Psalm 23:6

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.

NIV

This is the conclusion verse to Psalm 23 and the last of this six-part series. If you did not know there were five other pieces to read, then feel free to search out my posts to read them!!

Surely goodness and mercy shall folloqw me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

NKJV

I’ve read this verse in different ways: with the clarification of the word “Your” added prior to goodness which illuminates that this is God’s goodness and mercy; that “follow me” is interchangeable with “pursue me”.

Your goodness and mercy will follow and pursue me…

That makes me question what is good, anyway?

To fully understand goodness, we must define what is, in fact, good.

The dictionary (yes, I looked it up) uses these words to define it:

• high quality
• bountiful
• attractive
• suitable
• reliable
• agreeable
• wholesome
• amusing
• well-founded
• true
• honorable
• virtuous
• benevolent
• competent
• loyal
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Something that is good is something conforming to the moral order of the universe; something that is praiseworthy.

In the Creation Story, we hear of God saying in Genesis 1:9 that the separation of dry ground (land) and gathered waters (seas) was good. He declares it again when the land produced vegetation, when the sun, moon, and stars were created, after the creation of living things in the sea and the birds that fly, and when animals began moving on the ground.

Genesis 1:31

God saw all that He had made and it was very good.

NIV

We first hear of something not being good from God as well…

Genesis 2:18

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.

NIV

The Creation Story also introduces the concept that there is a difference between good and evil…If not introduced to this, there would be no knowledge of its existence.

Adam (and later Eve) was instructed to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil…He was given a CHOICE.

Why is there an importance in having a choice between good and evil??

God wants us to obey Him. However, He gives us the opportunity to choose whether or not to do so. God offers freedom, not a prison of obligation, that has rewards for obedience and consequences for disobedience.

Therefore, to understand what is good, we must accept that there is evil as well..

…and that there is always a choice between the two.

So…based on Genesis, what is God’s good that is going to pursue me?

His creation…life, breath, purpose.

His ability to create….creatively, uniquely, marvelously.

His concept of order and function that is without chaos.

Based on Genesis, what is evil?

Sin. Shame before God. Disobedience. Death. Suffering.

Evil was NOT in God’s creation, but came after a CHOICE of disobedience.

In Psalm 23, we have been introduced to God as our Shepherd that provides for those He leads, restores, guides down righteous paths for His own name’s sake, protects us even though the valley is filled with shadows, helps us to not fear and comforts us, blesses us in plain view of those who oppose Him or us, and now there is this choice…do we allow His goodness to pursue us or choose evil to follow?

It all comes down to obedience.

Do we follow our Shepherd to where He knows our nourishment and tranquility will be found?

What we if we think we know better and want to go a different way?

His protection, restoration, rest, and provision are on HIS path of righteousness…that is where His goodness will be as well.

It is our choice.

Goodness is a GIFT from God…a GIFT of the Holy Spirit that we call fruit: love, joy, peace patience, kindness, GOODNESS, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. James (the brother of Christ) wrote in 1:17 that every GOOD and perfect GIFT is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights (the Creator), who does not change like shifting shadows.

So, this GOODNESS, is a gift from God that will follow us as we follow Him.

Have you found that in your life?

Some people speak about karma…I don’t know much about that, but I do know that most of the time good behavior begets good behavior. Goodness tends to follow goodness.

Goodness paves the way for more goodness.

Goodness is an example for more examples of goodness.

Surely Your goodness and MERCY will follow me…

What is MERCY?

The Bible often interchanges the word LOVINGKINDNESS for mercy…they seem like two different things, but perhaps they go more hand-in-hand than I first thought.

Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is is within one’s power to punish or harm.

Mercy is an extension of compassion and a result from forgiveness.

Have you ever done something really wrong and did not get in trouble for it? Sometimes, I have believed that it was merciful I was never caught so I did not have to stand and face the punishment.

However, the awareness that God has been so merciful to shield and protect me from the consequences of my own stupidity at times is incredibly humbling…and I still had to face HIM for forgiveness where I am, again, met with more mercy.

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GRACE is getting something you don’t deserve, and MERCY is NOT getting what you DO deserve.

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Surely Your goodness and mercy- things I do not always deserve based on my actions- will follow me AND PURSUE me all the days of my life…not some days, not most days- ALL THE DAYS.

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I used to think that this meant after I die…as if this is the goal…the #outcome of salvation. Considering EVERYTHING we have discussed over these six verses, we should know that this is no future tense comment: the writer literally means that he WILL dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

That means NOW and later.

How can that be?

It is because he is being pursued by goodness and mercy…WE are being pursued by goodness and mercy.

WE have a feast of blessing being prepared for us NOW for all to see…we do not have to wait until eternity. God is wanting to LAVISH all His goodness and mercy onto you now!

The anointing can begin NOW!

Our Shepherd is guiding us NOW to where we will rest, where we will be full, where we will not want for MORE.

We are being guided, protected, and comforted NOW as we choose to follow our Shepherd and step under His provision.

What else would the Kingdom look like if not all that???

Jesus instructed us to pray Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven…

Well…this is Kingdom living folks!

This IS Thy will…to follow our Shepherd…to trust Him…to lean on Him for everything…and when we CHOOSE to do so, we will find His goodness and mercy following us all our days.

That doesn’t mean our life will suddenly look “perfect” and without pain or suffering-remember, there is that valley in verse 4.

It means we have a companion who is GOOD. A helper who defines GOODNESS. A protector who gives GOODNESS.

The choice is ours to make…each and every day…will you follow Him?

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