Psalm 23:4: Covid-19 and the Shadow of the Valley...

Presented to Alberni Valley Ministries of The Salvation Army, 20 September, 2020 by Captain Michael Ramsay

 

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul:

he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

 

I was going to continue to look a little further into Psalm 119 but with school coming back and the covid-19 coronavirus cases on the rise and the number of personal crises that have been shared with me over the previous week or so, I have had the 23rd Psalm running through my mind. Especially the line, 'Yea, though I walk through the Shadow of the Valley of Death"

 

Now the Valley we live in is more like Eden than Death in its natural beauty. I don't know that there is anywhere in this world that is more beautiful than our Island for sure. The number of waterfalls, rivers, mountains, lakes, forest trails, animals: bears, eagles, deer. I am certain I have seen more bears since I have been living in the Valley than I have in the rest of my life combined - certainly more than when we worked in inner city Toronto and inner city Vancouver. And the deer: sometimes I think there may be more deer than people in my neighbourhood and sometimes I think I can recognize the deer that live in my neighbourhood more than the people who are my neighbours! This is a very beautiful part of the world.

 

Lately with all the deaths in our community, it has felt like there is a shadow of death, however, hovering over our valley. I think I’ve heard of 4 deaths in the past week or so alone - at least one of these, people with our CRU outreach responded to. And added to all this, of course, is the real significant stress and fear around Covid-19 and its possibility of spreading in our community. The numbers in the province and on the Island are in the rise. "Yea, though I walk through the Shadow of the Valley of Death"

 

I have read or recited this Psalm what feels like a million times: for Legion events, at funerals, in Church, I have had a plaque from my Great Grandmother with this scripture and a picture of Jesus with some lambs on my wall since I was a child and still to this day. I wrote an article on parts of it at the request of a former AC.[1] I feel like I have read or recited this psalm a million times before - like I said - but this week has been the first time I have read this phrase with a twinge of terror at the idea of a shadow of death overhanging us.

 

There is a range of ideas for the setting of this psalm. Some see it as a speech before a sacrificial meal. Others see it as a two part psalm used in worship.[2] It is significant, however, that the language contained in this psalm is very personal. As such, Lundbom argues that it is likely David, King of Judah and Israel, composed this psalm when he was on the run for his life, from his son.[3]

 

This would then be the context (See 2 Samuel 13-18): David had been King for a long time. His popularity with the people had waned significantly. If there were opinion polls back then he probably would be polling in the single digits. And by this time in his life he really had abrogated a lot of his responsibilities: rather than naming and training a possible successor he had left a power vacuum into which his son and his nephew had moved.

 

Two of the primary duties of the King in ancient Israel were overseeing the courts and leading the Army; a third would have been for his family and keeping tabs on palace intrigue. David lost control of his Army a long time ago. His nephew Joab, who had saved David on more than one occasion - not only militarily but also from the wrath of God (2 Samuel 24:2) - moved solidly, along with his brother Abishai, into a position of controlling the armed forces (2 Samuel 3:39). David, more recently to the writing of this psalm had also lost control of his courts (2 Samuel 15). And David it seems never had control over his Palace and his family.

 

By this stage in his life children of his had already raped or murdered other children of his. David's son Absalom it seemed never forgave his dad for failing to act when Absalom's half-brother, Amnon, raped and further victimized Absalom’s sister Tamar.[4] In Absalom's eyes, his dad let his brother 'get away with’ raping his sister! Absalom loved his sister and took care of her in part because his dad, her dad refused to protect her, care for her, or even address the issue with their half-brother Amnon, who raped her. Due to David's action or lack thereof, Absalom did later have the rapist murdered (2 Samuel 13:23ff). From this point on there seemed to be no turning back. It seems like David - though he did apparently love his sons anyway - was forever ineffective and Absalom did not feel loved - he was trapped and hardened by un-forgiveness.

 

By the time this psalm would have been composed by King David, his son Absalom had long taken over the court system (at least four years previous). He was also engaging in a lot of the political engagements that his father was forsaking. Absalom, like an opposition leader in parliament today, was taking every opportunity to tell everyone how much better life would be if he were in charge in place of his father. Absalom then rallied the people and many of the leaders of the people and also many members of David’s family and they sent David packing. They declared Absalom ruler in place of David (2 Samuel 15).

 

Joab, the army he controls, a few trusted family members and members of David's administration, and David flee Jerusalem. There is now another civil war: this one pitting Absolam's forces against Joab's forces and King David.

