Valleys: Part 4

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

May 26, 2022

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

This is Part 4 of our messages on valleys. In Part 1 we shared about the Lily of the valley, who is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. Jesus is Lord of both the valleys and the mountains. In Part 2 we shared some thoughts about the valley of decision and the valley of Achor or the valley of trouble. Then in Part 3 we looked at the valley of Vision. Next week we plan to conclude our messages on valleys with some thoughts about the valley of the shadow of death, along with the antithesis, resurrection life. In this message, we want to share with you some thoughts about the valley of Baca, which means the valley of weeping.

The time in which we live is certainly a time of weeping on the part of many people in the world. Some of the many causes of weeping are the war between Russia and Ukraine with all of the destruction of lives and housing; the Covid pandemic, which has claimed one million lives in the United States; the increased inflation and the steep drop in the stock market; all of the racial, political, and religious division; violence everywhere; and the divisions within even Christian families because of the rebellion of children and their trend toward LGBTQ. This is a time when the enemy is trying to divide families. Of course, all of those examples relate to weeping on behalf of ourself and our families in the natural realm, which is quite normal and to be expected. Death, war, violence, and poverty can make us lose heart and wonder what God is doing in this world. But the Lord is still in control and His timetable always will be right on His schedule. The question is, who identifies with the Lord and weeps in sorrow for His chosen people, many of whom are deceived and don't know it? Which is more important? our fourscore years on earth in these physical bodies or our condition of being in eternity? Paul said it was far better to depart and be with Christ. Paul also said, "to live is Christ, to die is gain." 

Our starting point is Psalm 84. Scripture does not tell us who wrote this Psalm, but it certainly sounds like the heart and words of David. Psalm 84 is a psalm of longing ... a longing for fellowship or communion with God. 

1 John 1:3, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." 

Fellowship or communion is in the spiritual realm; socialization is in the natural realm. There is a place for both, but the one most dear to us may affect our destiny. You probably have heard the saying that "he is so heavenly minded that he is no earthly good." In reality, unless we are heavenly minded, then we will be no earthly good.

Psalm 84 is for all of those who seek to worship God in Spirit and in truth. It is a Psalm about spending time with God, in His presence. Of course, in ancient days the chosen people of God would sing the Psalms. The Presbyterian Church in North America has remained true to Calvin not only by singing exclusively psalms but also by banning accompaniment with musical instruments. Of course, Scripture in both Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 says that we should sing psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs. When I was a teenager, I remember that my father would sometimes sing a solo based upon Psalm 84, with music written by Samuel Liddle. Today you can find about four different melodies to Psalm 84, but I still prefer the version that my father used to sing. It goes something like this ...

How lovely are thy dwellings, O Lord of hosts. My soul longeth, yea fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Yea the sparrow hath found her a house, and the swallow a nest, where she may lay her young, even thy altars, even thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

Psalm 84, Verse 1.

1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!

The chief Musician is the Lord Jesus Christ. "Gittite" is the name for the inhabitants of the city of Gath, whose name means "wine-press." The spiritual function of a wine-press is the same as that for Gethsemane, which means "oil-press" to press us out of self. Paul, in 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 said, 

"For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us;"

"A Psalm for the sons of Korah" ... this sounds like encouragement for the sons of Korah. We cannot find two more polar-opposite types of people in the Bible than Korah and Moses or Korah and David. Korah was given a high position as a Levitical priest and he abused it. Korah didn't simply gather 250 people to calmly talk with Moses and God about some ideas concerning the priesthood practices. It was a contemplated, planned rebellion. Korah questioned God's authority, decisions, and appointed leaders and ended up reaping the consequences. He died in an earthquake or a sinkhole; the earth swallowed him up.

Korah's descendants served under the rulers God had placed over them and they served both the rulers and God well. Here we see an example that family legacies do not determine everything. Even though Korah lives in infamy throughout time, his family legacy does not. Through his line, we have Samuel - a man of God, and the Korahites. Three descendants of Korah - Heman, Asaph, and Ethan went on to become great musical masters and write a few of the Psalms.

Heman, a grandson of Samuel, wrote Psalm 88, and was known for his wisdom. Asaph, one of the leaders of David's choir, wrote 12 Psalms and served as a musician and seer. "Asaph" means "he who removes reproach." Ethan (or Jeduthan), another one of David's chief musicians, wrote Psalm 89 and served as a prophet like Asaph.

Other figures in the Bible, such as Hezekiah and Josiah, had wicked fathers, but those kings chose to trust God and rewrite their family legacy. The Lord said, in Ezekiel 18:20, 

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." 

God can redeem anything and anyone.

We will return to Verse 1 later. For now, back to verse 2 of Psalm 84.

2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

What a blessing it would be if all professing Christians walked in that same attitude of heart and longing for the LORD.

3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. 

