Valley of the Shadow of Death

(I was asked to give a message for our local congregation. Here’s what I shared:)

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Death Valley

Straddling between the state of California and Nevada is the National State Park that is called the Death Valley. This National Park is huge, spanning 3.4 million acres, making it the largest US national park except the parks found in Alaska.

Why is it called Death Valley? For one it can get very hot in that park. In April of 2020, Death Valley recorded a temperature of 130 F. It feels like an oven! Another reason is it rarely get rain in this area. In fact, even Sahara Desert gets an average rainfall of 3.9″/year, while Death Valley (photo below) gets less than half of that, with a minuscule 1.5″ of rainfall annually.

But where it really got its name was during the Gold Rush in the 1840’s, when people from many parts of the US rushed to California when gold was discovered in the Sacramento Valley. But some of the gold-seekers when they were crossing this part of Nevada and California did not make it through, and they died in this unforgiving terrain, thus it became known as the Death Valley.

Our study for this morning is also about a passage in the Bible that mention about the “valley of the shadow of death.”

Psalms 23: 4 – Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Songs in the Night

One of the most beloved passages in the Bible is Psalms 23. We love to read it, we love to recite it, and we have memorized it by heart.

We know that David wrote this Psalm. But when did he write it? Since it is a shepherd’s psalms, some believe that he wrote it when he was young and was still a shepherd. However, there are parts of the psalms that mentioned “in the presence of my enemies,” so David must have enemies already when he wrote it. The psalms also mentioned about a feast and a table, or cup running over, that may mean he have already experienced prosperity, like when he was already a king.

But one specific line there is about walking in the shadow of the valley of death, which have meant that David have already experienced troubled times. Thus, most Bible scholars believe that Psalms 23 was written when David was already an older man.

The theme of Psalms 23 is of reassurance, and yet it feels that it was written when David was passing through a dark time. And there are many dark times that David went through, right? Did he write it during the time when he was in hiding and running away from King Saul who wanted to kill him? Maybe it was when he was in a cave and was longing to be home with his wife and family. How about during the time when his sin was made known when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and have Bathsheba’s husband killed. As a punishment his first son with Bathsheba died. That was certainly a dark time in David’s life.

However, arguably the darkest time in the life of David was when his own son, Absalom, rebelled against him and overthrew him from his own palace. Absalom wanted to kill him, but David escaped Jerusalem to a place called Mahanaim. David was heartbroken. Despite what his son has done to him, he still loves him, that he does not want his son to be killed. That must be a very difficult time in his life. In fact, many scholars believed that Psalms 23 was written when David was in exile in Mahanaim while his army was battling the army of his son Absalom.

Do you realize that Psalms 23, one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible, the beloved passage that we find comfort when we are feeling down, the passage that give as solace when we are going through difficult times, the psalms that give us encouragement when we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, was written during a dark and troubling time of David’s life.

Do you know that the most beautiful songbirds sing their songs in the night? Like the mockingbirds and the nightingales. And people who train captive birds to sing, will cover the cage, so the birds will learn to sing in the dark. Here’s a quote from a Christian author E.G. White:

“In the full light of day, and in hearing of the music of other voices, the caged bird will not sing the song that his master seeks to teach him. He learns a snatch of this, a trill of that, but never a separate and entire melody. But the master covers the cage, and places it where the bird will listen to the one song he is to sing. In the dark, he tries and tries again to sing that song until it is learned, and he breaks forth in perfect melody. Then the bird is brought forth, and ever after he can sing that song in the light. Thus, God deals with His children. He has a song to teach us, and when we have learned it amid the shadows of affliction, we can sing it ever afterward.”

Crossing Kidron Valley

Though the valley of the shadow of death could be a figure of speech, many believe that this valley is a real place.

There is a valley in the eastern part of Jerusalem that is nestled between the Temple Mount which is where Jerusalem is, and opposite this valley is the Mount of Olives. The ravine is deep and ragged, and it stretches for 20 miles, descending 4,000 feet ending at the Dead Sea. Perhaps during the time of David’s shepherding days, he passed through this valley many times with his sheep, and there may be wolves that were hiding in the caves and rocks on this pass.