 

This is a very personal psalm.[5] David is running for his life as his country, and his very son (for whom he professes great love) has rejected him. He may die. He has lost and may forever lose his throne. He has lost his family. Many people are about to die. His son may die. And all of this, at least in part, is his fault. This is the shadow of death that is cast over David's Valley.

 

David, as we have said, does seem to be a long way away from the time and circumstances when he was initially declared 'a man after God's own heart' (1 Samuel 13:14). David knows all that has transpired. David is feeling the weight of life's circumstances and his own behaviours - as well as those around him. He has work problems and family problems. This is his shadow of death. And in the midst of his shadow of death, after he may or may not have even drifted from God in his life he writes:

 

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul:

he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

 

As Brueggemann writes, "it is not the place but the vitality of the relationship which transforms"[6] David realizes - as we all have opportunity to, especially when everything seems to go sideways that God is the shepherd, not us (Jesus is the Good Shepherd, John 10:11-12). God is in charge.

 

• God loves us so much that he will lead us to green pastures and still waters (even when everything is going sideways He will provide for us)
• When we are in the depth of despair God can restore our soul
• AND as bad or as far from God as any of us may be or may have been God can and will (as we invite Him) restore us to righteousness. No matter how wicked we have been, God can bring us to righteousness

 

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

 

The rod and the staff remind us of the contemporary sheepdog. The dog is a natural predator of the sheep. It is only the good shepherd that causes these predators to become protectors. God is with us and can protect us and keep us even in the midst of all life’s predatory problems.[7]

 

Thus ends the shepherd analogy and begins a banquette analogy:[8]

 

5 Thou preparest a table before me

in the presence of mine enemies:

thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

 

Even as David's enemies - his friends and family - are literally waiting to pounce upon, kill and/or capture him, the Lord is providing him with food and support and love and it overflows onto him. David who has possibly been far from righteousness is now being restored and cared for in these his most difficult and trying times. And as a result,

 

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

 

So it is with us today. There are some horrible fears right now. Covid-19 has cast itself like a shadow over our valley. These weeks people are afraid of the children going back to school. People are unsure even as we are now allowed to be in more places. We are afraid for our family members. We are grieving the things we are losing: seeing our loved ones, social gatherings, sports events, concerts, weddings, funerals, graduation ceremonies, college campus life, sports and other scholarships evaporating, uncertain job and economic outlooks; abuse and addiction on the rise. The shadow of death is rearing its head above our valley and has caused literal death of members of this valley in the past weeks. There is uncertainty and there is fear as the shadow of death looms over our valley.

 

But here is the hope and the hope is real. Jesus was born, died and rose from the grave. Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-12). He does not leave us in times of trouble and the Lord does even now prepare a table before me and you and before each of us in the very real presence of our fears and our enemies. The Lord provides for us in the midst of Covid-19; the Lord provides for us in the midst of the opiod crisis; the Lord provides for us in the midst of the economic crisis, and the Lord provides for us in the midst of all of our personal crises. No matter what you are going through, the Lord is here with you.[9] No matter what you have done, felt, thought or experienced the Lord is here with you and you can experience His righteousness. No matter what will happen after dinner, today the Lord is preparing for you a feast - a feast of love and forgiveness for you and for me; so that you and so that I can experience the freedom of our forgiveness for others, His forgiveness of us and His peace forever more.

 

As trying as things may be, I need not fear for the Lord is my shepherd and He will take care of me. As trying as things may be, you need not fear for the Lord is your shepherd and He will take care of you.

 

Let us pray

www.sheepspeak.com

https://www.facebook.com/Salvogesis

 

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[1] Michael Ramsay, 'We are Sheep' Renew Network (Monday, August 24, 2009), online: http://renewnetwork.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html#4247040791585143519

[2] Peter C. Craigie, 'Psalms 1-50', 2nd  ed. (WBC 19: Word Books: Dallas, Texas, 2004), 205

[3] Jack R. Lundbom "Psalm 23: Song of Passage," Int 40 [1986]: 6-16

[4] cf. Michael Ramsay, " 2 Samuel 13-18: Taking Matters in His Own Hands: the Story of Prince Absalom" Presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps November 18, 2007 and Warehouse 614  Toronto 230 pm service, Aug 20, 2017. Available on-line: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2007/11/2-samuel-13-18-taking-matters-in-his.html "

