Shadows
Today's Three-minute Bible Study
Print, Study and Apply
Title: Shadows--------------------------------------------- Date: 05/25/2000
Keywords:
"comfort" "death" "shadow" "strength"
Welcome
to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual
temptation.
Today we continue looking at one of the most-often
memorized and recited passage of the Old Testament. There's a reason it is so well-used --
it never wears out! Let's take a fresh look and see what it has to say to us in the face
of today's pressures and strains. We'll look at verse 4 today.
Passage: Psalm 23:1-6*
1. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet
waters,
3. he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for
his name's sake.
4. 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.
5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You
anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Questions
1. What is the "shadow of death"?
2. What it is like to walk through the valley of the shadow of
death?
3. Where and when do you feel the most comforted?
Practical help
The Lord asks Job (Job 38:17), "Have you seen the gates of the
shadow of death?" The answer to the rhetorical question is "no." As Isaiah
predicts the birth of Jesus, he says (Isa 9:2), "The people walking in darkness have
seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has
dawned." Zechariah sings of Jesus' coming upon being presented with his son John,
saying God's mercy "will come to us from heaven to shine of those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." (Luke 1:78,79)
What is this entity called the "shadow of death?"
Perhaps you have a glimpse of it when you are exploring the darker
reaches of your own soul, such as when engaged with illicit sexual thoughts brought on by
pornographic images. You know that isn't right, but you do it anyway. Or maybe you're not
engaged in it but you're feeling the pull. It could be that going on a business trip for
you is your walk through the valley; those hotel cable TV systems are increasingly
cluttered with easily-accessible trash, and who's watching you? Or the daily e-mail check
is a temptation since you're already online and even though you chucked the bookmarks a
long time ago, you still remember where to find those sites.
If any of this sounds like your story, then Verse 4 should be a
comfort. The point is not that there's no evil out there to harm you -- you're always
walking through that valley at some level, and the threat is real. The point is that you
don't need to fear it because you can grasp the rod and staff of the living God. If you're
continually walking close to him, the reach of those temptations is too short to reach
you. Take comfort in the strength of one who knows your personal struggles and loves you
anyway, one who is stronger and wiser. Walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but
walk in the shadow of the Savior.
eXXit
homepage
Index of three-minute studies
Copyright 2000 by eXXit
*Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version © Copyright 1973,
1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.