Psalms 23:4 "Yea, 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."
With all imminent danger supposed: "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, that is, though I am in peril of death, though in the midst of dangers, deep as a valley, dark as a shadow, and dreadful as death itself,'' or rather, "though I am under the arrests of death, have received the sentence of death within myself, and have all the reason in the world to look upon myself as a dying man, yet I am easy.'' Here is one word indeed which sounds terrible; it is death, which we must all count upon; there is no discharge in that war.
But, even in the supposition of the distress, there are four words
which lessen the terror:_It is death indeed that is before us; but,
1) It is but the shadow of death; there is no substantial evil in it;
the shadow of a serpent will not sting nor the shadow of a sword
kill.
2) It is the valley of the shadow, deep indeed, and dark, and dirty;
but the valleys are fruitful, and so is death itself fruitful of
comforts to God's people.
3) It is but a walk in this valley, a gentle pleasant walk. The
wicked are chased out of the world, and their souls are required;
but the saints take a walk to another world as cheerfully as they
take their leave of this.
4) It is a walk through it; they shall not be lost in this valley,
but get safely to the mountain of spices on the other side of it.
Death is a king of terrors, but not to the sheep of Christ; they
tremble at it no more than sheep do that are appointed for the
slaughter. Even in the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no
evil. None of these things move me.
WHY??? God's Presence... "For You are with me"!
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
God's presence shall comfort us. His word and Spirit shall comfort
us...His rod and staff, alluding to the shepherd's crook, or the rod
under which the sheep passed when they were counted (Lev. 27:32), or the staff with which the shepherds drove away the dogs that would scatter or worry the sheep. It is a comfort to the saints that God takes cognizance of them (he knows those that are his), that he will rebuke the enemy, that he will guide them with his rod and sustain them with his staff. The gospel is called the rod of Christ's strength (Ps. 110:2), and there is enough in that to comfort the saints even the presence of death and underneath them, of course, are the everlasting arms of the LORD.
THE VALLEY
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I have been through the valley of weeping,
The valley of sorrow and pain;
But the "God of all comfort" was with me,
At hand to uphold and sustain.
As the earth needs the clouds and the sunshine,
Our souls need the sorrow and the joy;
So He places us oft in the furnace,
The dross from the gold to destroy.
When He leads through some valley of trouble,
His powerful hand we can trace;
For the trials and sorrows He sends us
Are part of His lessons of grace.
Oft we shrink from the purging and pruning,
Forgetting the Husbandman knows
The deeper the cutting and paring,
The richer the cluster that grows.
Well He knows that affliction is needed;
He has a wise purpose in view,
And in the dark valley He whispers,
"Hereafter thou'lt know what I do."
As we travel through life's shadowed valley,
Fresh springs of His love ever rise;
And we learn that our sorrows and losses
Are blessings just sent in disguise.
So we'll follow wherever He leadeth,
Though pathways be dreary or bright;
For we've proof that our God can give comfort,
Our God can give songs in the night.
--- Author Unknown
Have A Blessed Day and a Beautiful Weekend...Be PRAYERFUL and THANKFUL
for all things!!!
Edward Price