In order for a shadow to exist, there must be a light source. When light hits an object, it bounces back, filling the area with nothing and creating a void where a shadow can exist.
If we look at shadows spiritually, a shadow can be something that comes between the Light of the World (John 8:12) and us. Shadows can also represent things which are temporary that keep us from seeing eternity. One day, God will remove these shadows.
Meditating on these thoughts, when I read Psalm 23:4, which speaks of the shadow of death, I see death differently. A shadow is not a thing, merely an obscure representation of the object that is between it and a source of light.
As a child of God, I don’t need to fear this shadow because Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. (John 11:25). Physical death is a shadow that the light of eternity will fill.
