Confidence in the Great Shepherd

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.

Psalm 23:4

The Lord Jesus leads his flock from nature to grace — and from grace to glory. He goes before them every step of their journey, to give them confidence, and ensure their safety. They follow him, and at length enter with him into their Father's kingdom.

But the way in which the Shepherd leads them, is often very rough, and sometimes dark and dreary. David refers to this, when he speaks of, the valley of the shadow of death. Let us consider his words a little. 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. Here is,

A Trial Anticipated. It may refer to something before death, for death sometimes throws its shadow a long way before it. Therefore we read of some, who through the fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage. And the Psalmist says, The sorrows of death compassed me about. And again, The snares of death confronted me. The nervous system becomes disordered, the evidences of a saving interest in Christ becomes beclouded, alarming circumstances in the world or the family occur — and we are dejected and brought low. It is as if death threw its shadow over everything. Nothing is bright, clear, or beautiful; we weary of life, we long for Heaven — and yet fear to die. Here is the shadow of death, and the substance is not far off.

Or the reference may be to death itself, which as far as it refers to the believer in Jesus, is but the shadow of itself. But it is a gloomy depressing shadow.

Death obscures the sun — and the earth loses all its charms;

it chills the atmosphere — and life is stripped of all its comforts;

it conceals exhilarating objects — and we dwell upon the dismal and dreary;

it produces gloom — and often awakens fear.

But as the shadow in nature, though it may alarm, death cannot injure us — just so the shadow of death cannot injure the Christian. If death is a serpent — it has lost its sting, it has no power to harm us. If death is a tyrant — it is stripped of its authority, and we may smile at its impotence. Jesus, for us, has abolished death — only the shadow remains. He has destroyed, or rendered feeble and ineffectual — him that had the power of death, that is the devil. Therefore he said, He who believes on me shall never die. He who keeps my sayings, shall never taste of death. Which leads us to look at the language of David again, and to notice

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