Psalm 23 isn’t just a pretty poem written by a post-card
perfect shepherd, sitting on a grassy slope in the sunshine. It’s a gritty testimonial of active trust in
God while living through severe stress.
Tradition has it that David wrote this Psalm while on the
run from Saul, who wanted to kill him. The
words of the psalm definitely do support such a tradition. He wrote about
facing death, being ‘cut off’ from life.
This is what the expression ‘shadow of death’ as used elsewhere
consistently means. His enemy Saul was
intent on killing him, on consigning his soul to ‘Hades’ the place of ‘shadows’. He was ‘walking through’ this valley of
shadows, of imminent death.
But David had power too, he wasn’t helpless. What was his power? His trust in his God. David knew God was
greater than Saul. David had more than
one opportunity to kill Saul, remember? What
kept him from just eliminating his oppressor?
Even his own men urged him to do it.
Surely to eliminate the competition would clear the way to the throne? David faced a physical danger from Saul. But he also faced perhaps even greater spiritual
danger from his own desire to act contrary to trusting in God.
And the men of David said to him, "Here is the day of
which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and
you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'"
So what kept him from it?
He did go stealthily towards Saul with a knife in his hand. But something stopped him, and instead of
cutting off Saul’s life, he cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.
And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut
off a corner of Saul’s robe. He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I
should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to put out my hand against
him, seeing he is the LORD’s anointed." So David persuaded his men with
these words
and did not permit them to attack Saul.
See how he was under pressure to take for himself? Instead of trusting that God would establish
him in God’s own time and in God’s own way…David was under great pressure
(temptation even) to take what didn’t belong to him. Doesn’t this sound familiar? It should.
Both Adam and Eve (Gen 3) and Jesus (Mark 4) faced similar situations of
temptation to take something that according to human common-sense, seemed good. But in each situation, the temptation was
really to act in a way that denied trust in God.
God anointed Saul as king.
And only God could take the king-ship away. That wasn’t David’s job. And he understood this because of his trust
in God. David’s trust translated into
trusting and obedient action. He knew
that his only deliverance was to trust in God to keep, provide and bless him. And that God would do this through His Law;
that obedience to God’s word was what would protect and deliver David. So David allowed his trust in God to determine
his actions.
David knew that as long as he trusted God, he could count on God's help to keep him from acting sinfully. God's 'rod and staff' of correction and direction encouraged and reassured David that he didn't have to fear giving in to the temptation to act on his own understanding.
David knew that as long as he trusted God, he could count on God's help to keep him from acting sinfully. God's 'rod and staff' of correction and direction encouraged and reassured David that he didn't have to fear giving in to the temptation to act on his own understanding.
So back to Psalm 23, reading it with this situation in
mind.
Even when I must walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff reassure me.
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