Psalms 23

[DizzyD]

         I don't know why but this morning when I woke up this was on my mind. I've always loved this particular one. This morning for some reason verse 4 stuck out in  my mind. Now I'm wondering what the significance of him saying the valley of the shadow of death. Was this because he knew of coming events that God was going to eventually defeat death therefore it was but a shadow soon no longer to be? Since words have meaning there must be something there. Any thoughts, guidance,comments?

[Redbird]

Hi Bud,

Welcome to the forum. Psalm 23 is glorious.  I have read many renderings of this.  The shadow of death represents evil to me "I will fear no evil"....because "Perfect Love cast out fear". Just a thought.

Peace to you ~ Lisa

[mari_et_pere]

I looked that up and here's what I got. Shadow of death, (tsal-maw'-veth) according to the concordance, can be literal or figurative, meaning literal death or figurative calamity. The rod (shay'-bet) means to branch off as a literal stick used for punishment, correction, walking or whatever, or figuratively a clan. The staff (mish-shay-naw', mish-eh-neth') abstractly means support, literally means walking stick, but figuratively means sustenance.

So when taken figuratively this verse is so cool! When walking through the valley of the shadow of death (coming calamity) thy rod (clan) and thy staff (sustenance or support) they comfort me.

How cool. When faced with unsettling situations, His people and His sustenance comfort us.

On another hand, when we fail, sin, or let the world bog us down, His correction will support us.

Thoughts?

Matt

[sansmile]

Hi all,
Interesting question.
Aren't we all in the shadow of death. The wages of sin is death and ALL men sin, so we will all die and that shadow (of death) hangs over us??

Just my thoughts

God Bless
Sandie

[Deborah-Leigh]

Some Scriptures to add that use the words "shadow of death".

Am 5:8 Seek Him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night that calleth for the waters of the sea, and pureth them out upon the face of the earth; The LORD is His Name.

Isa 9 : 2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Ps 107 : 10-15 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and in irons, 11 because they had rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High. 12 Therefore He bowed down their hearts with hard labor; they stumbled and fell down, and there was none to help. 13 THEN THEY CRIED TO THE LORD in their trouble, and HE saved themout of their distresses, 14 HE brought them out of darkness, and the shadow of death and broke apart the bonds that held them. 15 Oh that men would praise and confess to the Lord for His Goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!

Peace be to you

Arcturus

[skydreamers]

Great thread!  All the posts here brought out something unique and beautiful...very inspiring.

Here's what stuck out to me about this verse:

Psalms 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

The Lord brought to my mind the valley of Hinnom, which is Gehenna in the New Testament.  It is the Elect that first experience the judgment fire of Gehenna...it is spiritually dying daily....so perhaps walking through this valley is a shadow or type of the spiritual death we must all experience...but the Elect experience it first and so they foreshadow the spiritual death that all the rest will experience in the Lake of Fire. 

From Ray's paper:



GEHENNA FIRE IS JUDGMENT FIRE ON ALL GOD'S ELECT

Clearly the sermon on the mount was not directed toward the Pharisees, or the Sadducees, or the Scribes, or the chief priests, or the Jews, or Judea, or the multitudes, or the unbelieving nations of the world, but rather for Christ's followers. That is for you if you are a follower of Jesus. Although by the time Pentecost came around after the resurrection of Jesus, there was a total of only 120 disciples waiting for the promise of God's Holy Spirit to come on them in Jerusalem (Acts 1:15), nonetheless, earlier, Jesus had many disciples.

Mount Tabor is traditionally thought to be the mountain on which Jesus gave His famous sermon. It is inconceivable that thousands of elderly, sickly, and crippled people followed Jesus up the mountain. No, they were with Him at the base, and waited for Him till He returned where He continued healing and teaching.

Yes, of course, the whole world of unbelievers and ungodly will experience God's Divine consuming fire-His Gehenna fire, but not before it has first purged all of His Elect, the called and Chosen of the House of God. Which judgment the "House of God" has been experiencing now for 2000 years.

These instructions are decidedly not written for the "Many [who] will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, ...in Thy name done many wonderful works?... I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me..." (Matt. 7:22-23).

