23 Psalm 6

THE SHEPHERD’S PSALM

Part VI

“Goodness, Mercy and an Everlasting House”

Psalm 23

 1 “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,  3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths    for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk    through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,    for you are with me; your rod and your staff,    they comfort me.

 5 You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me    all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD    forever.”

Throughout our study of the 23rd Psalm we have seen the crucial importance of the sheep’s relationship with the Shepherd. All of the benefits enjoyed by a flock under skilled and loving management have been highlighted.

Now all of this is summed up by the Psalmist in the intriguing statement: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Through valleys of darkness and atop the summits of splendor, no matter what may come, the sheep can be sure of the presence of goodness and mercy.

The question must be asked, How many Christians feel this way? That the Master’s expert care of us will be followed by goodness and mercy? It is easy to say this when things are going well. But what about when the rains fall, the floods rise, and harsh winds blow against us?

What is my reaction when my body breaks down? Or when I lose a spouse? Or when the money is tight and I can’t seem to pay my bills? What do I say when suddenly, without good grounds, friends prove false and turn against me? Can I, will I, do I believe that even then His grace will provide goodness and mercy?

There are times when our confidence in the care of Christ is tested. These are the occasions when the chips are down and life is more than a list of pious platitudes. The Psalmist is boldly stating that, even in the tough times when it seems our little world is falling apart and the dreams we’ve reached for crumble into ruins, we can still declare “Surely—yes—surely—goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

Looking back on my own life I can honestly say there were very dark hours during which all seemed hopeless; days when I didn’t feel I had the strength to take another step. There were valleys that were darker than night.

There have also been numerous times when I did not understand His guidance or some of what He allowed into my life. And more than a few times I have questioned His Providential control over circumstances. There were even times I was tempted to strike out on my own by leaving His care. Yet He has always “known my path” and kept on working with me.

Indeed, my Shepherd—the Lord Jesus—carried me through them all. And following right behind me, like two little puppy dogs, have been goodness and mercy! No wonder the great Apostle Paul wrote,

Ro. 8: 35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

As the song says,

Through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus I’ve learned to trust in God Through it all, through it all I’ve learned to depend upon His word!

Goodness and mercy can certainly be summed up in the Person of Jesus Christ. It is the Lord Jesus Himself who walks beside us as God’s goodness and mercy personified. All of the care, all the work, all the alert watchfulness, all the skill, all the concern, all the self-sacrifice is born of His love--the love of the One Who loves His sheep. He is our goodness and mercy!

But now, turning the thought a bit, since it is our Great Shepherd that graces us with goodness and mercy, we too should leave goodness and mercy behind us as a legacy to others. It is worth noting that sheep can, under mismanagement, be the most destructive livestock. They can ruin and ravage land almost beyond remedy.

Conversely, they can be the most beneficial of all livestock if properly managed. In ancient literature sheep were referred to as “those of the golden hooves”—simply because they were regarded and esteemed so highly for their beneficial effect on the land.

A herd of sheep can be placed on land formerly destroyed by bad management, and can restore it to flourishing fields and rich abundance. In other words, well-managed sheep can restore what has been wasted. They literally leave behind them a legacy of goodness and mercy. They leave behind something worthwhile, productive, beautiful and beneficial to themselves, others, and their shepherd.

Here is the question every Christian should ask: Do I leave behind me a blessing? Am I remembered as a person who dispensed restoration, healing, goodness, and benefit? Isaiah 52:7 reads,

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that bring good tidings, that publish peace…”

Do I leave behind peace in lives—or turmoil?

Do I leave behind forgiveness—or bitterness?

Do I leave behind contentment—or conflict?

Do I leave behind flowers of joy—or frustration?

Do I leave behind love—or ill will?

Some people live lives of covering their tracks due to what they have left behind. For the true child of God this should not be. We should never wear a sense of shame or fear in going back to where we have lived or been before. May it be said of us that “Surely goodness and mercy followed us…”

Next, the Psalmist confidently states:

“I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

The word “house” here has a broader meaning than what we normally attach to it. The Psalmist is recounting the entire year of activities for the flock. From green pastures and still waters of the home ranch, up through the mountain passes onto the high tablelands of the summer range. Fall has come with its storms and rain and sleet that drives the sheep down the foothills and back to the home ranch for the long, quiet winter.

In a sense this is coming home. It is a return to the fields and corrals and barns and shelters of the owner’s home. The shepherd has seen his flock through all these varying settings and now they are back home. It is with great peace and contentment in the shepherd’s care that the sheep now says, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

We can almost feel the sheep’s pride in his Shepherd. He has been well cared for. He has no desire whatsoever to be in any other pasture. The good shepherd is HIS shepherd.

Shouldn’t we feel the same sense of pride in Christ our Shepherd? To boast about His care to others? To tell of how good He really is? We should delight to describe the hard experiences through which He has brought us. We should be quick to tell of our confidence in Him.

We should boast of our Shepherd because those who don’t know Him are under the tyranny of a heartless manager—the Devil. And his wretched ranch is the world. He cares not one wit for the souls of men, or for their welfare. Under his terrible tyranny there are millions of starving sheep, longing for a better manager, aching for love and concern.

Yet there is only one way into the pastures of green grass—the Lord Jesus Christ Himself—the Good Shepherd. He boldly declared, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”—John 10:9 In another place, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that there are plenty of impostors who promise what only the Good Shepherd can provide, and He contrasts Himself with them:

John 10: 7-10 “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

In closing, let’s notice one more thing. The Amplified Bible renders vs. 6 this way:

“I will dwell in the ‘presence’ of the Lord forever.”

This likely captures the gist of the entire Psalm. It is the alertness, the awareness, the diligence of a never-tiring master which alone assures the sheep of excellent care. And from the sheep’s standpoint it is knowing that the shepherd is there; it is the constant awareness of his presence nearby that automatically eliminates most of the difficulties and dangers while at the same time providing a sense of security and serenity.

The end result of the shepherd’s great care is that the sheep never wants to leave his presence. It is his presence that promises green pastures, clean waters, safe summers, freedom from parasites and disease, and that there will be quietness and contentment.

It is the same with the Christian. When it is all said and done on the successful Christian life, it can be summed up in one thing: Ever walking in His presence! Thank God for the testimony that says: I shall dwell in the presence (in the care of) the Lord forever! Amen.