The name of this valley is Kidron valley. Kidron in Hebrew means ash or gray color, the color of mourning and sorrow, the color of the sackcloth that Jews wear when they are mourning. Perhaps it is named so, because it is always gray in this area, as it is always in the shadow.

But there’s more. Kidron valley is a grave site for poor people who cannot afford expensive burial sites. It is like a potter’s field. So many people mourned here and wondered how they can survive as they buried their loved one.

Even today, Kidron Valley (photo above) is surrounded by grave sites. Kidron Valley is located at the eastern part of Jerusalem. So opposite Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, just a little below the top of this Mount, is a very popular grave site for the Jews. They said that you need $30,000 or more to be buried here as it is facing the eastern gate of Jerusalem, and only Jews can be buried here. It is believed by the Jews that when God returns, He will enter the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem, so those buried facing that gate will be resurrected first.

There are also ancient burial caves and tomb monuments at the bottom of Kidron Valley today. One of the monuments there is called Absalom’s Pillar, thought to be built by the rebellious son of David. 2 Samuel 18:18:

During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, “I have no son to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

Experts don’t all agree that this is the real tower that Absalom built, as many believe that the existing tower there today (photo above) was built much later, like in the first century AD, and most experts agree that Absalom was not buried there. Though by tradition, when people visit this today, they will throw rocks to this tower to show their distaste of Absalom’s rebellion.

David when he escaped Jerusalem as he was overthrown by his son Absalom, was forced to flee and crossed Kidron Valley. Here it is in 2 Samuel 15:13:

The whole countryside wept aloud as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley, and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.

A few more verses down in 2 Samuel 15: 20:

 But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered, and he was barefoot. 

So, when David crossed this Kidron Valley, he was mourning, he was weeping, and going through a very dark time of his life.

Could it be that this is the place that he alludes to in Psalms 23:4 as the “valley of the shadow of death?”

But friends, when David wrote that “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” it did not stop there, what else did he say?

“I will fear no evil.”

Why?

“For Thou art with me!”

It is true that when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God will be walking with us. What is there to fear?

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A little boy is afraid of the dark. One night his mother tells him to go out to the back porch and bring her the broom. The little boy turns to his mother and says, “Mama, I don’t want to go out there. It’s dark.” 

The mother smiles reassuringly at her son. “You don’t have to be afraid of the dark,” she explains. “Jesus is out there. He’ll look after you and protect you.”

The little boy looks at his mother real hard and asks,”Are you sure he’s out there?” 

“Yes, I’m sure. He is everywhere, and he is always ready to help you when you need him,” she says. 

The little boy thinks about that for a minute and then goes to the back door and cracks it a little. Peering out into the darkness, he calls, “Jesus? If you’re out there, would you please hand me the broom?”

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Let’s go back to that Kidron Valley. Do you know that there is another character in the Bible that walk in this valley of the shadow of death? Let’s read in John 18:1:

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

Jesus walked through this valley from Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane which is near the foot of the Mount of Olives. It was the last night of his life before his arrest and death on the cross. He definitely was in deep agony crossing that valley, as the weight of all the sins of the world was on his shoulders.

Did Jesus find comfort in Psalms 23:4 “Yea, though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death?” But somehow for Jesus it was different. This is probably the inspiration of the American spiritual hymn that says:

Jesus walked this lonesome valley;
He had to walk it by himself.
Oh, nobody else could walk it for him;
He had to walk it by himself.

He did, so you and I can be saved.

Rod and Staff

The last line on the Psalms 23: 4 is: “Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” 

Let’s look on these important shepherd’s tools. Are they one and the same or different? 

A shepherd’s rod is a crafted club whittled from solid wood, often featuring an enlarged knob at the end. While the shepherd’s staff is normally a long, slender stick, often with a crook or hook on one end. They serve different purposes too.

