The valley of the shadow of death

 

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 15 MARCH 2026 – PASTOR H CASKEY

PSALM 23

 

It was during the revival in the Hebrides when Duncan Campbell got up to the pulpit and called upon a man to open in prayer. That man got up to his feet and quoted that little text of scripture “I will pour water on him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground." And then he paused for a moment or two. He continued by saying, "Lord, I don't know about Duncan Campbell this morning. Lord, I don't know about the elders of this church this morning, and I don't know about the person next to me or front of me or behind me, but Lord, I know myself, and I'm thirsty for the things of God this morning, and I claim your promise. You said, "I will pour water on him that is thirsty." Up until that point in that area of the Hebrides, apparently, it was very hard. It was very difficult. And after that man's prayer on that particular morning, God began to break through and bless the area. It is responsibility of the individual person, not the responsibility of the preacher, but it is the responsibility of each and every one of us this morning to come before God.

 

The 23rd Psalm is such an encouraging psalm, such a challenging psalm.  It is one of those psalms that you can read whenever you go to the house of mourning. You can go into the home where there's a newborn baby and the joy that's in that home because of the newborn baby is so delightful and yet you can sit down and read the 23rd Psalm and share some thoughts and it opens up into such a delight to read and I have sat in many homes recently using this psalm but I like to break it up into this way. As I go through this psalm this morning, I'm going to dwell just in one part of it.

 

As you look at the psalm this morning, it tells us there in verse number one, the Lord is my shepherd. We can see there something of the decision. The psalmist says, “the Lord is my shepherd. I'd put my trust and I'd put my faith in him.” But you know, not only that, there's a dependence in that first verse as well because he says, "I shall not want." He says, "I put my faith in the in the Lord this morning and I'll not want." You see, the Bible says that no good thing will he withhold from him that walketh uprightly. And that's our part if we're saved by the grace of God. In verse number two we read "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters." That's the direction to go in. It says in verse number three, it gives us something of his delights because it says, "He restoreth my soul and he leadeth me in the path of righteousness." And then we come to verse number four and we see something of the despair there because the psalmist says, "Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," he says, "I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." Then we see something there in verse number five of the defence. For even in the presence of enemies, the Lord says, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." And then in verse number six, we see the destiny. It says, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Thank God this morning with the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior we have heaven as our home not only for a while but forever more. But I want us to think this morning of encouragement through the valley of the shadow of death. The psalmist here says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," he says, "I will fear no evil for thou art with me."

 

First of all, I want us to notice here the valley's picture. The first thing that comes into my mind is a very low place. It can be a very dark place. It can be a very intimidating place. Whenever you get down into the valley, you're down between two mountain peaks. And when you get down there, you're looking up to the tops of the mountain peaks and it can be so intimidating. You can feel so closed in. You can feel so claustrophobic and maybe the way through the valley seems long and it's dark. And sometimes we go through stages like that in our life. The psalmist was here speaking about it. He says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," the psalmist knew all about it. He knew all about this way that he was going. In verse number two, it says, "He leadeth me beside the still waters." We all love to walk beside the still waters. We all love to feed upon the green pastures when things are going so well, but it's so different whenever we come to the valley. It's so different whenever we go down into that dark and lonely place and yet we find there all the time that the shepherd's still leading because that's what the psalmist said. He says “I'll fear no evil.” He says “even though I go down into that dark valley I'll fear no evil.” Why? Because I'm the king. Not at all. Because of many battles under my belt? Not at all. He says, "I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." Sometimes we need to be prepared for the valley, don't we? We need to get the mindset for the valley to know that even in the mountain peak whenever we're up there and the blessings of God are all around about us and everything is going so so well and the very next day we're plunged into the valley, the Lord's with us. David the shepherd boy and then of course the king of Israel. He had many experiences but you know he could testify to this in 2 Samuel 22 he says “As for God his way is perfect.” God’s word says “The Lord is a buckler to all them that trust in him.” He could just simply say on all occasions, the Lord knows best. That's what we can say and that at times sounds so glib doesn’t it? Maybe it's easy to say it from the pulpit. “The Lord knows best.” But sometimes it's very difficult when we're going through that valley, isn't it, but we need to always stop and pause and remind ourselves that sometimes whenever we can't see the shepherd, he's always there. Because that's what the psalmist says, “thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” He may not see the shepherd, but he could feel the rod. He could feel the comfort from the shepherd staff. Do you remember Job? Whenever Job was down in his valley, do you remember what he could say? He says, "He knoweth the way that I take." Even whenever those three friends came and began to criticize him and sat around him and brought all manner of ridicule to him. Even whenever his wife walked in and looked at him and said, "Would you not curse God and die?" And yet Job could say, "He knoweth the way that I take”. In such a short space of time Job lost everything he had. He had a great farm. He had much by the way of herds. He had much by the way of riches. He had a lovely family all around about him and in a very short space of time everything was taken from him. He was cut down even in health and yet he could lift his eyes up and say, "He knoweth the way that I take."