The two altars were the brazen altar of burnt offering and the golden altar of incense. Birds could never build their nests in those! The phrase starting with "even thine altars" relates back to what the Psalmist has found, not what the birds have found. In other words, the sense is "Even so have I found thine altars."

Jesus said, in Matthew 10:29-31, 

"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

Then Jesus said, in Matthew 6:25-26, 

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

Back to Psalm 84 and verse 4.

4 Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they will be still praising Thee. Selah.

Some translations say, "they shall praise thee for ever and ever." The word "they" refers to all born-from-above Christians. The word "dwell" means to remain.

In John 15:4-8, Jesus said,

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

1 John 2:17, "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

However, from 1 Timothy 4:1, 

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" 

In other words, some number of professing Christians will not dwell or remain in the house of the Lord. The prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus is only to those who finish the race.

The phrase "they will be still praising Thee" in Psalm 84, verse 4, is future tense and probably refers to eternity when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord ... in other words, we will praise and worship the Lord forever.

Back to Psalm 84 and verse 5.

5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.

In the KJV, the phrase "of them" is in italics, which means it is not in the original text. The man who finds his strength in God is also the one whose heart is set on a holy journey. He does not rely on self or the world for strength, but considers himself a visitor, a traveler, a pilgrim, or a stranger in this world. We are in the world not of the world. Our true strength and treasure are in the Creator of the world to come.

The farther we travel onward in the ways of the Lord, instead of being faint and weary, as travellers in such cases normally should be, we grow stronger and stronger. We proceed from one degree of grace to another, gaining Divine virtue through all the steps of our journey. We grow from faith to faith.

The strength and heart of a pilgrim are displayed by his love for the house of God. There we meet with God, along with other pilgrims, and we gain strength in God together as we meet in true fellowship. The love and longing for the house of God are not meant as an escape from the world but as a preparation for life in the world.

Psalm 103:7, "He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel." 

Why? Why did God make His ways known to Moses but only His acts unto the children of Israel? for at least two reasons ... first, because God knew that heart of Moses was set on the will of God and on His chosen people. The second reason is because Moses asked to know the ways of the Lord. Whatever we ask for, in the will of God, He will provide.

Exodus 33:12-15. 

12 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.

13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

14 And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

15 And he said unto Him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

Back to Psalm 84 and verse 6.

6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

The pathway to the kingdom of God MUST go, sooner or later, through the valley of Baca ... the valley of weeping. I can't tell you how many times I was supposed to share a word with a group of Christians and all I could do was stand up and weep for several minutes. Some times I weep because I feel so overwhelmed by the grace and mercy of God in my life. At other times I weep on behalf of the body of Christ. I usually am aware of why I am weeping.

One of the first things we should note about the first six verses of Psalm 84 is how orderly the word of God is. If we ask all of the congregation to sing hymn number 123, that requires no real unction and can be accomplished easily. However, if we were to ask all of the congregation to start weeping over the state of God's chosen people, we arrive at a stalemate ... something which is impossible to do ... unless we have all walked through and experienced the reality of Verses 1 through 5. If we have been allowed to see in some small measure the heart of God, His purposes, His ways, then we must weep at the current state of affairs in the church.

Note that we have been designed to pass through the valley of Baca. We were never designed to stay there forever. As the overcomer passes through the valley of weeping, he makes it a well because of all of his tears. The phrase "cry unto the Lord" occurs 23 times in Scripture. David, in Psalm 86:3 said, "Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily." How many professing Christians today cry unto the Lord daily? We usually only cry unto the Lord when we find ourselves in difficult even desperate situations.

The following are a few verses that describe weeping on the part of some of His chosen people.

Judges 2:1-5. 

1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?

3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

4 And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

5 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.

"Bochim" literally means "the weepers."

1 Samuel 30:1-8. 

1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.

8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And He answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

Joel 1:5, "Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth."

Joel 2:12-14, "Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil. Who knoweth if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him; even a meal offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?"

Joel 2:17, "Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?"

After the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, the Lord returns.

In Revelation 7:9-10, 13-17, we read,


9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

I believe this speaks of all, both Jew and Gentile, who have been born from above but have not qualified on earth to walk in the Kingdom. In Revelation 7:17, ".... and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Who is "their"? the great multitude, which no man could number. They are believers, but were like the five foolish virgins in Matthew 25. Note that this great multitude was crying, because all they knew was salvation. They had to go through great tribulation, which did not affect the servants of God. Revelation 7:14 says this multitude have washed their robes, and made them white through or by (not "in") the blood of the Lamb.

Nothing can be made white while washed in natural blood. They wept because they finally saw what they had missed. They are like the 31,700 of Gideon's men who "went back" because the Lord could use only 300 of them. The 300 are those referenced in Psalm 84:5-7 ... the remnant or the overcomers.

Then we read in Revelation 21:2-4, 7 ...


