I Shall Not Want in Difficult Times (Psalm 23:4-5)

David now refers to a difficult situation for a sheep, which was walking through a valley called ‘the shadow of death’. Often, this statement is linked to the passing of a believer from earth to heaven, and while there is nothing wrong with that suggestion it is likely a mistake to limit the application to that stage in a believer’s life. That suggestion does not appear to be what David is describing in the psalm. Maybe after we reflect on what the verses mean, we will say that the final day in a believer’s experience may involve this place of shadows, but that it is also the case that his final day may be described in verses 2 and 3.

We noted that in verses 2 and 3 David seems to describe a day in the life of a sheep, with the Shepherd leading through green pastures where soul recovery is found in order to continue in the paths of righteousness; in verses 4 and 5, he seems to describe another day in the life of a sheep, but one that is very different. The day in verses 2 and 3 was calm whereas the day in verses 4 and 5 is full of problems. In the Christian life, we are usually in one of those two days, although sometimes the events of each day merge together.

It is interesting to take note of how some writers from previous generations reacted to this pair of verses, especially the reference to the valley of the shadow of death.

Maybe you recall from Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress that he places the valley of the shadow of death immediately after Christian has endured an onslaught from Apollyon, and he says that this valley was worse than the one in which he had endured that spiritual conflict. As he approaches this valley Christian who is still travelling on his own meets two men who were running away from the valley because they saw that it was a place of confusion and darkness. Bunyan says that the path through this valley had a bog on one side and a deep ditch on the other side. As Christian moved along it with the sword of the Spirit in his hand, he found that the only spiritual weapon that helped him was all-prayer, that using the Bible was not enough. This suggestion by Bunyan is not surprising. Did you notice that in these verses the sheep begins to talk to the Shepherd whereas in the previous verses he had talked about the Shepherd? Eventually, as he moved along the narrow path through the valley, he heard a man singing verse 4 of Psalm 23 and was comforted by knowing that another believer was in the valley of the shadow of death at that time. He turned out to be Faithful and they began to walk together. Bunyan hints that this valley is a good place for discovering fellowship as well as for making crucial progress on the spiritual journey to heaven.

According to some commentators, verse 4 refers to the route that sheep would be led along when travelling from the lowlands where they had spent the winter to pastures located on higher ground. This picture of travelling from lower ground to higher ground in itself is one that illustrates the Christian life as God’s people travel from this world to heaven. They should be getting more heavenly-minded the further they are from the starting point and the closer they are to the heavenly destination, even if at times they think otherwise.

The valley, which at times was little more than a ravine and would be about five miles long, was marked by various kinds of shadows because there were parts where the strength of the sun would be blocked by huge rocks and other large obstacles. Those places of shade would be suitable locations for wild animals to hide and then pounce on sheep, and we know from David’s own experience that he had rescued sheep from a lion and a bear. Christians too as they travel upwards find themselves going into places where spiritual enemies lurk unseen. 

A biblical reference that highlights this reality is the use of the term ‘the heavenlies’ in the Book of Ephesians. We may recall that believers are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies (Eph. 1:3), that they are seated with Christ in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6), and yet they engage in spiritual warfare in the heavenlies (Eph. 6:12). The place of blessing and the place of battle are not far apart; or we could say, the place of potential progress and the place of potential failure are close by one another.

At the same time, the sheep could put themselves into danger by walking too close to the edge of the narrow path through the valley. I suspect that is a common problem today. I recall reading a story of a lady who had to employ a driver for her coach of horses on a road that involved a place where there was a big drop into a gorge. So she asked one question of each of the applicants: ‘How close could you go to the edge without going over?’ One applicant said he could go to within a yard of the edge. A second applicant said he could go to within a foot of the edge. The one who was given the job said that he would stay as far as was possible from the edge. Sheep beside a large drop may fall into a gorge of which they have no knowledge of how far down they will go.

Confident and comforted

In the psalm, the sheep of Christ can be confident, however, because his people are assured of his presence as they ascend through the valley. We should observe that David as a sheep does not expect to avoid encounters with evil; rather, the presence of the powerful Shepherd means that there is no need to fear those enemies. There are suitable Bible verses that come to mind in this regard such as ‘Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.’ Or ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’

Who or what are the enemies of the believers as they travel to heaven? We know that the enemies come under the headings of the world, the flesh and the devil. Often, they work in tandem, but it is helpful to think of them separately. The world is not the geographical world as such, but the ethos of the world which basically is anti-God. Sometimes this enemy is stronger than at other times, and today it is very strong. It is not difficult for us to see that. Worldliness is much more than isolated activities. Rather it is a way of thinking in which God is not acknowledged nor the importance of the spiritual life recognised. A worldly person can be religious or irreligious, lazy or hardworking, intelligent or not so intelligent, a pleasure seeker or someone with no interest in such things. Normally, a worldly person can be detected by considering how a person thinks. We are told that as a person thinks in his heart, so is he (Prov. 23:7).

