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.
Psalm 23:4 ESV
Last week we looked at the “valleys of life”, this week we look at the evil that stalks the valleys and makes them dangerous. We’ll look at how our shepherd protects us, and what we need to do to stay safe.
Watch the sermon
Recap
The valleys of life:
- Often follow after good times, sometimes very rapidly
- Come in various shapes, sizes, and intensity
- Are part of walking the paths of righteousness (being a Christian)
- Tend to obscure our perspective on life
As a Christan you will experience difficulties in your life.
God leads us on the paths of righteousness (v3) which includes the valleys of life. The purpose of this is for our humility.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
1 Peter 5:6
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 6:3
As we successfully navigate valleys we learn to build our trust in the shepherd. Valleys teach us to trust God at all times, not just turn to Him in times of great difficulty.
Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favour to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 – Solomon’s words
We are weak, we cannot defy time and change. He is strong and master of these things. This should give us comfort and inspire us to be world defying and eternally aspiring.
Whilst we need to make the most of our time on this earth for God’s glory we don’t want to put down hard roots here: our eye is on the eternal promises and treasure in heaven.
Explanation
The valleys of life are the places where we’re most vulnerable to predators. They are up on the ridgeline and have a great view of us, but we cannot see them.
We experience evil.
In Scooby Do there is usually a monster who shrieks “Ra”. This word in Hebrew means evil.
Sources of evil in our lives:
1) our hearts
There’s enough resident evil in our hearts even after conversion.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:9 ESV
In Romans 7 Paul explains how evil is in our hearts.
2) the world
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world-the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life-is not from the Father but is from the world.
1 John 2:15-16 ESV
Paul includes the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life in his analysis of the world. Because we’re in the world, we have to deal with these things: evil is all around us.
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Isaiah 6:5 ESV
Isaiah recognised he lived in a culture of evil.
3) the devil himself
The devil is a fallen angel: the enemy of God. When we call him the devil, we mean he is the slanderer, the one who tells lies. He is our adversary. He is sometimes called Apollyon, the destroyer.
4) all of the above
Sometimes a source of evil can be one or more than one of these three things. Ultimately it doesn’t really matter. Evil is opposed to God and his people and we need to stand firm against it.
Let’s look at how to do this:
Application
Firstly, let’s take a look at how evil shows itself in our lives. We can see evil in:
- Argument
- Accusation
- Attack
1. Argument
When we think of ourselves, we can think we’re good but sometimes do bad things. This view denies what the bible teaches about us (the doctrine of man). We are depraved: even the very best things that we do are tainted by sin.
Sometimes the world argues: “Religion/Christianity is the cause of many of the world’s problems”. In actual fact, many of the great benefits society enjoys have come from Christianity. Christianity is far from the source of the world’s problems, and actually offers the solution.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Genesis 3:1 ESV
The devil twists God’s words and argues. He argues with and convinces Eve.
2. Accusation
We can think: “God will never forgive me because my sins are too many or too great”. We are accused of our sin and it can overwhelm us.
Even where something we’ve done has huge consequences we can still be forgiven. How can we say that our sins are bigger than God’s grace?
The world may say that we can never make changes in our lives, but the Bible says we can, and that God will change us.
3. Attack
Satan: the chief accuser
Opposition can come from the devil himself. More experienced Christians may have experienced outright attack. He uses spiritual poison, propaganda and words to hurt us.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12 ESV
The Bible makes it clear that he is a liar.
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44 ESV
Love is so much more than what the music industry says it is.
In the 1970s Keith Green wrote create in me a clean heart (a paraphrase of Ps 51).
He also wrote another song about a dialogue with Satan, as the world became less spiritual throughout the 20th centuary, rejecting faith for ‘science’ and secular humanism.
“Because no one believes in me anymore. Nowadays people just open their doors”
Keith Green: No one believes in me anymore (Satan’s boast)
We live in strange times. The West is actually becoming more spiritual and Christian ministers are reporting an increase in things like possession that are common in more spiritually ‘open’ societies. We are also experiencing persecution and oppression.
In the shadow
Notice our passage says “the shadow of the valley”
The source of light is obscured. There is an obstruction between us and the glorious son. It’s not lost, even though we are in danger.
As God’s sheep we need a defence.
As we’ve discussed we’re not dumb sheep, we’re dependent on the shepherd.
Our Defence
1. Our shepherd
Our first defence is the presence of the shepherd as described in our verse:
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.
Psalm 23:4 ESV
God is with us and strengthens us.
fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 ESV
In your presence Lord I am surely free, all other company is second best to me (song).
As a consequence of the presence of the Lord, the sheep become armed and dangerous (metaphorically).
2. Our armour
In Ephesians 6, the armour of God is described. Paul draws the imagary from Isaiah.
All of these pieces of armour, giving the picture of a fully armed Roman soldier, are a consequence of experiencing the presence of God and being convicted by his word. We need to spend time with Him to put on our armour.
With such equipment we can resist evil.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:7-8 ESV
With it we can resist the wrong things in our heart and even the world around us.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[a] against us?
Romans 8:31
As scripture mentions many times: God will protect us, he is with us.
With God we shall do valiantly;
Ps 60:12
it is he who will tread down our foes.
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
1 John 4:16
I fear no evil for you are with me: praise him that though we walk in dark times he is with us, arming us and protecting us.
Resources
Questions? Please contact us. Inspired? Come and worship with us on Sundays.
