The last
part of Psalm 23 is when the Lord is our shepherd we can know that he is
with us. In verse 4 David’s tone of writing begins to change as he reflects
upon the reality of his situation. He has been run out of his city and ran out
of being king by his own son. He is on the run with no food or supplies and in
fear of his life. He describes it as walking
through “the valley of the shadow of death.”
The idea of shadow may be better translated as darkness.
The darkness spoken of here is “the most fearful darkness.” It referred to the
type of darkness that was believed to be in Hades, the place of the dead (Job
10:21), to the deep darkness of a mine shaft (Job 28:3), or the darkness of
night in a wild desert (Jer. 2:6). Imagine being in a place so dark that you
could not even see your hand in front of you. This is the darkness David is
describing. Used figuratively darkness would describe a situation of distress
or of extreme danger
David knew the dangers that followed him. He also knew
that death was a possibility and could come in two ways. First, death could
come from the hands of his enemies. David was on the run from Absalom and knew
that if he was captured it could mean the end of his life. Second, death could
have been possible because of lack of provisions. David would have known that
he could die by means of hunger, thirst or possibly wild animals.
Even though David
believed he was in the midst of darkness and death he confesses that he will
not fear. The reason that David does not fear is that Yahweh is with him and he
trusts in his character. David had also experienced this type of fear before
when he was on the run from King Saul. He draws upon his past experiences of God’s
faithfulness to get him through.
David is comforted by God and speaks to the rod and staff
that he knew a shepherd would carry. The rod or staff was used for guidance and
defense but was also a tool that the shepherd could use to lean on while watching
over his flock. David knows that God was
not distant and he is guiding David in this situation and that he is watching
over David, protecting him from harm. This would bring comfort to David.
In Psalm 23:5 David knows that he has enemies that want
to capture him but he knows that he will be protected. He paints a picture of
being surrounded by his enemies but they cannot touch him but they could only
watch. David is so confident in this
belief that he feels that he could eat a meal with his enemies watching him and
he would not be afraid.
Finally in Psalm 23:6 even though David is being pursued
by Absalom he is also being pursued by something else which is the goodness and
loving kindness of God. Goodness speaks to the benefit of blessing and loving
kindness speaks to the basis of deliverance.
The idea of dwelling in the house of God was a symbol of
the one was under the protection from God (Pss. 27:4-5; 52:8; 61:4; 63:2-4). The
house of God was the place in which his presence was among the people of
Israel. David may have also believed that he will one day return to the house
of God and to his home. David loved God and longed to go back to be in his
presence.
Sometimes
we want to believe that God is with us only in the good times. However, God is
always with us in both the good and bad times. He will never leave us or
forsake us. David knew that Yahweh was with him even in the “valley of the
shadow of death.” In the darkest valley he will be with us, comfort us and
protect us from all that tries to harm us. We might not “feel” that he is near
but we must believe by faith that he is with us, that he will comfort us and
that we can find protection in the place where he dwells.
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