Only the living experience "Gehenna fire." And during this life, It is rather the living chosen elect of Jesus Christ who go through "Gehenna fire."

    "If you be reproached [insulted] for the name of Christ, happy are you... yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf, for the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God..." (I Pet. 4:14, 16-17).
http://bible-truths.com/lake16-D3.htm




Peace,
Diana

[jER]

 Psalms 23 (with emphasis)

The Lord is my (our) Shepherd…Relationship.
I (we) shall not want…Supplying needs.
He maketh me (us) to lie down in green pastures…Rest.
He leadeth me (us) beside still waters…Refreshment.
He restored my (our) soul…healing.
He leadeth me (us) in the paths of righteousness…Guidance.
For His name’s sake…Purpose.
Yea, though I (we) walk through the valley of the shadow of death…Testing.
I (we) will fear no evil…Protection.
For, Thou art with me (us)…Faithfulness.
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me (us)…Discipline.
Thou prepares a table before me (us) in the presence of mine (our) enemies…Hope.
Thou anoints my (our) head with oil…Consecration.
My (our) cup runneth over…Abundance.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me (us) all the days of my (our) life…Blessings.
And
I (we) will dwell in the house of the Lord…Security.
Forever…throughout the Ages.

Just a thought!

- jER

[gmik]

Beautiful, Jer

[mari_et_pere]

Good job Jer. That's pretty awesome!

Matt

[jER]

You All are Awesome...
And, the ladies, most beautiful!

...with a heart for Christ - jER

[mrl1970]

Here are some more verses to consider

Luke 1:78-80

78Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

79To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

80And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

Matthew 4:15-17

15The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;

16The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

17From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Jeremiah 2:5-7

5Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

6Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

7And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.


Jeremiah 13:15-17

15Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.

16Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

17But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD's flock is carried away captive.

[blakparty]

That was great Jer!!!!

[Deborah-Leigh]

Some more Scriptures that use the words shadow of death

Job 10 :22 The land of sunless gloom as intense darkness, the land of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as thick darkness.

Job 12 : 21,22 HE pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong disabling them, bringing low the pride of the learned. 22. HE uncovers deep things out of darkness and brings into light black gloom and the shadow of death.

Job 34: 22 There is no darkness, nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

Peace to you

Arcturus

[DizzyD]

             This was great food for thought I love to have diffrent angles and view points it is refreshing. I had one more thought yesterday morning about this and that is, I have never known a shadow to cause any harm to anything its just there.

[rocky]

Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Rom 7:5  For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

Rev 22:16  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

[mari_et_pere]

I have never known a shadow to cause any harm to anything its just there.

Yeah when you got me thinking about it, I realized that the shadow might be representing a possibility, that is the "shadow of death" is actually the "possibility of death." Death is always a possibility.

Also figuratively, death meant calamity, so it's the "possibility of calamity". Basically the possibility of something negative, yet I will fear no evil. I won't fear the possibility, in fact I won't fear the probable, for thy rod and staff comfort and protect me.

Matt

[skydreamers]

....I read somewhere once that the moon represents the redeemed, the moon has no glory of it's own, but reflects the glory of the sun (son - Jesus).  The earth is our flesh....we are made of the earth/dust.  From out in space part of the earth is always in shadow/night.  And even in the day, the sun is causing shadows to appear....unless, the sun is shining directly above unto an object...then the shadow disappears....

Consider an eclipse:

From:  http://www.earthview.com/tutorial/causes.htm

What Causes an Eclipse?

An eclipse occurs at those times when the Moon moves into a position of direct alignment with the Sun and the Earth. There are two basic types of eclipses – lunar and solar. Most people have seen at least one total lunar eclipse, when the full Moon passes through the shadow of the Earth. In this case, the Sun and the Moon are on opposite sides of the Earth. If you observe a lunar eclipse (visible only at night at the time of certain full Moons), you'll see the bright lunar disk turn dark -- sometimes a coppery red color -- for as long as an hour or more.
(Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.)



So even the workings of the solar system reflects the walk of the redeemed, who for a time are in the shadow of the earth....the carnal flesh which leads to death...(the valley of the shadow of death)...

But in the grand scheme of it all, the eclipse is but a passing moment. 

Peace,
Diana