[5] John Stott, Favourite Psalms, (RG Mitchell Family Books: Willowdale Ontario: 1988), 32; cf Willem A. VanGemeren, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Psalms/Exposition of Psalms/BOOK I: Psalms 1-41/Psalm 23: The Goodness of God/I. The Lord Is My Shepherd (23:1-4), Book Version: 4.0.2

[6] Walter Brueggemann, Praying the Psalms. (Winona: St. Mary's:1982), 156

[7] Michael Ramsay, 'We are Sheep' Renew Network (Monday, August 24, 2009), online: http://renewnetwork.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html#4247040791585143519

[8] But cf. Peter C. Craigie, 'Psalms 1-50', 2nd  ed. (WBC 19: Word Books: Dallas, Texas, 2004), 205

[9] Cf. Revd Canon Marilyn Parry, M (2009). 3rd May 2009: 4th Sunday of Easter. The Expository Times, 120(7), 337–338. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014524609103469

The Psalm 119 Alphabet Book: the abcs of blessing, blamelessness, and purity (Parts 1-3, verses:1-24).

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 06 August 2020, by Captain Michael Ramsay

 

Psalm 119 is a unique psalm for a couple of different reasons:

1)      It is the longest Psalm in the Bible

2)      It is like an Alphabet Book of Sorts (It is the most developed instance of an acrostic poem in the Old Testament)[1]

 

For Christmas or for Susan’s birthday a year ago we made her an ABC recipe book. Psalm 119 is like an ABC Psalm book. Each of the different sections is based on another letter of the Hebrew alphabet, i.e.: 

·        A is for Apple and Alligator,

·        B is for Bear and Barium,

·        C is for Canada and confetti, and so on.

 

The ABC Psalm has 8 lines dedicated to each letter of the Alphabet. And – this is really neat – each line starts with the same letter (in Hebrew, not in English). So for example if this was a contemporary English language ABC book it may start out something like this:

 

Aa

An alligator ate a lot of apples, apricots, and acorns

Apples were green and red

Apricots were orange

Acorns were hard and seemed angry

Angry like a wasp

After August when his time is coming to an end

And we are all like this alligator

Always answering to angry acorns

 

Psalm 119, of course, isn’t as much about angry acorns as it is about how we engage with God and the world and how He engages with us. It wrestles with the question of how we remain steadfast in the purity and blameless ways of the Lord. Today we will look at –time depending - the first 2 or 3 letters of this Alphabet book.

 

The first stanza, the ‘A’ page of the Psalm 119 Alphabet Book says this:

א Aleph

1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,

who walk according to the law of the Lord.

2 Blessed are those who keep his statutes

and seek him with all their heart—

3 they do no wrong

but follow his ways.

4 You have laid down precepts

that are to be fully obeyed.

5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast

in obeying your decrees!

6 Then I would not be put to shame

when I consider all your commands.

7 I will praise you with an upright heart

as I learn your righteous laws.

8 I will obey your decrees;

do not utterly forsake me.

 

Aleph speaks about those who are blessed. (Blessed here means one who is happy, one who is content.)[2]  People whose ways are blameless are blessed and people who keep the statutes, the Law of the Lord and seek Him with all of their heart are blessed. The Psalmist says that people don’t do wrong but instead follow the Lord’s way, obeying all His decrees, are blessed.

 

This is quite a tall order though, isn’t it: doing no wrong! Fully obeying the Law! Being absolutely blameless! Who can possibly do this? Who can possibly be blessed? This is what the psalmist notes about himself, he says “Oh that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame…”

 

Realizing the challenges of all this and realizing the importance of blamelessness and blessing in one’s life, the psalmist resolves to praise the Lord with an upright heart, he resolves to learn the Lord’s laws, he resolves to being a law-abiding citizen and implores the Lord to not utterly forsake him.

 

Leading Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann writes,

“Obedience to Law is not a rule for rewards….It is not a cause of fidelity [faithfulness]; it is not a consequence of fidelity. It is itself the enactment of fidelity. It is the joy of being in sync with the Lord of the covenant, the sense of companionship in doing the things in which the partner delights. The delight in such obedience is not in its outcome but in its performance…obedience to the Law is not a work but a habit, a habit of the heart that becomes a way of life.”[3]

 

Obedience to the Law is not a requirement for salvation; it is not a result of salvation; it is a way of life. In today’s world of identity politics probably the best way to explain God’s Law, blessing and our blamelessness in relationship to it is as our identity. We who love God are those who identify as walking in His ways and so receive the blessings inherent to that.