2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.

Who are "their" in verse 4? These are not the same people as those in Revelation 7:9-17. Clearly the set of believers in Revelation 21 are different than those in Revelation, Chapter 7. God is not going to wipe away all tears from their eyes twice. These are the overcomers over all of time (those referenced in Psalm 84:5-7) ... the Bride of Christ (Revelation 21:2) ... those who have His name in their foreheads (Revelation 22:4) ... those who voluntarily offered themselves as a burnt offering ... those who dwell in the secret place of the most High ... those who look for His appearing ... those who are waiting at the Tabernacle Gate to see the High Priest come out of the Holy of Holies and complete the redemption of the saints ... those who will reign with Christ on earth for a thousand years (Revelation 20:6). This includes both Jew and Gentile.

Only God can cause us to weep that His purposes might be fulfilled in the earth, and only God can and will wipe away all of our tears. But it is important to understand WHY the great multitude in Revelation 7 and the overcomers in Revelation 21 were crying. When God wipes away the tears from the great multitude, it is because that great multitude (of believers) finally saw what they had missed. They were like the five foolish virgins in Matthew 25 and like Esau, who found no pace of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

When God wipes away the tears of the overcomers, in Revelation 21, it is because they had wept over spiritual Jerusalem, just as Jesus, Jeremiah, Nehemiah, Ezra and many others have done. They identified with the heart of God ... they identified with the Lord Jesus in every respect. They had great compassion and love for their brethren who, for whatever reasons, were content with being saved and going to heaven one day. They fulfilled Revelation 12:11, 

"And they overcame him [the accuser of the brethren] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."

Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1-4) wept over Jerusalem; so did Jeremiah (Jeremiah 9:1, Jeremiah 13:15-17), who has often been called the "weeping prophet." However, there is no better example of weeping than that of Jesus. Jesus wept over Jerusalem.

Luke 19:41-44.


41 And when He [Jesus] was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it,

42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,

44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

I do not believe that Jesus wept over a piece of real estate in the Middle East called Jerusalem; neither did He weep over the physical temple or houses or trees or any other natural substance. He wept because "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (John 1:11). He wept because the people could have known and should have known who He was/is but they did not want to know. As Paul said in Romans 1:20, they are without excuse.

Back to Verse 7 of Psalm 84.

7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

On a normal journey, especially a difficult one, the usual pattern is to go from strength to weakness or fatigue. But those whose strength is in God go from strength to strength. Each one appears before God in Zion: The journey has a destination - Zion, the city of God. The love and longing for the house of God will bring each one to his destination, appearing before God in Zion. Neither Zion nor the city of God speaks of the natural realm.

Isaiah 40:28-31.

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding.

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

The object of each devout Israelite was not merely to be in the assembly but to appear before God. What a blessing if that would be the sincere desire of all who in these days mingle in our religious gatherings. Unless we realize the presence of God, we have accomplished nothing; the mere gathering together is worth nothing. However, where the Spirit of God gathers two or three together, Jesus said He would be there also. 

Psalm 118:14, "The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation."

Back to Psalm 84:8-12.

8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.

9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.

10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

In any event, the most important "work" for us as believers in Christ is that we always continue to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:12-13, "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."

Psalm 126:5-6, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

That verse speaks of the great harvest of souls during the last spiritual Feast of Tabernacles. The precious seed is the word of the Kingdom of God. The "they" in Verse 5 and the "He" in Verse 6 both speak of the overcomers ... those who have identified with the heart of God ... those who weep over spiritual Jerusalem ... those who fulfill Joel 2:17. Lord, open our eyes and ears that we may be attuned to your will in these last days!

Finally, let us return briefly to the phrase in Psalm 84, verse 1 ... "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!" We could also translate that phrase as, "How lovely are thy dwellings, O LORD of hosts." What are the tabernacles or dwelling places of the Lord?

Isaiah 6:3, "And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory."

Jeremiah 23:24, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD."

Matthew 8:18-20, "Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave commandment to depart unto the other side. And a certain scribe came, and said unto Him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." 

Jesus almost always avoided ministering to the multitudes. In sharp contrast, today's evangelical ministers delight to preach to multitudes ... the more the better. Too many Christian ministers are interested in numbers ... quantity; God is interested in quality.

John 1:37-39.

37 And the two disciples heard Him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto Him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

John 1:45-46, "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see."

Revelation 6:1-7 speaks of the Lamb opening the first four seals. As each of those seals were opened, a different beast said, "Come and see." Come and see what? see the events that will occur, in order, just prior to the return of Jesus to earth.

Now, how do we know that His dwelling places are lovely? Some may say that we accept that truth by faith. But there is a better way ... namely to come and see for yourself. How lovely are thy dwellings, O Lord of hosts.

Revelation 22:17, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."  

Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Amen.