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The Valley of the Shadow, through which the believer must sometimes pass, may turn
out to be such a valley of trouble that it, by the grace of God, shall become a `door of
hope'.
"And not only so, but we glory in tribulation also; knowing that tribulation worketh
patience; and patience, experience; and experience hope" (Rom. 5: 3, 4).
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."
No.3.
The Vale of Tears, a place of triumphant faith.
pp. 215 -217
The valley of the shadow, we have seen, may at times prove to be "The valley of
Achor (trouble)" which under God's blessing may become `a door of hope'.
The valley of the shadow, may have another name attached to it at times, it can be
called `the valley of Baca'.
"Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee:
in whose heart are the ways of them.
Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well:
the rain also filleth the pools" (Psa. 84: 5, 6).
"The valley of Baca" means "The valley of tears", and the figure has passed into
English literature in the phrase "This vale of tears", to indicate the passage of humanity
through life. It would take us too far afield to discuss the general intention of this Psalm.
Some teach that the Psalmist is cut off from the fellowship and thinks with pain that even
sparrows and swallows find a resting place in the courts of the Lord, an access which was
denied to the Psalmist. Others question this idea saying that in no circumstances could
sparrows and swallows build nests at the very altar, and teach that the sparrow and the
swallow is to be understood as of the Psalmist himself who has found a resting place in
his God, whether having access to the place of worship or whether such access be denied.
This truth appears in verse 6. Those who have `the ways' in their heart, can turn even
a `valley of tears' into a place of blessing. Burkhardt writes:
"After you have advanced two hours, the valley for an hour gets the name of
Wady Beka, or the valley of the weeping."
Rotherham translates Psa. 84: 5:
"How happy the men whose strength is in Thee,
Festive processions are in their heart."
It appears therefore that the valley of the shadow, can become very much what we
make it. If our faith is largely made up of human traditions, `places' of worship,
veneration of `days' and other elements of `religion', we shall miss the externals of our