The Sadness Through the Valley: Yea, though I walk through the valley (v. 4a)

      There really is an actual valley called “the shadow of death.”  Adrian Rogers said, “There is a valley called the valley of the shadow of death.  If you were to go there you could seek it out.  It starts up between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, up about 2,700 feet above sea level.  And there is a little spring that comes out of the hillside there.  And it starts a little rivulet.  And sometimes it’s full of water and the water cascades down.  Sometimes there’s only a trickle that goes through it.” 

The psalm at the mid-way point turns from the third person perspective to the second person. It is no longer ABOUT the Shepherd; the psalm is now directed  TO the Shepherd.

Also on Sunday night, we addressed that we do not have to fear because the shepherd is with us. We spoke about how that is found repeatedly in the Word, that the shepherd will never leave us, nor forsake us, therefore, I will not fear what man shall do to me (Hebrews 13:5).

We saw how not only the word, but the work of salvation is done by God, not us. The Imperials used to sing a song He did not bring us this far to leave us; He didn’t teach us to swim to let us drown, He didn’t build His home in us to move away; He didn’t bring us up to let us down.

Lesson 12. Solemn Steps through the Valley:
“Yea, though I walk through the valley”

There really is an actual valley called “the shadow of death.” Adrian Rogers said, “If you go there, you could see it starts up between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, about 2,700 feet above sea level. A little spring comes out of the hillside there. Sometimes it’s full of water cascading down. Sometimes it’s only a trickle. Over the centuries a ravine has been cut in those Judean hills, flowing down, down, down, down, down 1300 feet below sea level to the Dead Sea. This ravine is so narrow that at the bottom in some places it’s only about 12 feet wide. Even in high noon, it’s always full of shadows. There are caves there, and in Bible times there were bears, and hyenas, and leopards. What’s more, there were robbers, and steep places where sheep might fall and it was a frightening place with grotesque shadows on the canyon walls. And the shepherds had named it the valley of the shadow of death."

a. “Yea”  in Hebrew is GAM:
                 “moreover” or “even still”

There is a little word at the beginning of this verse, in the King James is “yea” and no it is not a cheer like “yea, team!” (I believe that would be “Yay, team, anyway.”) The word in Hebrew is equally short, GAM, and is also translated as “moreover” or “even still.”

So, after my Shepherd has made me, led me, restored me and led me again, even still I will walk through the valley. In other words, this part of the journey is not unexpected to my Shepherd. Yes, He could lead me away from this valley, but just as he was in charge of the other leading, I must trust Him in this dark portion of my journey.

b.  “though” = “even though”; not if but when

The word “though” implies that we will ALL walk through dark valleys. Some translations put it as “even though,” signifying that it’s not a matter of if, but when. We could read the first two words as “Even still and even though.” Without the Shepherd I would not make it through. With the Shepherd, I cannot do otherwise than walk through this valley. He will not leave me alone.

c.  We “walk”; we do not “run”, “stop”, “stroll”

I will not run through this valley, and neither will I stop and give up. I shall walk through this part of my journey. It is a process, a vital part of my growth. All of my paths thus far have led me to trust Him and now my path is a point of what Henry Blackaby would call a “crisis of belief.” Do I really trust my Shepherd.

I will not run through nor run from this valley. I will not stop, delay nor avoid this valley. I will walk, without pensive or frantic urgency nor complacent denial. I will walk but not alone. I know this valley is not the end of my journey, it is a passage. “This too shall pass.”

Faith is not grown in the pastures nor
on the mountaintops but in the valleys

A valley occurs because water cuts through it,

leaving the fertile remnants of the river’s journey to feed the soil.