I Will Fear No Evil

“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.” (Psalm 23:4)

Psalm 23:4  has been called the Holy of Holies of the twenty-third Psalm.  It could easily be called the Holy of Holies of the entire Bible.

In the first three verses of this psalm David has been talking about the Good Shepherd in the third person singular.  In verse four he has changed from speaking about Him in the third person to speaking to Him in the second person singular. In our witnessing we are talking to others about Jesus, using the third person. In our praying we are talking to Jesus using the second person. David, the Sweet Psalmist of Israel, is talking to the Shepherd in the rest of this psalm. David indicates he has a personal relationship with the Shepherd. Is that what you have?

As a shepherd, David knew what it was to pass through valleys where the shadow of a wolf, bear or mountain lion, lurking on the ridge above, was casting a shadow of certain death over the sheep. But David knew as you and I must know, there is no death or harm in a shadow.  The shadow of a bullet cannot kill.  Nor can the shadow of the devil do us harm. David said, “I will fear no evil for thou art with me.” Hebrews 13:5 says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The “rod” here is similar to the one used by Moses to divide the Red Sea and then to cause the waters to go back, drowning the Egyptian army. Here, the rod is used to protect the sheep from the enemies.  The crook of the staff, placed lovingly around the sheep, draws the sheep to the shepherd.  In the hand of our Good Shepherd it is like He is using the Word of God to draw us to Himself when we have fallen or strayed.