It was a very dark place that Job was in. Poor Job descended into it. But in the midst of it, Job was prepared to allow God to lead him and to direct his pathways. Sometimes the valley of the sheep is a difficult road. But you know, I'm told by commentaries that when shepherd would lead his sheep that way, there would always be an abundance of water in the valley. And there would always be abundance of grass and pastures for the sheep as they would pass through. And don't forget, they were just passing through. Whenever you and I are in that deep place, whenever you and I are going through that dark and lonely that place, the Lord's taking us through it. And there'll be an abundance of grace to help us and to keep us in that place. Maybe that's where you're at this morning. Maybe you're at that dark place. Maybe nobody else knows about it, but you're there this morning and you feel the pressure of it. The psalmist says, "Thou art with me." What's he doing this morning? You see, as he took the sheep through that place, what was he doing? He was taking them down through that valley. What to do? To bring them up onto the higher ground. And maybe that's why you're in the valley this morning. It's not to leave us destitute in that valley. It's not to forget about me. It's not to forsake me. But it's to take me through the valley to the higher ground that God has for me this morning.

 

The valley's pace this morning. Because notice what it says here. “Yea though I walk.” It doesn't say “yea though I run.” It doesn't say “yea though I sprint.” It says “yea though I walk through the valley.” This valley may be dark. It certainly is a low place, but notice there's no rush because the shepherd knows best. He's walking his sheep through the valley. He's not driving them through as quickly as he can. They're walking through it. This strikes me as a very slow process. Maybe the shepherd and the sheep could be in that valley for some time. Maybe you've been in it for some time. Maybe this morning you'd love to run through that valley. Maybe you'd love to sprint through it. Maybe you'd love to get out of it as quickly as you possibly can, but to haste your way through it would be to miss out on the greatest joy that God has for us. We get the picture of someone walking. The shepherd would be taking care not to rush his sheep, not to cause any damage to them, not to cause any hurt to them. It's a very, very slow pace. And sometimes that's what life is like. Sometimes we

often hear people say, "Oh, the tunnel's long. The tunnel's dark." And there doesn't seem to be any light at the end of it whatsoever. Sometimes we talk about it as a plod. Maybe you learn some special things that you don't learn any other time. The pace here of the sheep was a slow pace.  Maybe the problem has existed for some time and you have prayed and prayed and somehow nothing seems to happen. There seems to be no answers to the prayers and you're in that place and you feel alone and you feel abandoned and you feel destitute,

but the problems exist and all the praying doesn't change anything one way or another. The Psalmist says, "Yea though I walk in that situation, I'll fear not." Why? Because the Lord's with me. the sheep could see the shepherd and this is a lonely place. It's a dark place and I've been here a long time but still the shepherd is in front of me and still he's leading. We're going in the right direction. Do you remember Joseph? He was a young man of 17 years of age. His father came to him one morning and got him out of bed and he said, "Joseph," he says, "your brothers are all away down there minding the sheep." He says, "I wonder would you go down and find out all about them and bring a report back."

The young man got up and took whatever victuals that the father had for the brethren there, and off he went. And for 13 years he never returned. For 13 years he never saw his father's face. For 13 years he was in the valley. It must have been an awful place for him. Do you remember how when Joseph met his brothers and the brothers were so against him. They were so angry and bitter. There was such a hatred for him and they would have put him to death. But instead they sold him down into Egypt. And he was taken down into Egypt. And there he was placed in the marketplace. Just a young lad of 17 years of age. Can you imagine that? And he's standing there in the marketplace and all these bidders are around about him and they're buying slaves. And this man Potiphar comes up to him and he pays the price for him and he takes him down into his home and the Lord is with him. And Potiphar knows the Lord's with him because he sees the blessing. The psalmist says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow, I will fear no evil for thou art with me." And Joseph, maybe Joseph didn't even feel it. Maybe Joseph didn't even realize it. But Potiphar knew that here was a young man and there was something different about him in his house. He had nobody else like him. There was no other slave like him. There was no other servant like him. This young man, there was something special about him. The Lord was with him. And then of course you remember what happened in Potiphar's house, Potiphar's wife took a fancy to Joseph and then she accused him of something that was he never did. And he was taken from Potiphar's house and he was cast into prison. And there he was sitting in this prison house. And even there in the prison house even the keeper of the prison realized this young man is different. The Lord's with him, even going through the valley. As far as Joseph was concerned, he was going through the valley. 17 years he was going through the valley. Here he is now in the prison cell. Everything has turned upside down for him. Everything has turned sour for him. From the love of his father's house, from the routine of his work in his father's house, here he is now sitting in a prison house. How has all this happened? He's going through the valley and the pace of this valley is slow as far as Joseph is concerned. On another occasion two young men were dropped in with him, a butler and a baker and you remember how they had the dreams and Joseph was there and he was so concerned about those men and he interpreted the dreams for them. He said to one of them "you will be reinstated." And he looked at the other, but he says, "I'm sorry, you'll be put to death." And then the butler was taken out and reinstated to his position again in the king's house. Joseph had one word for him. He says, "Don't forget about me." Poor Joseph was turning to human help. He was going through this terrible time and he thought to himself this was the way out. When the butler went back into his position he forgot about Joseph, he forgot about the young man that helped him in the prison house and that young man was still going through the valley and he was forgotten about. Until of course you remember the dreams that the king had and he was released. But imagine for those 13 years he never saw his father's face, never sat under his father's roof. For two of those years, they were spent in a prison house. The valley can be long and the valley can be hard. In Proverbs chapter 2, we read this. “He preserves the way of his saints.” Do you remember Jairus? He had a daughter and she was only 12 years of age who was dying and there was nothing he could do for her. I'm sure in his position he knew plenty of physicians and he knew plenty of doctors, but there wasn't anything that anybody could do for his daughter until he realized Jesus can do something. And off he went to find Jesus. You see, Jairus was in a valley. He was in a dark place. He was in a very low place. And he went off to find the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord listened to his plea to come back to his house and lay his hand upon his daughter and she shall be raised to health again. And Jesus says, "I'll come." But do you remember as he came, as they walked together, there was a bit of a crowd around Jesus and the Lord stopped. It was all because there was one lady who had an issue of blood for 12 years. She had heard about the Lord, and she was at the side of the road, and she was reaching forth to touch the hem of the Lord's garment and when she touched the hem of his garment, she was made perfectly whole. But the Lord stopped. I am sure Jairus was really starting to panic. Maybe Jairus was looking at this woman and thinking to himself, “Lord, would you not come on?” Where is Jairus? He's in that very low place. But it was a slow place. He had to wait on the Lord. Maybe you are in that valley, watching over a family that has gone astray. You're in the valley, but you've got to wait on the Lord. Isn't that what the psalmist said? He says, "Wait on the Lord.”

