(Psalm 23 Sermon 4) Goodness and Mercy of the Shepherd
Psalm 23 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 5 viewsNotes
Transcript
Today we finish our journey through Psalm 23.
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
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 goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
(Amen to the reading of God’s Word)
David presents a beautiful picture of finding perfect contentment in the presence of our Good Shepherd—
the Good Shepherd who provides everything we need out of His riches and glory.
In His green pastures we find rest for our weary souls.
Beside His still waters we are quieted, refreshed, and calmed.
Through His gentle care the sheep are restored to wholeness.
Experiencing restoration means being strengthened,
renewed,
and brought back to who we were created to be—
so that we are ready to walk on His righteous paths,
for His name’s sake.
Therefore,
we can walk these righteous paths with confidence,
even when they lead straight through the valley of the shadow of death.
In the valley we do not crumble.
We do not fall apart in fear.
We stand,
because we are in the presence of the loving Shepherd—
the One whose love casts out every fear.
We fear no evil as we walk beside our Shepherd,
knowing He is perfectly equipped with both rod and staff—
tools of comfort, protection,
and unfailing guidance in the deepest darkness.
For the valley is not the end of the story.
The valley is the doorway—
a passage leading us toward something greater,
that the Good Shepherd has already prepared.
Therefore,
even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I know the valley is not my destination.
Beyond the darkness there is a table—
a table already prepared for me,
by the Shepherd who leads me through...
18a Where there is no vision, the people perish:
(People will perish in the valley… if they don’t see anything beyond the valley....)
[Quite and Settle...]
It is vital to have vision beyond the valley,
the valley is not the end,
but it is the doorway to breakthrough on the other side....
David leads us through this imagery.... other side of the valley...
V5 — “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
It is the valley that leads to this great table,
that is prepared for us in the presence of our enemies.
There is no greater demonstration of God’s vindication,
than to be honored in full view of those who wish for your destruction.
The ones who oppose you will watch you closely.
They will wait eagerly,
with eyes fixed on every step in the valley,
hoping to witness your fall.
Yet God’s hand of restoration moves silently,
powerfully,
and unshakably.
He lifts you up,
honors you openly,
and shows His favor before those who hoped you would fail.
Those who lied and said that the valley proves God is not with you,
or
the valley is evidence of your failure to honor God.
Their words will be exposed as empty and worthless,
as everyone see’s God’s hand at work in your life.
The season of the valley was never meant to defeat you—
it was God’s appointed path of promotion,
a divine preparation to showcase His glory through your life.
The very enemies who watch for your collapse,
will see the valley led you to be seated at His table,
surrounded by abundance and provision.
God did not lead you to die in the valley—
He led you through it,
straight into the place where His favor is poured out and His glory is revealed.
Eating at this table is not about proving your own greatness,
but rather proclaiming God’s faithfulness.
It is a testimony that He never forsakes those He loves.
Those who hoped you would not make it through,
will see clearly that God has chosen you to be His vessel of honor.
Not because of your strength, wisdom, or exceptional gifts.
But because you knew your own weakness,
and relied on the strength of the Good Shepherd....
V5 — “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
(David did not vindicate himself in the valley...)
“Don’t rob yourself of God’s vindication by trying to vindicate yourself too quickly.”
Jesus said...
12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Because David humbled himself and did not try to take matters into his own hands,
he was one day promoted as King of all Isreal.
He would no longer merely sit at the table of the king.… But he himself would be the King at the table.....
V5 — “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup overflows.”
The imagery David paints is not ordinary hospitality—
it is rather the welcome reserved for an honored guest.
You are not merely seated at the table while enemies look on;
you are elevated there.
The Host Himself anoints your head with oil,
marking you as the one of highest distinction,
and He fills your cup until it runs over with abundance.
You are treated as royalty in the presence of your gracious Host,
who makes it unmistakably clear to everyone watching,
that you are His chosen and distinguished guest.
One who receives such honor would feel loved,
and overfilled with joy,
as they sit at the table on a day of celebration.
And as your enemies watch you be lifted up,
you realize they can do nothing—
nothing to steal this moment,
nothing to silence this honor,
nothing to undo what God has prepared.
This moment was costly.
It was forged through pain,
through hardship,
through valleys that felt endless.
But you are not in the valley now.
Your Shepherd has led you through it—
into a place of rejoicing,
into a feast prepared by His own hands.
