Psalm 23 - Even though I walk through the darkest valley (9)

The dark valleys we walk through in this fallen world as sufferers with Christ are for his glory.



The dark valleys

In the days in which David wrote this psalm, people would avoid walking through dark valleys where possible as they were prime places to be attacked by robbers [Luke 10:25-37] or by enemies with arrows. But sometimes situation would necessitate travelling through the valley.

David uses this predicament as an analogy for dark moments in our lives we find ourselves having to endure; for death, physical and spiritual attacks, and any other hardships we may encounter. In these things, says David, there is nothing to fear. Not even the arrows of evil one, culminating in death of the body, for the Lord was with him. And He too is with us.



We walk through

Believers do not shy away from the valley, but neither do we hasten towards it. Rather, as in the rest of our lives, we simply walk with God through it. As Spurgeon says, "to walk indicates the steady advance of a soul which knows its road, knows its end, resolves to follow the path, feels quite safe, and is therefore perfectly calm and composed."

In some translations, "darkest valley" is translated "valley of the shadow of death". For those who are in Christ, death has lost its sting [1 Corinthians 15:55] and thus dying has lost its substance; a mere shadow remains. We go through physical death, but our souls have already passed from darkness into light [Colossians 1:13]. Therefore we can be sure that death for us is but sleeping to wake in glory.

In this fallen world

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  - Romans 5:3-5

No matter how privileged our lives may be on earth, our imminent deaths serve as the ultimate reminder that we are living in a fallen world. How important it is that we do not expect the Christian walk to be free of suffering. Not only does living in a fallen world necessitate our suffering, but God so works in it as to produce in us a hope that will not put us to shame.





As sufferers with Christ

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. - 2 Corinthians 4:11

When we place our hope in Christ and are baptised, we enter into the death and resurrection of Jesus. But as we see above, as we live righteously in Christ we continually join him in his death so that even our dying bodies may reveal the resurrection life of Jesus. We have the treasure of Christ, but in jars of clay. This is so that it remains clear that all the power we have comes from God, and ensures that all glory this treasure attracts is given to God.



Are for his glory

So we are called to lives of suffering for the sake of the glory of Christ. This entails giving up everything to follow Jesus [Mark 10:21], waging war against our fleshly desires [1 Peter 2:11], and enduring persecution for the gospel [Matthew 10:22].

At these things we should not be surprised, for they are promised by Jesus and are a mark of true believers. Even though we experience darkness in our lives, we may rejoice and remain steadfast in Christ our redeemer. Let us say with Paul that, "to live is Christ; to die is gain." [Philippians 1:21]