Goodness and Mercy
Psalm 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.
Psalm 23 has been declared at funerals, sung in songs and whispered in prayer. Its truth has been proclaimed throughout generations, imparting confidence and inspiring hope in those who, like David of old, look to God as their shepherd.
David lived under Law yet understood grace. He knew that despite being a man of war who had taken lives, entertained deception, committed adultery and premeditated murder, that goodness and mercy would follow him. He had the audacity to declare that it would be so for all the days of his life. Not just the days when he walked in integrity, fully devoted to the Lord, but all his days; every day, and in every situation, goodness and mercy would be there for him.
The word follow that David penned is far from passive. It is used of an animal hunting down prey. Goodness and mercy are not trailing behind dealing with any mess we happen to leave; they are in active pursuit, desiring to overtaking us. God’s intention is that His goodness and mercy catches up, overwhelms, and redirects our lives, not because of what we have done, but as an expression of who He is.
Goodness is the display of God’s glory (Exodus 33:19). It reveals His heart and in turn, leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). When we experience His goodness, it reshapes our understanding of who He is and cultivates an awareness of His kind intention towards us, It’s His goodness that fuels our devotion and undergirds our service.
God is good and He is full of mercy. Lamentations 3:22,23 states that His mercy is new every morning. Every day His mercy is there for us; it will never run out or be depleted. Furthermore, God delights in mercy (Micah 7:18). It is not meted out under duress but is the extravagant expression of love by the One who fully paid the price for our sin.
Mercy should never be exploited, but neither should it be overlooked and disregarded. It follows us because our steps are not yet perfect. Mercy overwhelms us because guilt so often renders us cowards. His mercy prepares a path so we can walk forward knowing that our weakness is covered by His strength, our failures have been washed away by His blood, and our future is secured by the totality of His victory.
If David had stopped the Psalm at this point, we would be content. However, for those who believe, this life is not the focal point. David’s triumphant ending to his psalm is, “and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” He looked beyond the grave and saw a truth that triumphs over all of life’s wanderings. Watched over in life and prepared for in death, we are eternally secure in the care of our Shepherd and our God.
For eternity we will dwell with Him in His house. The Lord does more than provide a house for us to live in; we live in His house. We are with Him forever and will share His company for eternity.
