IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD - SERMON IV: NO DISASTER
The fourth jewel of truth is that, in the House of the Lord – in the eternal presence of the Lord God – there is NO DISASTER. The fourth verse of the 23rd Psalm says this: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”
The psalmist has already assured God’s children – oftentimes referred to in the Bible as sheep – that in the presence of the Good Shepherd, there is no fear. Now, in this verse, the psalmist specifies that there is no fear of evil. So, what is he referring to when he uses the word “evil”?
In the original writing of this text in the Hebrew language, it is said that the word translated “evil” in this verse is about something like a serious mishap, or disaster, or some kind of calamity.
For example, it would have been a serious mistake for the shepherd to allow his sheep to wander too close to the edge of a path running alongside a steep cliff. Had a sheep, due to the shepherd’s neglect, gone over the edge, the incident could be disastrous. Such a disaster would be looked upon as an evil occurrence.
This verse is saying that no such disaster like that which would take a sheep away the shepherd’s flock forever can occur in the House of Lord – in the eternal presence of the Lord God. For a child of God to be aware of this great assurance gives hope; and the reason for our hope is the “watch care” of the Good Shepherd.
Many a person has strayed from the “straight and narrow” path only to find themselves caught up in the throes of pending disaster. Many a young person has ignored the cautious words of their parents only to wind up in a tragedy of some kind. Many a rebellious adult has defied the laws of nature as well as the laws of man only to reap a harvest of undesirable side effects.
The psalmist says that if the sheep stays within the bounds set by the Good Shepherd and obeys His commands – if the sheep will obey the rules set forth by the Good Book and strive to do right rather than give in to that which is wrong; if that be the case, there is no need for the sheep to fear any evil threat – even if the sheep goes through a “shadow of death” experience.
“The valley of the shadow of death” is any valley where there is a death shadow. This phrase of the psalmist, in the original text, does not contain the article “the” – which, if it did, would make valley a place; but, as used here, the valley is not meant to be a one and only valley.
In other words, contrary to what I might have once thought, the use of the word “valley” in this verse is not a reference to the grave itself; there are so many valleys that we go through prior to the transitional experience, from this life to the next, called death.
Rather, the emphasis is on the word “shadow” of death. When you are standing in the shadow of a tree, for example, you are not standing in the tree itself. When we were little children, it was not unusual for us to be afraid of shadows in the dark. Did you ever have the experience of seeing a shadow and thinking it was the “boogey man” that had come to get you?
The “shadow of death” is any place where there is something to remind us of the brevity of life or the inevitability of death. The death shadow in David’s experience as a shepherd lad could have been the shadow cast by a bird of prey circling overhead looking for a victim.
It could be the psychological reaction to circumstances beyond our control that remind us that there are dangers out there in this world in which we live, and that, “this could have happened to me” – like the terrorist attack of 911 . . . the dreaded news received by a neighbor whose son or daughter was in a war zone . . . the unwelcome announcement from a family member or friend concerning a medical diagnosis . . . seeing or hearing of a tragic wreck on one of our major highways . . . and on and on we could go talking about the reminders – the shadows – of death to which we are constantly exposed, whether on TV news or otherwise.
Yet, although the psalmist went through valleys different from ours, he nonetheless found himself living in the shadows of death; but the good news for him was that, even in the shadows of death, there was for him a comforting presence.
Stronger than the threats and fears of death was the assurance he expressed in these five little words: “for thou art with me”.
In view of all that we go through, what a comforting thought to know that God is with me. I don’t have to wonder about it; neither do I need to argue about it; there is nothing to be gained by doubting it; there is only the need to accept the fact of it. “My God is real ‘cause I can feel it in my soul.”
Don’t you just love the psalmist’s analogy of why it is that the sheep can be so secure and so unafraid in the presence of the Lord!? Why can I be so comforted in the face of trials and tribulations?
“Thy rod, and thy staff, they comfort me.”
The shepherd’s rod is a short heavy stick or club – sort of like a policeman’s night stick. It is carried for protection against wild beasts.
When David told Saul about “a lion, or a bear” he had smitten because the beast had taken “a lamb from the flock”, he was talking about striking the beast with his rod.
I decided a long time ago that it’s not up to me to take care of every force of evil in the world; I would if I could; but there are some bad things that have happened during my lifetime to some people I have known, and some I haven’t known but my heart went out to because of the tragedies that occurred in their lives, and I wish that I or someone could bring those people to justice, but I have had to be consoled by the awareness that the rod of God will someday deal with evil doers. I will just have to leave the matter where it belongs – in the hands of the Lord God our righteous Judge.
I would be remiss, however, if I did not point out to you that there are times when the good shepherd had to use his rod on one of his sheep. If the sheep that keeps jumping over the wall and going into forbidden territory does not respond to the loving care of the shepherd who rescues the sheep, about all that the shepherd can do is to swat the sheep with his rod. Thus, it becomes necessary at times for God to chastise His children when they keep on doing wrong when they know better.
So, you might say that the good shepherd’s rod is not only a rod of protection but it is also a rod of correction; and not only that, it is a rod of instruction. The prophet Micah once prayed, “feed (or shepherd) thy people with thy rod.” The Word of God can be thought of as the rod of God.
If we ever get to the point where we feel that the Word of God has no place in our lives for instruction in righteousness and for correction when we go astray, then it’s time for us to spend a lot of time in prayer, asking God to open our hearts and our minds so that we might receive His instruction and respond to His correction.
The shepherd’s staff is a sustaining influence. It is the long, slender stick with a curved end which we call “a shepherd’s crook.” The shepherd uses the staff to lean on when he gets tired; he uses it to help him climb the steep places; he uses it to help the sheep – like urging the sheep to hurry or stay in line, and sometimes slipping the crook of the staff around the leg of a sheep to pull it back to safety when it falls in a ditch.
The staff symbolizes God’s providential care for each one of his sheep; and I suppose the function of the staff that I like best is the use the shepherd makes of it to lean on when he is too tired to stand alone.
The staff represents the sustaining presence and power of God that comes to our aid in times of deepest need.
Once years ago, when my wife was seriously ill in the hospital, I shall never forget a prayer that was prayed for her by a deaconess who was visiting a patient in the bed next to my wife’s.
Before this godly woman left, she came to my wife’s bed side and asked if she could pray for her. Of course, we wanted her to pray, and she did. She concluded her prayer with these words: “And Lord, I just ask you in Jesus’ Name that you prop her up on her leaning side.”
No wonder that the shepherd placed great emphasis on the rod and the staff. They represent the strength of the Lord at work in our lives; and it is in that strength that we find comfort.
I hope that, by now, we understand that in the house of the Lord there is no want . . . no fear . . . no wrong . . . no disaster.
Suffering and struggles? Yes! But in the house of the Lord – in the eternal presence of the Lord our God – there is no disaster, “for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”
Selah.
