"The image of 'the valley,' in Christian hands, obviously goes beyond the
original intention of the writer. The translation 'the valley of the shadow
of death' is an inevitable Christian addition. . . . To those brought up on
that version it is impossible to divorce the phrase from the idea of death;
for it has brought comfort to too many in the actual experience of dying; too
many have quoted it beside deathbeds. . . . So it is that for a great multitude
of Christian folk the verse refers to the valley of death, first and last.
Christian experience has, if you like, rewritten it. . . . Surely if the last
thought is 'thou art with me,' the king of terrors will change his aspect. For
the Shepherd is there -- and he is friend and guide." (IB, p. 128)

"The straight path is not always the easiest; round about you may wander in
sunny glades, while the straight path is through the defile, a dark and
dangerous way. Nevertheless it is the road, and the best road, to the place
where you fain would be. To take easier journeys would mean that you
would be overtaken by the night before the sheepfold could be reached.
Wherefore the shepherd in his wisdom leads to the threatening valley; but he
keeps close to the sheep, with his rod (his weapon of offense) and his staff
(his weapon of guidance) ready, so that when darkness comes, the shepherd
and his sheep are home. It is a lovely little picture of the God-trusting life,
so complete and so true." (IB, p. 126)

"From a shepherd's point of view this statement marks the halfway stage in
the Psalm . . . Now it turns to address the shepherd directly. The personal
pronouns "I" and "Thou" enter the conversation. It becomes a most intimate
discourse of deep affection. . . .Most of the efficient sheepmen endeavor to
take their flocks onto distant summer ranges during summer. This often entails
long 'drives.' . . . During this time the flock is entirely alone with the shepherd.
They are in intimate contact with him and under his most personal attention day
and night. . . .Every mountain has its valleys. Its sides are scarred by deep
ravines and gulches and draws. And the best route to the top is always along
these valleys. . . . Not only is this the way to the gentlest grades, but also it is
the well watered route. Here one finds refreshing water all along the way.
There are rivers, streams, springs and quiet pools in the deep defiles. . . .
Naturally these grassy glades are often on the floor of steep-walled canyons
and gulches. There may be towering cliffs above them on either side. The
valley floor itself may be in dark shadow with the sun seldom reaching the
bottom except for a few hours around noon. . . . The shepherd knows from past
experience that predators like coyotes, bears, wolves or cougars can take cover
in these broken cliffs and from their vantage point prey on his flock. There
could be rock slides, mud or snow avalanches and a dozen other natural disasters
that would destroy or injure his sheep. But in spite of the hazards he also knows
that this is still the best way to take his flock to the high country. He spares
himself no pains or trouble or time to keep an eye out for any danger that might
develop." (Keller)

"VALLEY. Depression; meekness; darkness. "Though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." (Psalm xxiii. 4.) Though
the way is dark in mortal sense, divine Life and Love illumine it, destroy the
unrest of mortal thought, the fear of death, and the supposed reality of error.
Christian Science, contradicting sense, maketh the valley to bud and blossom
as the rose." (S&H, p. 596)

"Yea, thought I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evil: for [Love] is with me;" (S&H, p. 578)

 

Science," a section from the essay on The Sixth Commandment.


THY ROD AND THY STAFF THEY COMFORT ME:

"With his 'rod' or stout club the shepherd beats off the foes of the sheep, and
with his 'staff' he helps it through the dark and perilous defile. So in the
midst of dangers these symbols of the shepherd's might and affection banish
fear: 'they are my consolation.'" (IB, p. 127)

"Sometimes 'rod' and 'staff' are used interchangeably; the context determines
which is intended. (1) The simple shepherd's rod was a stout club c. 3 ft.
long, made sometimes of an oak sapling with a bulging joint forming a knob.
The rod or club was sometimes tipped with flint or metal to beat wolves
away from the flock. With his rod the shepherd guided timid animals over
dangerous rocks or difficult wadis (stream beds). At night he 'rodded' the
sheep, making each pass under his rod to count it." (Harper's Bible
Dictionary, p. 619)

"The details of the imagery are somewhat alien to us. Our shepherds do not
carry rods and staffs. A shepherd's crook, laid lightly on the back of a
sheep showing tendencies to wander, is familiar enough. But a weapon of
offense against marauding enemies is not a modern shepherd's equipment.
Yet something may be made of both the 'rod' and the 'staff' as we spiritualize
the psalm. The staff is plain: it symbolizes all the gentle disciplines that
keep us going. But the 'rod' also is recognizable. All that ejects evil from
our minds is a weapon of offense -- such as sudden disgust, particularly at
ourselves when we realize that God's alleged servant is behaving like a dog,
perhaps disfiguring the divine image in someone else. The uprush of
wrathful feeling that makes a man cry 'have at you' to habits which are
weakening him and spoiling his work -- this too is the shepherd's rod in
action. All that the shepherd's presence means in creating honest anger against
evil in ourselves or in our world, from the tigers of lust to the little foxes of
laziness, is hinted at in the rod." (IB, p. 127)

"The rod, in fact, was an extension of the owner's own right arm. It stood as a
symbol of his strength, his power, his authority in any serious situation. . . . If
the shepherd saw a sheep wandering away from its own, or approaching
poisonous weeds, or getting too close to danger of one sort or another, the club
would go whistling through the air to send the wayward animal scurrying back
to the bunch. . . . In caring for his sheep, the good shepherd, the careful manager,
will from time to time make a careful examination of each individual sheep. As
each animal comes out of the corral and through the gate, it is stopped by the
shepherd's outstretched rod. He opens the fleece with the rod; he runs his
skillful hands over the body; he feels for any sign of trouble; he examines the
sheep with care to see if all is well. This is a most searching process entailing
every intimate detail. It is, too, a comfort to the sheep for only in this way can
its hidden problems be laid bare before the shepherd." (Keller)