 

It is like when I quit smoking a million years ago. I became a non-smoker and I self-identified as a non-smoker. It did not matter that for quite a long time I still occasionally did slip up and have a cigarette or a drag from a cigarette. Sometimes I would have a cigarette –or part thereof - alone in the car. Sometimes I would have a cigarette –or part thereof -  out with friends at night or over a cup of coffee in the day. What mattered was that after I had a cigarette or part thereof,  I did not identify as a smoker again. I maintained my identity as a non-smoker. I did not quit quitting. I did not give up on being a non-smoker. Even though I may have had a drag of a cigarette, my identity was still intact as that of a non-smoker and God helped me live up to that so I am a very much a non-smoker to this day. It has been decades now since I last had my last puff.

 

 It is the same with blamelessness and holiness in our world today. We don’t throw away our holiness just because we do something not holy one day. We don’t throw away our salvation just because we do something unsaved one day. God will never leave nor forsake us (Dt 31:6; Hb 13:5) and we will live up to what we have already obtained (Phil 3:16). Thus the psalmist declares he will praise the Lord with an upright heart as he continues as God’s blessed, law-abiding, blameless citizen. As we continue in the Lord’s blessing, we will continue to experience the Lord’s blessing both now and forever.

 

This brings us to the second letter in our Psalm 119 Alphabet Book today.

ב Beth

9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity?

By living according to your word.

10 I seek you with all my heart;

do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

12 Praise be to you, Lord;

teach me your decrees.

13 With my lips I recount

all the laws that come from your mouth.

14 I rejoice in following your statutes

as one rejoices in great riches.

15 I meditate on your precepts

and consider your ways.

16 I delight in your decrees;

I will not neglect your word.

 

Beth, the second letter and page in the Alphabet Book, further addresses the question of how can one remain faithful to the Lord? How can one remained blessed? How can one remain blameless? In our vernacular today, how can one remain saved? How can a young person stay on the path of purity (given that life is long and there will be many thoughts, actions, people, and problems trying to pull us away from the blessings of purity). The psalmist answers this again with eight lines all beginning with the same letter, Beth.

 

This is neat. It is like a child or a young adult going to the fair. It is too bad that we don’t have a fall fair in town this year due to Covid-19 pandemic. I remember last year at the fair there was this one ride, the Himalaya that Heather wanted to go on again and again and again. I am glad she ran into a friend who would go with her because when you are my age those rides are quite as fun to go on quite as many times as they are when you are Heather’s age. Though it was really fun to see how much enjoyment she was getting from ride.

 

Here, in our Alphabet Psalm, we have a young person experiencing the ride of uprightness, the ride of holiness, the ride of salvation, the ride of blessing, blamelessness, and purity. The concerned parent or the young person themselves ask, how can we stay on this ride of purity? The rest of this stanza answers this question with each of the eight lines beginning with Beth, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

 

How can young people remain pure and blessed throughout their lives?

 

We can do this by living according to God’s Word, not neglecting His Word, reciting His Word, keeping His Word hidden in our hearts and rejoicing in it.[4] How can we remain pure, blameless and blessed in our life? We can do this by reading our Bible and praying continually.

 

When we lived in Saskatchewan, there was a column in the Nipawin Journal entitled ‘Questions of Faith’ to which various pastors were asked to contribute regularly. One question to which I was asked to respond was, ‘As a Christian why should I read my Bible?’ I opened my response this way:

‘My five year-old asks us every night if we can read the Bible to her since at Sunday school, not too long ago, the teacher sang with the children, “read your Bible, pray every day and you’ll grow, grow, grow …” Sarah-Grace took this truth to heart and has been faithful in reminding us to read her Bible.’[5]

Sarah-Grace, even as young as 5, and her sisters too, have been very faithful in reading their Bibles every day and encouraging us to do the same for that really is key to purity, blamelessness and blessing.

 

The psalmist tells us on page 2 of this Psalm 119 Alphabet Book, we can be pure, blessed and blameless as we memorize God’s Word and keep God’s Word in our hearts so we can draw on it and experience the Lord’s blessing, peace and strength. We can experience purity, blessing, and blamelessness by letting the Lord teach us His ways.

