Have you ever watched the movie, The Lion King? There is part of the land that borders the kingdom of the lions called an elephant graveyard, and when Mufasa – the King of the lion pride – is showing his cub, Simba, the land that belongs to them, he purposefully explains that this is not part of it. This part of the savanna is dark, dry, dotted with bone carcasses of various animals, covered in shadow, barren with no sense of life. It’s scary and dreary and cold. This is what I picture when I read “the valley of the shadow of death.” I picture isolated, dead, shaded and dangerous.
Scripture is so amazing because this verse doesn’t say IF you walk through valleys or on the occasion if you happen to take a wrong turn and land up in a valley, it says “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” – its an actuality, not an eventuality. Life is hard, life is messy, life is sad, life is complicated, life is cold, life can be isolated and dreary. And the Psalter confidently writes that when faced with life like this, he fears no evil because God is WITH him. We can’t control the world or what events take place upon the earth, but we can trust in the Sovereignity of God and take comfort that He walks WITH us through it all. We can take heart, because even though we will have trouble in this world, He has already overcome the world (John 15:33). We can be assured that the creator of the universe does not discard or leave us, but is WITH us.
The rod and the staff are significant to the sheep and the shepherd. gotquestions.org tells us that the rod “is a symbol of the Lord’s strength and protection. The rod was a sturdy wooden stick used as a weapon to fight off wild animals who might have hoped to make an easy meal out of an otherwise defenseless flock of sheep. The shepherd also used the rod to help him keep count of the sheep within the flock. ”
“The staff… is a symbol of the Lord’s guidance and lovingkindness. The staff was a long, slender stick, often hooked at the tip, used primarily to direct the flock. Sheep are notorious wanderers, and once away from the shepherd’s watchful eye, they get into all sorts of trouble (Matthew 18:12–14). The shepherd used his staff to keep his sheep out of danger and close to himself. If a sheep became trapped in a precarious position, the shepherd would loop the curved end of the staff around the neck of the sheep and retrieve it back to safety.”
Not only is God WITH us through every moment of every day, but he strengthens, protects, leads and guides us with lovingkindness. God will protect us from sickness, danger, evil or the enemy with His strength. And He will guide and direct us lovingly, steering us away from danger, leading us towards safe places of green pastures and still waters.
He is so kind and so gentle, and yet so lovingly strong.
I’m so grateful my hope and trust is in someone so trustworthy.
hope of heart 