The rod is the main weapon of defense of the shepherd for both himself and his sheep. It is a symbol of his strength, his power, and his authority.

Kings and emperors are often pictured holding an ornamental scepter -a rod symbolizing their power and sovereignty. Likewise, a shepherd’s rod symbolizes rulership.

The rod is also the instrument he used to discipline and correct any wayward sheep that insisted on wandering away. 

Another interesting use of the rod in the shepherd’s hand was to examine and count the sheep. In the terminology of the Old Testament this was referred to as passing “under the rod:”

Ezekiel 20:37 – “And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.”

At the end of the day as the sheep go into the sheepfold, the shepherd will examine each sheep to make sure there are no wounds or scratches. Thus a sheep that passed “under the rod” was one which had been counted, examined thouroughly, and looked over with great care.

Isn’t it comforting to know that God our shepherd is protecting us, disciplining us, and looking over us with care?

The staff on the other hand, identifies the person as a shepherd more than any of his other equipment. It is uniquely an instrument used for the care and management of sheep – and only sheep. It will not do for cattle, horses or hogs. It is designed, shaped and adapted especially to the needs of sheep.

While the rod conveys authority, power, discipline, and defense against danger, the staff is essentially a symbol of the concern and the compassion that a shepherd has for his sheep. 

There are three areas of sheep management in which the staff plays a most significant role. The first one is in drawing sheep together into an intimate relationship. The shepherd will use his staff to gently lift a newborn lamb and bring it to its mother if they become parted. He does this because he does not wish to have the mother reject her offspring if it bears the odor of his hands upon it.

Secondly, the staff is used by the shepherd to reach out and catch individual sheep, young or old, and draw them close to himself for intimate examination. 

Lastly, the staff is used for guiding sheep through some gate or along dangerous, difficult routes. He does not use it to beat the beast. Rather, the tip of the long slender stick is laid gently against the animal’s side and the pressure applied guides the sheep to stay in the right path.

My friends, have you gone wayward from the path? Have you wandered away from God? His staff is reaching out to you. He wants to draw you nearer to Him. He wants you to walk in the right path.

The Lord is My Shepherd

I would like to end with another personal story. I have already told you in the past that my father died at a relatively young age of 50 years old. He died because of a brain tumor.

Before he was diagnosed with it, he was in perfect health. In fact, he was running about 2 miles 3-4 times a week. He was the one who introduced me to running as an exercise at such a young age. I was in grade school when I first join him to run early morning, and it became quite regular when I was in high school. And I continued where he left off as I still run regularly today. Tomorrow I will be running in the10K race of the Drake Relays.

Before my father’s surgery, the neurosurgeon told him that he cannot assure the success of the surgery, for which my father replied, “Doctor, I am not afraid to die. I have faith in my God.”

After the surgery, my father poorly recovered. As they have to traverse a lot of brain tissue, it was as if he suffered a large stroke. He was relegated to a wheelchair. When he tried to stand or walk, I would be supporting him up. It was sad to think that the once strong arms that supported me when I was learning to walk is now the one that I am holding up as he tried to learn how to stand and walk again.

His speech was difficult, and in fact he barely spoke after the surgery. So, I will read to him Bible passages, and one passage that was his favorite is Psalms 23. He will just listen, as I read. And only him and God knows what went into his mind when I read: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” He was definitely in the shadow of the valley of death, but he was barely walking.

After 2 months of his surgery, he had to undergo a second surgery as the swelling in his brain got severe. He did not fully wake up after the second surgery.

One night after his second surgery, my mother and my siblings were in the hospital room visiting my father when he became very unstable. A Code Blue was called, which is a medical emergency call in the hospital, which ironically, I am involved frequently in my line of work now as an ICU doctor.

Several hospital personnel rushed into the room of my father, and they tried to stabilize him, while my mother, my siblings and I were huddled in one corner of the room crying clinging to the promise:

“Yeah, though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.”

A few days after that night, my father passed away peacefully on a Friday morning, and went to rest in the Lord. I am sure he found comfort in this Psalms that says:

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.

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(*photos from the web)