 

We can experience purity, blessing, and blamelessness, as our scripture today says, by seeking God with all of our hearts. This, I think, is so important. One of the Bible verses that I had memorized as a child is Matthew 6:33 ‘seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you’. I have drawn on that many times in my life as many things have threatened my purity and my experience of the Lord’s blessing in my life. Psalm 1:2 and Joshua 1:8 encourage us to meditate on the Word of the Lord day and night. As we do this, as we keep His Word in our heart and seek Him with all our heart, He promises we will find Him and we will experience His purity, blessing, and blamelessness for now and forever.

 

I am not going to go through all of the stanzas of this, the Bible’s longest Psalm, but I will take a quick look at the third letter of the Psalm 119 Alphabet Book. The third letter – with which every line of this stanza begins – is Gimel. This page in the Alphabet book reads:

 

ג Gimel

17 Be good to your servant while I live,

that I may obey your word.

18 Open my eyes that I may see

wonderful things in your law.

19 I am a stranger on earth;

do not hide your commands from me.

20 My soul is consumed with longing

for your laws at all times.

21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are accursed,

those who stray from your commands.

22 Remove from me their scorn and contempt,

for I keep your statutes.

23 Though rulers sit together and slander me,

your servant will meditate on your decrees.

24 Your statutes are my delight;

they are my counselors.

 

This stanza does not offer as much new information as the first to stanzas which is understandable – they formed the opening argument from which the rest of this book arguably flows and there is much to be said after Gimel as well.[6]

 

Gimel does offer us this encouragement. Gimel states that we are strangers on this earth (Philippians 3:20: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, cf.1 Peter 2:11). We are God’s servants. As God’s citizens we long to follow His laws and decrees over and above all else. Gimel offers us this comfort: there will be people who choose not to experience the blessing that comes from following the Lord and His Word. There are those who, because of this, will scorn those who do follow the Lord. There will be leaders of various countries – maybe even our own now (I don’t know) or at some time in the future – who will slander believers in the Word of the Lord. Gimel offers us an encouragement to perseverance: even if the most powerful people in this country slander us, even if most of the people scorn us, even if it seems as if the whole world is against us, the Lord will be our delight and He will be our salvation.

 

Friends, sometimes life is hard. Sometimes life is tragic. This week alone I can’t tell you how many people have come to me with stories of addiction and illness and injury coming upon them and/or their loved ones. Here is the encouragement of Gimel: as bad as things get we can delight in the Lord. His Word can counsel us to what is right, what will get us through it and He will be with us through everything.[7] He will be with us in all our trials and tribulations.

·        Gimel expresses lament but we can be encouraged for as we turn to Him, in even our most difficult times, we will see that He is indeed with us.

·        Beth contains Divine teaching on Wisdom: as we do seek Him with all our heart, we will experience His purity, blessing, and blamelessness and…

·        Aleph gives us a full appreciation of the Law of the Lord[8]: As we continue in the Lord’s blessing, we will continue to experience the Lord’s blessing both now and forever.

 

Let us pray

www.sheepseak.com

salvogesis.blogspot.com

 

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[1] Leslie C. Allen, 'Psalms 101-150', 2nd ed., (WBC 21: Word Books: Dallas, Texas, 2002),180

[2] Strong's Concordance, H835, eh'sher, Blessed. Cited from Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=h835

[3] Walter Brueggemann, God Neighbour, Empire: The Excess of Divine Fidelity and the Command of Common Good (Waco, Texas, Baylor University Press: 2016), p.137

[4] This relates to God’s conveying His covenant to Israel(to us). It can refer to God’s prophetic utterance, a collection thereof and/or all wisdom texts or Torah. Cf. Leslie C. Allen, 'Psalms 101-150', 2nd ed., (WBC 21: Word Books: Dallas, Texas, 2002), 186.

[5] Captain Michael Ramsay, 'Why Should I Read the Bible?' Nipawin Journal, (February 2008). Available on-line: http://www.sheepspeak.com/sasknews.htm#Bible

[6] Charles H. Spurgeon, ‘The Treasury of David Vol. 3: Psalms 101-150’, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers,139: the whole Psalm develops from Verse 1.

[7] Willem A. VanGemeren The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Psalms/Exposition of Psalms/BOOK V: Psalms 107-150/Psalm 119: The Joy of God's Law in Distress/II. The Beth Strophe (119:9-16), Book Version: 4.0.2: Contentment is a true expression of inner godliness. The psalmist declares repeatedly that his inner delight and joy is in God and his revelation:

[8] Leslie C. Allen, 'Psalms 101-150', 2nd ed., (WBC 21: Word Books: Dallas, Texas, 2002), 184