GOODNESS AND MERCY

 PSALMS 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.

This year, God’s goodness and mercy will follow us. In Tamil, we see God’s goodness and grace will follow us, and in most of the places in the Bible we see mercy and grace come together. So this year, God’s goodness, mercy, and grace will cover us all.

Psalm 23 is one of the most loved and quoted passages in the Bible. David beautifully explains from the beginning of his life to the end in this psalm. Psalm 23 starts with a shepherd and continues with a journey and ends with the home of the Lord. It speaks about David, the shepherd boy who became a king; David didn’t write this psalm when he was flourishing on his throne, but he wrote this psalm when he was leading his flocks. The first verse of this psalm says, “The Lord is my shepherd…”. He doesn’t say, “The Lord is a shepherd.” The word “my” changes everything, as it changes theology into testimony, belief into belonging. In verse 6, we see that David is not looking behind in fear, but with gratitude and assurance.

David realized that every step of his life is covered by God’s goodness and mercy.

 In Hebrew, God’s goodness is said as טוּב – Tov and mercy as חסד – Chesed. In English, this verse says, “Surely goodness and mercy…”. The verse does not say maybe or sometimes goodness and mercy shall follow me, but David says with faith that “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me.” David beautifully summarized his whole life in this psalm, from the green pastures to the dark valleys, from the throne room to the wilderness caves. Wherever he was, God’s goodness met his needs, and His mercy and grace forgave. David looked back at his life and saw two faithful companions: one named Goodness and the other named Mercy. We are also going to have two friends in our life this year, one is Goodness and the other is Mercy and Grace and they are going to follow us.

This Psalm 23 reveals the heart of God towards His children, and it is through:

1. God’s goodness takes care of our needs.

2. God’s mercy and grace forgive our sins.

3. God’s presence gives us eternal rest.

God’s goodness and mercy don’t just visit us and go, but they will be our companions in every step of the way until we reach the house of the Lord, our eternal home. In this psalm, David describes how his life was guided, guarded, and graced by God between these two companions, goodness and mercy.

GOD’S GOODNESS AND MERCY

 PSALMS 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me…

Goodness shows God’s generous hand that provides and protects.

Psalms 31:19

 Oh, how great is Your goodness,

 Which You have laid up for those who fear You,

 Which You have prepared for those who trust in You

 In the presence of the sons of men!

Before receiving God’s great goodness, we need to fear God and trust in Him in the presence of men. It is good to trust in God rather than to trust in man, and God will do everything for those who trust in Him.

Grace shows God’s loving and gracious heart that forgives and restores.

 It is very difficult to lead a holy life every time, and sometimes we fail. In those times, God’s mercy is enough for restoring us.

Nehemiah 9:31

Nevertheless, in Your great mercy

 You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;

 For You are God, gracious and merciful.

Every blessing in our life is a combination of His goodness and His mercy—His goodness that blesses and His grace that forgives.

SHALL FOLLOW ME

 PSALMS 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me…

In this year, we are not going to search for goodness and mercy, but we fear God and these two shall follow us. “Shall follow me” means it pursues continually, not casually, but with intention and persistence. The intention to follow us is to bless us, protect us, cover us, and restore us.

“Shall follow” is translated in Hebrew as Radaph (רדף), meaning “to chase or to pursue eagerly.” When unwanted things chase us, we could be scared, but when goodness and mercy chase us, we won’t be scared; instead, we will be restored and rooted.

As we look deeply into David’s words, he says, “God’s goodness and mercy are not just near me, but they are actively following me!” This shows that even when we do not go searching for it, God’s grace comes pursuing us. Not only does it follow us, but our God keeps on giving us His goodness and mercy even when we say, “It’s enough.”

Isaiah 58:8

 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,

 Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

 And your righteousness shall go before you;

 The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

There are parents who love their children deeply. One day, they will drop their children at school, and the next day, when the child goes to school on their own, the parents would follow their child to ensure that the child is going safely. They are so much burdened for their children that they send their children and follow them. And God has so much love for us more than these parents that He makes His goodness and mercy follow us and guard us from the rear.

Truly, we need protection at our back because our eyes are in the front. We can see danger ahead, so we need protection behind us. David was in the wilderness, and God’s goodness and mercy pursued him until he was restored back to his palace.

In Scripture, there are saints to whom God’s goodness and mercy followed them. They are;

● Lot

● Noah

● Hagar

● Jacob

● Joseph

● Moses

● David

● Daniel

● Peter

God’s goodness and mercy followed them, restored them, and fulfilled their purpose. It will be the same with us that God’s goodness and mercy will follow us and fulfill the purpose of our life.

ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE

 Psalms 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

 All the days of my life;

“All the days of my life” means God’s goodness and mercy do not follow us only on some days or on good days of our life, but they follow us every day of our life. God’s care does not depend on our condition, but it is constant.

Whatever situation we are in, God’s goodness and mercy are going to follow us and carry us.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,

 Because His compassions fail not.

 They are new every morning;

 Great is Your faithfulness.

God’s mercies are new every morning, and God’s love is not seasonal, it is eternal. Whether it is a palace or a pasture, success or sorrow, God’s care is the same.

David experienced all the situations of his life, understood the meaning of them, and wrote this psalm, as a shepherd boy, a warrior, a king, and even as a sinner who was restored.

DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

 Psalms 23:6

…And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

 Forever.

The house of the Lord is a great blessing, and David’s eternal longing is to live continually in the presence of God.

The house of the Lord signifies;

1. The temple of worship on earth

2. The eternal dwelling place in heaven

Psalms 27:4

 One thing I have desired of the Lord,

 That will I seek:

 That I may dwell in the house of the Lord

 All the days of my life,

 To behold the beauty of the Lord,

 And to inquire in His temple.

David requested one thing from God that is to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. David’s greatest desire was not a throne, but to fellowship with God. The highest joy of a believer is not blessings, but the presence of the Blesser.

When we make God’s house our home, He makes us experience heaven on earth.

DWELL FOREVER

PSALMS 23:6

…And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

 Forever.

Forever means length of days, an eternal or unending duration. David’s fellowship with God brought great confidence to his heart, that today he came into the presence of God, and even if he closed his eyes, he would be with his God. This is eternal hope. David had a firm belief that beyond death, he would continue to dwell in God’s presence.

John 14:2–3

 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

For believers who follow the Shepherd, the journey does not end in the valley, it ends in His house. David’s hope was not in the circumstances, but in the Shepherd’s covenant faithfulness.

David lived with this assurance, that:

1. His Goodness (Tov) provides for me

2. His Mercy (Chesed) forgives me

3. His Presence (Beit Yahweh) surrounds me

4. His Promise (Orech Yamim) secures me

                                                                                                           Pastor. S. Visuvasam

                                                                                                           Faith ACA Pallava

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