Grace In The Valley By Heath AdamsonНамуна

Day 3

At Death’s Door

Psalm 23

The source of grace for the psalmist David in his valley of the shadow of death is our source as well.

David’s poetic words in Psalm 23 come through a wounded soul. His motivation to begin singing came through an experience that almost took his life. The young shepherd boy anointed to be Israel’s king had to pass through his own valley first. King Saul, infuriated by David’s popularity after God defeated the giant Goliath through him, plotted David’s murder. 

David fled alone and came to the forest of Hereth (or Cheret), so named for its barren and dry landscape. The name literally means “baked earthenware.” Here quiet desperation enveloped David. His life would end if he fell into the hands of Saul’s elite soldiers. As the sun set, David would hear a twig snap, perhaps, as one of Saul’s soldiers bent down to see where David lurked. Rabbis comment that during this time David was starving to death. He was about to die. But surrounded by his enemies, the very words of Psalm 23 come off of his lips.

Psalm 23 contains fifty-seven words, the numerical equivalent of the word nourishes. It also contains 227 letters, the numerical equivalent of blessing. Some Jewish scholars conclude that those who recite this psalm—and, more importantly, live it—will experience God’s ample supply, or “blessing and nourishment.”

The music of this psalm is lost. I believe its words are best sung to the unique tune played as a backdrop to each one of our heartbreaks and mysteries. You may not know what it’s like to receive a startling diagnosis for yourself or a loved one. You may not understand how depression takes your words away. You may not know torment from abuse or the fear of losing a job. You may not know the struggle caused by ethnicity or gender. You may not know the pain of betrayal or a crisis of faith. Or you may.

When the spiritual sun sets and it is dark all around, the breath of God and the heat from his fiery eyes will keep us warm. For the green pasture and the valley ultimately lie within each of us.

What passage from Psalm 23 feels like God’s warmth to you in your forest of Hereth?