He walked through the Valley of the Shadow

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Just a brief thought today on this Good Friday.

Have you ever considered that the 23rd Psalm, the most famous Psalm in the Bible, may well have been David’s prophetic description of the words of Christ as he was crucified?

David was a prophet we are told (Acts 2:30-31, Acts 1:16, Acts 2:25, Acts 4:25) not just the writer of meaningful verse. He foresaw things.

In Psalm 22:1 David writes,

“My God, my God, why hast though forsaken me?”

These are the exact words that Jesus would speak on the Cross as Matthew records them in Matthew 27:46.

In Psalm 22:7-8 David records the words of the mockers of Christ when he says,

“All who see me mock at me, they make mouths at me, they wag their head; “he committed his cause to the Lord; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

This too is a precise match for what would be said to Jesus in Matthew 27 (verse 43) some 1000 years later.

Continuing on in Psalm 22 David sees another portion of the Crucifixion scene that Matthew records in Matthew 27:55, as David writes in verses 16-18:

Yea, the dogs are around me; a company of evildoers encircle me; they have pierced my hands and feet—I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my raiment they cast lots.

David saw and recorded for us 1000 years in advance, a remarkable and accurate description of what was coming. Thus it makes sense when we read Psalm 23 following directly on the heels of Psalm 22 with its prophecy about the Crucifixion, to at least consider the possibility that David is continuing his thoughts about Christ’s crucifixion scene and even recording the words of Christ as he did for us in Psalm 22.

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil…

Psalm 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies…

Each of these now takes on possible new meaning, new in that we may have insights into the prayer life of Jesus as he faced death.

Walking through the valley of the shadow of death, that is actually going through the dying process, he looked to his Heavenly Father, his Lord, trusting in God’s faithfulness, trusting in God’s comfort; trusting in the integrity of God’s promises that Jesus would one day again dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

As Jesus walked through the “valley of the shadow” for us, he kept complete confidence in God the Father and even at the point of dying was convinced that “goodness and mercy would follow him.”

The Hebrew word for “follow” there does not describe a passive following like a gentle puppy on a leash. Rather it describes the pursuit of a hunter after his pray.

God’s goodness and God’s mercy is not just passively following along behind us, it is actively pursuing us. God’s goodness and mercy is aggressively coming our way! He intends to and does shower it upon us!

Friend, whatever you are facing today, know that Jesus walked through the Valley of the Shadow for you, the intended result of which would be that God’s goodness and mercy would come to you and your home.

Whatever you are facing, reach out to him. He understands. He gets it. He knows. He’s been there himself.

He knows what it means to have been mocked and unfairly treated. He knows it all.

Even though you may be walking through the valley of the shadow of death yourself, God has not abandoned you. Put your trust in him. Reach out for him. He is reaching out to you today.

And if you have not yet come to the Lord for what the Bible calls “salvation” and you aren’t sure that you are headed for heaven on the other side of the valley you are facing, then pray this prayer or one like it:

God, today I acknowledge my sin to you. I am a sinner and I need to be forgiven of my sin and saved from the eternal consequences of my actions. Today I ask you to forgive my sins and grant me the eternal life that you have promised all those who would come to you.”

I offer you nothing in payment for my sin but the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I put my hope and trust in him and him alone for my forgiveness.

I recognize that nothing I do, no good work, no amount of prayer in itself, no act of contrition and no offering I could bring will wash away my sin. Only the blood of Jesus that was shed for me in my place, will you accept as an offering to cleanse me from sin.

Please come into my life and make me your eternal child. I repent of my sin and surrender my life to you today. Do with it as you will. I will serve you, even now as I go through the valley of the shadow of death.

In Jesus’ name I pray these things. Amen

Friend if you prayed that prayer and meant it from the bottom of your heart, you are headed for heaven. No matter what you may have done in your past, God has forgiven you. All the junk has been erased from the ledger books in heaven.

God promises that he will “remember our sins no more” when we come to him through Christ for forgiveness.

Count on that. Trust him. Even when things look dark. He’s preparing a table for you my friend, and as a child of God you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

That is what the Crucifixion and “Good” Friday is all about. The price has been paid. Give God access to your account and let him pay the bill through Christ.