The Shadow of Death
Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”.
Oh the gloom and despair that seems to have settled upon the scene that is depicted here by the psalmist! In this portion of David’s discourse, we see what looks to be a depressing portrait being painted upon the canvas. Every word appears to be adding another brush stroke of black paint to a deepening shade of night. Yet, I believe that this part of the psalmist’s point. This divinely inspired phrase has been carefully chosen by the Holy Spirit to press upon us the distress, yea even the depression that so often accompanies that pathway which goes through “the valley”! You see, in this phrase we are not only compelled to come face to face with the reality of the “valley”, but we are also called upon to consider the darkness which is particular to that place, a darkness which is identified as “the shadow of death”!
The very words, “shadow of death”, are depressing words. They describe dreadful and dark surroundings, and at first glance, it would appear that such a narrative holds no promise of joy in any measure. In fact, when we view this scene through eyes of flesh, it seems that this low land of which the psalmist speaks possesses no means of hope for those who make their journeying there. So then, the question is this, how could one expect to find a message of help and encouragement while sitting under “the shadow of death”? How could any measure of peace be brought forth from the darkness described in these words? In order to answer these questions, let’s take a moment to consider this dreadful phrase in its greater context in Scripture.
The phrase “shadow of death” appears some twenty times in the Bible. It is found eighteen times in the Old Testament, and it is given twice in the New Testament. In every case in which it is used in the Old Testament, it translates from the compound Hebrew word (tsalmaveth). The two roots of this word are (tsale), which means shadow or shade, and (maveth), which means death, dying, or to die. Some have attempted to change the translation of this phrase to “the valley of deep darkness”, but the Hebrew word used here clearly affirms that “death” is indeed the source of the “shadow” that rests upon this “valley”! However, though death is the source of the shadow cast across this deep vale, the ultimate message of the psalmist is not one of literal dying or the actual day of his death.
Please don’t misunderstand, I am not suggesting that these words cannot be a source of comfort for those who have reached the end of life’s pathway, and are preparing to cross the threshold of death into eternity. Indeed, these words can be a means of peaceful calm to those who find themselves in that place. However, I do not believe literal death to be the focal point of the lesson that we glean from this statement here in Psalm 23:4. In order to prove this out, let’s take a moment and recall some of the things which we have already emphasized concerning “the valley” in general.
You will recall that when we read this phrase in light of the unfolding pattern of the 23rd Psalm, we see that the psalmist speaks of walking “THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death”, in order to reach the “table” (table lands or plains) which the Shepherd has prepared, so that the sheep might feed there. In other words, the valley is a transitional place. It is the necessary path that takes us from one place to another. One cannot reach the highest peaks of the grandest mountains without beginning the journey in the valleys which lie at their base.
Furthermore, when we read what is stated about the table lands which lie beyond “the valley”, the psalmist declares that the sheep feed there in “the presence of…enemies”. Dear friend, there will be no enemies to face on the other side of death. When we reach that sweet land of rest for which we long, that land where we will forever dwell with our Glorious Shepherd, the battles will be over, the victory will be realized, and all our enemies will be removed. It is this fact that makes it clear that David is not speaking of facing literal death. So then, if it is not literal death to which the psalmist refers, then what is the meaning of the phrase “the shadow of death”?
I mentioned that the phrase “shadow of death” appears twenty times in Scripture. In accordance with that, let me remind you that our text emphasizes the fact that the psalmist encountered “the shadow of death” while he was walking “through the valley” (Psalm 23:4). With that being said, I find it quite interesting that ten of the twenty times that the phrase “shadow of death” occurs in Scripture are found in The Book of Job.
Job was a man well acquainted with suffering and sorrow. He knew something of the valleys of this life. He lost everything that he owned in a day and went from a position of great wealth to that of abject poverty! The lives of his children were snuffed out in a moment! He also completely lost his health, and his marriage was teetering on the brink! To top it all off, his friends came to “comfort” him, and instead, they became his accusers! You see, Job literally found himself walking through the midst of the darkest hours of his life, and as he was in the very throws of “the valley”, he could sense the presence of “death” making its mark in that place! It was there in that place of darkness that Job began to speak of “the shadow of death”!
In The Book of Job, we find that Job used the phrase “shadow of death” in several different connotations, but it is most fascinating to read those instances in which he uses this phrase to refer to his own plight. I say this because, as we consider the references to the “shadow of death” being mentioned by a man who was actually in “the valley”, we will begin to gain some personal insight as to what David may have been speaking about when he talked of “the valley of the shadow of death”.