And he repeats himself in that Psalm 27. He says, "I say, wait on the Lord."

Are we waiting this morning? We want to step out of the valley and step into the light. But the Lord says, "No, you've got to wait.”

 

The valley's presence. It is in that valley where the psalmist finds his greatest joy. He says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me." Whenever Joseph was in that prison house the Lord was with him. He didn't forsake him. He didn't leave him. David proved right there that in the midst of that valley that God's presence was with him. He felt the very presence of God. And maybe that's where you are today. You are in the darkness and the loneliness of that valley, but somehow you can testify today that you can feel the presence of God. Whenever John Wesley

lay upon his deathbed at 90 years of age, his followers were gathered around him and they were singing a hymn, reading and praying. Wesley raised himself up and he said “best of all, God is with us.” Wesley realized and felt the presence of God around his bed. I think of the Apostle Paul when he was speaking to the young Timothy. He says, “Timothy, everybody's forsaken me.” I'm sure he's thinking about some of his friends, maybe those that he has met with in fellowships and in churches and he has encouraged them. Maybe even those

that he had seen saved and they've all walked away from him. But he says, Timothy, he says, "The Lord's with me." He says, "The Lord stood by me." He says, "When I stood before the emperor," he says “the Lord was at my right side.” Maybe this is easy to preach this morning but when you're in that valley,

maybe it's hard to take it in. Maybe you are sitting already saying, "Oh, preacher, that's easy for you, but you don't know what I'm going through. You don't know the pain that I'm in. You don't know the suffering that I'm in. You don't know the heartache that I have. You don't know the burdens that I have. You don't know the weight that's upon my shoulder this morning. It's okay for you to say that.” I'm not saying it – God is saying it this morning. He says, "I'll stand by you." He says, "Don't you be afraid. I'll never leave thee and I'll never forsake thee." Remember whenever Paul was going through that valley he described it as a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him. It is as if he says someone was striking him in the face. Paul prayed thrice but what was the answer? And the Lord says “no I won't. But my grace is sufficient for you.” The psalmist could prove the presence of God. Paul could prove the grace of God. And thank God this morning we have the grace of God that leads us, directs us, and keeps us. We have the presence of God with us each and every day.

 

The valley’s peace. The hymn writer said, "There's peace in the valley for me." With God's presence with him, the psalmist could say, "I'll fear no evil. I'll not fear when I'm in that place." Someone quoted the scriptures to DL Murray one day, the evangelist. “What time I am afraid I will trust in thee." Murray said,

"I can show you a better one." And he lifted up the word of God and he turned to Isaiah 12:2. He says, "Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid." The writer to the Hebrews could say, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." He goes on, “the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” The Lord is in the valley. Even in the very shipwreck that the Apostle Paul was in, when there was no sun, no stars for guidance, the angel of the Lord drew near to Paul and gave him that great promise that there'll be no harm to him or to any other. As Paul sat in the prison house, he says to Timothy, he says, "The day of my departure is at hand." But he says, "I am now ready."

 

The valley's prize. The psalmist knew that he would walk through the valley

and out the other side. That's the prize and that's where you're going this morning. You are in the valley, yes but you're going through the valley. The psalmist says, "Yea, though I walk through,” not into it to stay, but “through it."

The prize of the valley.