When we pass through the waters, which we will, God will be with us. When we pass through the rivers, and we will, we will not be swept away. When we walk through the fire, and we will, we will not be burned. When we walk through the valley, even the valley of the shadow of death, we will make it through. We will not fear.
In one of the Nazi death camps, Solomon Rosenberg lived and suffered with his family. It was a work camp, which meant a person had value and stayed out of the ovens as long as he or she could work. Solomon’s parents, aged and broken, were already gone. Now he feared his youngest son David would be next because he was slightly crippled and able to work less and less. Solomon returned every night to the barracks with fear and trembling wondering if this had been the day the unthinkable had happened. So each night, upon his return, his eyes quickly searched for David, his wife, and his oldest son, Jacob. Then came the night he feared - as his eyes darted around the room he saw none of his family. So he frantically searched again, and then saw Jacob hunched over and weeping. He hurried to Jacob and said, “Son, tell me it isn’t so. Did they take David today?” “Yes, Papa – today they came to take David. They said he could no longer do his work.” “But,” said Solomon, “where is Mama? She still is strong. Surely they wouldn’t have taken Mama too?” Jacob now looked at his father through tearful eyes and said, “Papa. Papa. When they came to take David, he was afraid. And he cried. And so Mama said to David, ‘Don’t cry David. I will go with you and hold you close.’” So Mama went with David, so David wouldn’t be afraid. So, in Jesus, God goes with us, God suffers and dies with us. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death ...I will fear no evil… for you are with me.” When there is no shortcut, when there is no way out but through, go through. You will not go alone. Whatever your darkness, I invite you this morning to hand your fears to Jesus. Then walk with Him through the valley. It’s the way to the higher ground of home.