The first time we find Job using this phrase was in Job 3. There Job is so smitten with despair that he begins to express a disdain for his own birth. He says, “Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, ‘There is a man child conceived’. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and THE SHADOW OF DEATH stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.” (Job 3:3-5) Here he pleads that “the shadow of death” might “stain” the day of his conception and birth. It is interesting to note that the word “stain” translates from the Hebrew word (ga’al). This particular word is most often translated “redeem” in our King James Bible. So then, Job is literally praying “God let ‘the shadow of death’ redeem me from my birth; let it buy me back from the misery and woe of this life.”
From these words of Job, we learn a very important perspective. In this case, the phrase “shadow of death” is used to describe a place in which death seems preferable! Perhaps this is what David is describing in Psalm 23:4. Perhaps he is stating that in the midst of life’s valleys there are some seasons, some circumstances in which death seems preferable to facing the sufferings and sorrows that await in that place. This indeed was the case with Job, and he is not alone in such a perspective.
In 2 Corinthians 1:8, the Apostle Paul describes the effect of the “trouble which came to us in Asia”. The oppression which he faced, the persecution which he endured, the pressure which he was under was so intense that he said, “We were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that WE DESPAIRED EVEN OF LIFE”! The word “despaired” comes from the Greek word (exaporeomai), and it means to be utterly at a loss or to be utterly destitute of measures and void of all resources. In other words, Paul was saying that he found himself in a place in which he could find no strength or resources to go on living life!
When I examine this text, when I consider Paul’s utter despair, my frail flesh is immediately compelled to ask, “Why?” Why would God permit Paul to arrive at such a place? Why would he lead us in that same path as well? Yet, before my heart can devise the question, and before lips can utter it, God has already provided the answer. Consider what Paul goes on to say, “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, THAT WE SHOULD NOT TRUST IN OURSELVES, BUT IN GOD which raiseth from the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9)! You see dear friend, whether it be Paul, or whether we be the ones in the place of despair, our Lord is ultimately bringing us to that place where “God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28)! This may well be one perspective to which the psalmist refers when he speaks of “the valley of the shadow of death”!
However, there may be something else meant by this phrase as well. When we go back to the story of Job, we find another instance in which he used the phrase “shadow of death” to refer to his situation. In Job 10:20-22, Job states, “Are not my days few? Cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and THE SHADOW OF DEATH; A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of THE SHADOW OF DEATH, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.” In the context of this passage, Job continues to bemoan his birth, but in these verses, as he once again references “the shadow of death”, he seems to use the statement in a slightly different way.
You will notice that according to Job 10:20, Job poses this question to his friends: “Are not my days few?” Later in his statement, you will notice that he says, “…I go to the land whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death”. When you couple the entire statement together, it appears that Job believes that the day of his death is quickly approaching. From this, we see that “the valley” may not only be a place in which death seems preferable, but it may also be a place where death seems present!
Perhaps this is what David refers to when he speaks of “the valley of the shadow of death”! Maybe he is referring to those seasons of life in which death seems near; a time in which a man has come to realize his own mortality. Though this “valley” of which the psalmist speaks may not be the time and place of his actual death, it may be that in that place “death”, being near enough to cast its cold and frightening “shadow” upon his brow, seems to be an inevitable reality! Indeed, this could be another possibility for our text!
With all these things being stated, and with these possible meanings being realized, I want to draw your attention to one other usage of the phrase “shadow of death” in The Book of Job. In Job 12:2, Job is musing about what God may be doing in the midst of his plight, and in fact, he makes some very clear statements about what God is able to do. In this particular verse Job declares, “He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.” Think of this dear friend! God “discovereth deep things” in those places in which all we can see is “darkness”! He has the power to cause “the shadow of death” to be brought “out to light”!
There it is dear one! There is the hope in the midst of despair; there is the light in the midst of “darkness”! You see, God is able to reveal “deep things” or mysterious things to us in the dark hours of life! He is able to shine an illuminating light in our souls, even when death’s cold “shadow” rests upon us! In fact, think of it this way: there could be no possibility of a “shadow” unless there is also a light! When we are in the midst of "the valley", it is so easy to focus our attention upon that dark figure of “death” and the deep “shadow” being cast by its presence. But, for a moment, step back, look closer, and you will find a light shining in that place! Psalm 36:9 says, “For with thee is the fountain of life: and IN THY LIGHT SHALL WE SEE LIGHT”!
Oh dear friend, are you in the midst of that place where “the shadow of death” abides? Are you in a “valley” in which death seems to be present, or perhaps it even seems preferable? Do not despair weary one! Lift up your head, look more closely at the scene, for there, beyond the “shadow of death”, you will find the light of His countenance! This is why the psalmist was able to cry, “I will fear no evil, for THOU ART WITH ME”! Cry out to Him in that dark place beloved friend, and there, even in the midst of that dark vale, you will soon find the words of the psalmist to be true: “For thou wilt light my candle: THE LORD MY GOD WILL ENLIGHTEN MY DARKNESS” (Psalm 18:28)!
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