"In a sense, the staff, more than any other item of his personal equipment,
identifies the shepherd as a shepherd. No one in any other profession carries
a shepherd's staff. It is uniquely an instrument used for the care and management
of sheep -- and only sheep. It will not do for cattle, horses or hogs. It is
designed, shaped and adapted especially to the needs of sheep. . . . The staff
is essentially a symbol of the concern, the compassion that a shepherd has for
his charges. No other single word can better describe its function on behalf of
the flock that that it is for their 'comfort.' . . . Whereas the rod conveys the
concept of authority, of power, of discipline, of defense against danger, the
word 'staff' speaks of all that is longsuffering and kind. . . .The shepherd's staff
is normally a long, slender stick, often with a crook or hook on one end. It is
selected with care by the owner; it is shaped, smoothed, and cut to best suit
his own personal use. . . .The shepherd will use his staff to gently lift a
newborn lamb and bring it to its mother if they become parted. . . . The staff is
used by the shepherd to reach out and catch individual sheep, young or old,
and draw them close to himself for an intimate examination. . . . The staff is
also used for guiding sheep. . . . The tip of the long slender stick is laid gently
against the animal's side and the pressure applied guides the sheep in the way
the owner wants it to go. Thus the sheep is reassured of its proper path." (Keller)

"Sweet, indeed, are these uses of His rod! Well is it that the Shepherd of
Israel passes all His flock under His rod into His fold; thereby numbering
them, and giving them refuge at last from the elements of earth." (Miscellaneous
Writings, p. 8)

"The kindly shepherd of the East carries his lambs in his arms to the sheepcot,
but the older sheep pass into the fold under his compelling rod. He who sees
the door and turns away from it, is guilty, while innocence strayeth yearningly."
(Retrospection and Introspection, by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 80)

"[Love's] rod and [Love's] staff they comfort me." (S&H, p. 578)


THOU PREPAREST A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF
MINE ENEMIES:

"In thinking about this statement, it is well to bear in mind that the sheep are
approaching the high mountain country of the summer ranges. These are known
as alplands or tablelands, so much sought after by sheepmen. . . . In some of the
finest sheep country of the world, the high plateaux of the sheep ranges were
always referred to as mesas -- the Spanish word for 'tables.' Oddly enough,
the African word for a table is also mesa, . . . the use of this word is not
uncommon in referring to the high, flat-topped plateaux of the continent. . . .So
it may be seen that what David referred to as a table was actually the entire
high summer range. Though these mesas may have been remote and hard to
reach, the energetic and aggressive sheep owner takes the time and trouble to
ready them for the arrival of his flocks. . . .Early in the season, even before all
the snow has melted . . . he will go ahead and make preliminary survey trips
into this rough, wild country. He will look it over with great care, keeping
ever in mind its best use for his flock during the coming season. Then just
before the sheep arrive, he will make another expedition or two to prepare
the tableland for them. He takes along a supply of salt and minerals to be
distributed over the range at strategic spots for the benefit of the sheep during
the summer. . . . He clears out water holes, springs and drinking places for his
stock. . . . Another task the attentive shepherd takes on in the summer is to keep
an eye out for predators. He will look for signs of wolves, coyotes, cougars
and bears. If these raid or molest the sheep he will have to hunt them down or
go to great pains to trap them so that his flock can rest in peace. . . . Often what

actually happens is that these crafty ones are up on the rimrock watching every

movement the sheep make, hoping for a chance to make a swift, sneaking attack
that will stampede the sheep. . . . Only the alertness of the sheepman who tends
his flock on the tableland in full view of possible enemies can prevent them
from falling prey to attack. It is only his preparation for such an eventuality that
can possibly save the sheep from being slaughtered and panicked by their
predators." (Keller)

"Again, Christian experience has deepened the conception. 'Thou preparest
a table before me in the presence of mine enemies' becomes a table spread in
the midst of the pilgrimage, even when foes are massing to the attack. The
verse has been declared to have been a favorite text in London at Communion
services during World War II, when the bombing was at its peak; even in one
instance when a part of the church was hit, while the service continued. In
normal times it conveys the living thought of the table of strengthening set for
our partaking at times when our private spiritual war is at its most bitter,
suggesting that when we are finding the going hardest, we should at that very
time repair to the Lord's table and receive at his hands. Our enemies slink
away and become poor things when we resolutely sit down with our host."
(IB, p. 128)

"The shepherd was able to 'prepare tables' in safe grassy spots, in the presence
of the sheep's hereditary enemies -- venomous snakes, which bit the faces of
unsuspecting ones. Hence the necessity of having their injured heads 'anointed
with oil' or butter." (Harper's Bible Dictionary, p. 674)

"May our Father-Mother God, who in times past hath spread for us a table in
the wilderness and "in the midst of our enemies," establish us in the most holy
faith, plant our feet firmly on Truth, the rock of Christ, the "substance of things
hoped for" -- and fill us with the life and understanding of God, and good will
towards men." (Christian Science versus Pantheism, by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 14)

"[Love] prepareth a table before me in the presence of mine enemies."
(S&H, p. 578)

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