So celebrate.
This is your moment to rejoice,
for the Lord Himself has honored you.
And it is here,
in this place of divine vindication,
that David declares a timeless truth:
V6a — “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life.”
How many know this morning,
that God’s goodness and mercy,
follows His sheep wherever they go… Amen!
Example… Picture this… lost sheep… 2 dog chasing lost sheep… goodness and mercy...
Paul writes,
4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
(God’s goodness and mercy that brought you back…)
V6a — “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life.”
The Hebrew word for “follow” is radaf (rdp)—
a word that means far more than simply trailing behind.
It means to pursue… to chase…
it covey's the idea of running after something with purpose and intensity.
God’s goodness and His mercy are not quietly strolling behind you;
they are passionately chasing you down with unwavering resolve.
They pursue you to keep you on the paths of righteousness,
and—if necessary—
they will chase you down to bring you back to those righteous paths.
There are moments when God’s goodness and mercy feel like an interruption,
an inconvenience, or even an annoyance—
especially when you’ve wandered off,
and simply want to be left alone in your own thoughts,
your own decisions,
your own brokenness.
But God refuses to leave you there.
His mercy will not stand at a distance.
His goodness will not shrug and walk away.
Even when you’re trying to run from Him,
He will never abandon you to your own devices.
He will never forsake you in the midst of your wandering.
He comes after you—
with love that is relentless,
with mercy that is stubborn,
with goodness that refuses to give up.
He is going to pursue you,
chase you,
and follow you,
all the days of your life.
So get used to it—
because His goodness is faster than your rebellion,
and His mercy is more determined than your wandering.
V6a — “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life.”
Sometimes our view of God becomes distorted,
and we fail to recognize His goodness and mercy,
even when they are standing right in front of us.
That door that slammed shut—
the one you begged God to open—
may have been His goodness guarding you from something
you were never meant to walk into.
That loss you carried with tears and questions—
may have been His mercy redirecting your story
toward a future you could not yet see.
The real question is this:
Do you trust Him enough to believe,
that He is working all things together for your good—
even the things you don’t understand?
Here me this morning,
I beleive goodness and mercy has been following and chasing many here this morning,
but many have not recognized it’s footsteps.
Footsteps that have led you away from a tragedy you could not see,
stopped you from walking into a trap you had no idea was coming.
But maybe you missed it was God’s goodness and mercy,
leading and directing,
because you saw yourself as a victim,
instead of a sheep being led by the Good Shepherd...
David did not say… I hope…I think, maybe…
surely… goodness and mercy shall follow me....
With confidence he speaks,
with conviction he declares,
with clarity of a man who has seen God’s hand in the valley,
and on the mountaintop,
He knows The Lord’s Goodness and Mercy has always been there with him.
The same goodness and mercy that was following, chasing, pursuing David,
is here today for you.
Therefore,
the very things you may have questioned,
may actually be fingerprints of goodness and mercy
refusing to let you go?
Because if God is who He says He is,
then goodness and mercy are not just following you—
they are faithfully, relentlessly, unmistakably
shaping every step of your journey....
V6 — “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
I am an honored member at the table,
and I will enjoy this sweet fellowship all the days of my life,
as I dwell in the Good Shepherd’s presence forever.
It is not just a single moment of dwelling with the Lord,
but a continuous, daily experience of His presence.
His radiant love will never be separated from my life,
as I dwell in the house of the Lord forever...
Paul writes,
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God,
He was speaking of the “here and not yet.”
In the “here,” we experience glimpses of the Kingdom—
as God’s goodness and mercy manifest in the day-to-day activity of our world.
The inbreaking of the Kingdom is seen when God’s power is at work:
healing the sick,
restoring the broken,
cleansing the unclean.
It is a beautiful taste of the Kingdom when we witness His hand at work,
doing things only He can do—
opening doors only He can open,
bringing breakthroughs only He can bring.
Yet all these things are only a foretaste of the fullness of the Kingdom of God.
We can dwell in the house of the Lord here and now,
but the complete experience of His presence
cannot be fully realized on this side of eternity.
God’s Kingdom is “here and not yet,”
but one day we will experience the “not yet” in all its fullness,
as we stand face to face with the Good Shepherd,
and enter the eternal dwelling prepared for us.
V6 — “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
As we bring this series to a close,
I want to add one final brushstroke to the picture of Psalm 23...
(Goodness and Mercy)
