The man who later became King David was first a shepherd boy in his father’s house. He was the youngest of eight sons. No one really expected him to amount to much. His brothers were older and bigger. They looked successful. But God looks at the heart. The Bible says that David’s heart was one of a man after God’s own heart. David was a product of the grace of God. While David was a shepherd boy in his father’s house, he learned a lot about the Lord through his shepherding. The Lord was his teacher. We have the fruit of that teaching in the twenty-third psalm.
The twenty-third Psalm is a beautiful work of biblical poetry. Its imagery is moving, and its message is transformative. People have found comfort and strength in the Psalm since it was written so many thousands of years ago. It is a short psalm, just six verses, but its power is great. Those who meditate on it will reap a bountiful harvest of truth and will be drawn into a closer relationship with the great shepherd. The mental images that each line of the psalm conjures up reveal the depth and breadth of the relationship the Lord desires to have with every believer. The psalm expresses the confidence the believer can have in the love and grace of God.
The final verse of the psalm summarizes the message that David wishes to convey to his readers. In the previous verses, the believer is compared to a valued sheep secure in the care of a diligent shepherd and an honored guest in the presence of an extravagant host. In verse six, David concludes, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” This is the obvious conclusion David draws from the reality of the Lord’s presence and guidance in his life. If you are familiar with David’s life, you know that he has experienced a wide variety of tragic and triumphant situations throughout his life. Yet, in all this massive variety, David sees goodness and mercy. The reason is the Lord.
The first word in the verse is surely, but it can also be translated only. David is saying, “without a doubt only goodness and mercy are coming my way.” His expectations because of the Lord’s work in his life are astonishing. David expects two things from the Lord; the first is goodness. While this is absolutely correct biblically, God is good, and all he does is good, it’s hard to grasp experientially. Can I say that everything that happens in my life is actually good?No, bad things happen, but God works them all for my good (Romans 8:28).
David expects not only goodness from the Lord to pursue him but also mercy. The Hebrew word for mercy is one of the most theologically rich words in all the OT. The word can be translated as mercy, but its meaning is more akin to kindness, loving-kindness, loyalty, and steadfast love. David expects God to pursue him with all these things not because he is worthy, but because God is worthy. David believes that goodness and mercy will pursue him all the days of his life. On good and bad days, the Lord will pursue David with his goodness and mercy. This is something he believes flows from the love and grace of God.
How would you characterize your life as a believer? Is it, “Everything is coming up roses,” or is it, “Between a rock and a hard place?” What does God’s presence in your life have to do with how you view the way your life is going? Perspective is critical. I will see the exact same circumstances differently if I view them as under the hand of God, or if I view them as just bad luck. It’s not that I can change my circumstances just by changing my attitude toward them. They are what they are. But what are they? I must see them the way God sees them.
David sees his life the way God sees it, as goodness and mercy pursuing him all the days of his life. His life is very different because of that perspective. But the Lord’s goodness and mercy do not stop with all the days of his life. David claims that God’s pursuit of him goes even further. He knows that he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. That knowledge and that faith transform a person’s life. How do you see your life? Do you actually believe that the Lord pursues you with goodness and mercy all the days of your life and that you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever? The reason that David knows this is his life and the way anyone knows this is their life is because of what God has done for them in Jesus. For David, Jesus was a distant future descendent he could only see through the foggy lens of prophecy. But David knew and trusted the sacrificial love and forgiveness of the Lord. Those of us who look back on Jesus can, by God’s grace, see him more clearly. In Jesus, we see the goodness and mercy of God pursuing us and overtaking us in salvation. And then we follow Jesus all the days of our lives and dwell with him in his Father’s house forever. Think about this psalm. Meditate on it deep and long. Let its heart-transforming truth draw you close to your good Shepherd.