Posted by Buffy Dessert Hunt on April 26, 2003:

Text " Introduction Henry Ward Beecher called the 23rd Psalm the Nightingale Psalm. He called it by this name because he said the nightingale sings it?s sweetest when the night is its darkest. He must have had in mind the words, ""Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod & Thy staff, they comfort me."" The valley of the shadow of death literally means the place of dark gloom or black darkness, referring to any dark & gloomy experience of life through which we may have to travel. It is not limited to death, although it includes it. Christians are not excluded These experiences come to us all. Being a Christian doesn't exclude us from anything. Christians like Rolly who have been pillars of communities, get along in their years, have accidents, have strokes, heart attacks, and end up in the loving care of a family like Dottie and Buffy. Christians die, just like everyone else. Death comes to us all. It comes to those whom we love. And while having the Lord as our Shepherd grants us no immunity from sorrow, He does assure us of his presence, his peace, and his promise. These are the things that enable us to sing even in the shadows of sorrow. For we know that the Lord is Rolly?s Shepherd. ?I fear no evil?? David writes this: ""I fear no evil: for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me."" In Israel, there are valleys where the walls are so steep and so close together that the sun strikes the bottom for only a few minutes each day. I think this is what David had in mind. Our lives lead us through dark and narrow places. One slip and we can be lost at the bottom of a lonely chasm. David does not promise that we will never have to walk through such places. He does not promise that there is no evil there. But he does promise this: ""You need fear no evil."" Why? For Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. The Lord protects, guides, and supports us. He does not send us through the dark valley with a promise to meet us again on the other side. He goes with us every step of the way. Fear is our greatest enemy Fear is our greatest enemy. The fear of death is the greatest of all fears. As soon as people begin to love life, a fear of death is born. But Christians do not need to be afraid of death and we take comfort in the fact that Rolly is a Christian. We are assured that the Lord walks with us through the valley of the shadow. We are assured that He is here to comfort us. The Lord is so close to us that He shares our hurts, our feelings, & our pains. He enters into the depths of the experience with us. When our time comes to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we can do it with calm assurance, for the Lord is with us- His rod and staff comforts us. God?s peace David then writes, ""Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness & loving- kindness will follow me all the days of my life."" With this verse the image changes from a pasture to a palace. God is no longer seen as the Good Shepherd. He is now the gracious host. In His presence hostility and strife are gone. We are at peace with our enemies. What is the enemy David is talking about? Death. He is saying that even in the presence of death those who follow the Shepherd can have peace. Dad?s peace This is the peace that Dad is experiencing now. This was the peace that Jesus promised when He said ""Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."" And this is the peace that Paul described when he said, ""And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."" It is only in the presence of the Shepherd that we can have calm assurance and peace in the hour of death. God?s promise David then writes, ""I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."" The word ""dwell"" means to ""settle down & be at home with."" When our time comes, we have the promise that we will settle down & dwell at home with God forever. This is the same promise that Jesus made when He said, ""People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.? Beyond this life there is the Father's house, a place for unending joy and unending goodness where we shall dwell forever. Conclusion When David wrote this psalm, he had already seen tragedy, disappointment, heartache, and even death. But he had come to know the Lord as his Shepherd and he now lived with confidence and assurance in Him. He gave us this song we can all sing in the dark shadows of sorrow. The Apostle Paul asked this: ""Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"" Then he says this: ""But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."" That is our promise today Rolly is now a saint among the saints in heaven, enjoying the victory in his Lord Jesus Christ. So, knowing this, we like the nightingale can sing even when the night is at its darkest."

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