The flesh is not our physical body, although often it is the channel for people to express their fleshly desires. What is meant by the flesh? Every Christian has been regenerated, but not fully regenerated. Every Christian is being sanctified, but none are fully sanctified in this life. The flesh is what our catechism calls the remnant of corruption that affects every part of our inner life. It likes to adapt itself to whatever form of worldliness appeals to us and it also responds eagerly to the devil’s temptations. A Christian has the seeds of every sin in his soul, and those seeds are enemies of our souls.

The devil and his hordes are personal enemies whose aim is always to attack God’s people. They are crafty as well as powerful. They can tempt strongly or suggest softly. They can assault our minds violently or they may do so suggestively. They know what to dangle in front of our affections, and what will be effective regarding us as individuals. We are not to dismiss their activities or play with their temptations. Instead, we are to resist them.

We might imagine that facing such enemies should deflate us. Sometimes we feel like a victim about to be crushed in their teeth. Yet if we think that, it means we have taken our eyes of the Lord and failed to remind ourselves of his presence. We can forget that he is there with us.

In verse 4, what comforted the sheep was the shepherd’s rod and staff. Sometimes the rod and the staff would be used on a sheep if it were going too near the edge of the path or becoming detached from the flock by meandering off. Jesus will deal with us if we let our remaining sin run loose. It is good that is the case because he always sees the danger and we should accept his rebukes and not engage in finding lame excuses for our sinful and sometimes silly behaviour.

At other times, the rod and the staff would be used for dealing with wild animals that threatened the sheep. Again, we may not see them, or perhaps we are frightened by the noises that they make. The best way of dealing with enemy attacks is to ask Jesus for help, whether it be the world, the flesh or the devil. He can help every Christian simultaneously whenever they are attacked by their enemies. In such situations he gives the victory.

Table and tenderness (v. 5)

Apparently, it was the custom for the shepherd to walk along the valley beforehand and find suitable places where the sheep could be fed on their journey. If necessary, he could leave food there for the sheep to take on the day that they travelled. It is not difficult to see in this provision of the shepherd a picture of the various means of grace that have been arranged for us to use.

The one thing that the threefold set of enemies aim for is to deprive us of the blessings that come to us from the means of grace. We can skip reading the Bible, but in doing so we miss out on feeding our soul on what is its necessary food. We can do without prayer because the enemies might suggest that we do not have the time. The same goes for lack of fellowship and for church services. These are the places where Jesus spreads a table in the valley that leads from the world to glory and which strengthen us for the next stage.

It is important to see that the enemies cannot stop this table from being spread. What they can stop is us going to them for spiritual sustenance. Each of the means that were just mentioned will be there and my absence only deprives myself of the blessings connected to them. It is solemn and sad when a sheep prefers somewhere else to the tables that the Shepherd has provided.

At the spot where the table was located, the shepherd would deal with some issues that the sheep had, particularly with its head. We have sometimes seen a sheep with a branch caught in its wool and affecting its head and there must be some bruising as a result. The other source of trouble for a sheep could come from insects that affected the eyes of the sheep. Whether it was bruising or cleansing that was needed, the shepherd had the remedy which was to rub some oil on the sheep’s head.

It is possible to see in the oil a picture of the Holy Spirit. Obviously, the Spirit is involved in all that happens in a believer’s life. Yet I suspect that the oil here points more to the Shepherd’s healing skills. Jesus knows how to deal with the distresses and the spiritual diseases that his people may pick up. To put it another way, he always had the remedy in his hands. He never comes in an uncertain manner, not sure if he will be able to deal with the trouble. And he always deal with us individually even if he is dealing with numerous members of his flock simultaneously.

What is the outcome? The sheep has an overflowing cup. The allusion may be to a cup of wine that would be found on most tables at mealtimes. Wine in the Bible is usually symbolic of joy, and here although the cup is overflowing none of the contents are wasted. It is probably undesirable for wine to overflow, but it is very desirable for joy to overflow and affect others. I knew a woman in one of the congregations in which I ministered who said about her joy in salvation that her cup was overflowing and she was drinking out of the saucer. She was mistaken about the type of cup but she had understood the message.

So the sheep did not lack for anything. We have seen two days in the life of a sheep. In verses 2 and 3, the sheep had been taken by the shepherd from the fold to the green pastures where it had been fed and then it was led along the paths of righteousness either back to the previous fold or on to the next fold. But the sheep had been provided for. It was the same when the day came for the sheep to walk along the valley to the higher ground. Although it was very different from the other day’s experience, still the sheep experienced the shepherd’s gentle care and great power.