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. (Psalm 23:4)
Psalm 23 is kind of mathematical. Or maybe geometric. Or maybe visual. David points out that the opposite of fear is comfort. Both are emotions. Both are choices. Both are reactions.
Evil ----------------------------- Fear
Shepherd -------------------- Comfort
Evil corresponds to fear. The ultimate evil, and effect of evil, was death. Evil demands and if our eyes are small deserves fear. It is quite natural to fear evil.
That is why we often assign evil motivations to the things we fear. Economic troubles MUST be the fault of some evil cabal. A terrible disease MUST be the result of an evil laboratory’s experiments. Something new MUST be the effect of an evil intent.
Comfort corresponds to the Shepherd’s presence. A drooling wolf fleas from the Shepherd’s rod. The whitewater rapids nearby the cool pool aren’t a threat when the Shepherd’s staff pulls us back. The dark unknown of tomorrow’s path doesn’t matter when the Shepherd knows where to walk with us.
The evil is there. It is real. It causes trouble, and pain, and tears, and death.
But the Shepherd is more there.
Fear Not, Because of Comfort