Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23:6 ESV
The last verse of Psalm 23 seems clear, but is of immense meaning. How can we be sure of God’s goodness and mercy? What does dwelling in the house of the Lord look like? As we close Psalm 23, we see the riches of the Good Shepherd and an eternal dwelling place.
Our passages: Psalm 23:6 & John 14:8-17. Preacher: Ian Bayne (4th July 2020).
Watch the sermon
Recap
Verse 5 and 6 belong together. We were invited to the table that was prepared in the midst of our enemies:
- a table of compassion,
- a table of fellowship, communion and intimacy with our shepherd
- and a table of celebration for the risen king.
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 ESV
It’s difficult to explain the joy that ought to be in our hearts. Thankfully God didn’t wait for us to be good before being good to us. Only a believer can really understand what this means.
God uses us for his service even though we’re not as we ought to be. If he’d waited for us to be perfect, he would still be waiting. Don’t wait for a “commissioning”. God has given us a sphere of influence for us to take the gospel to.
The table is also a warning of difficulties and a challenge to individual responsibility.
The Shepherd loves us and anoints or head with oil so that our experience will be unforgettable. Over time we get ground down. The Lord wouldn’t have us like this.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
Ephesians 1:3 ESV
We are richer than everyone, with the Lord of Glory as our father. How can we not be excited by this? Yet we can be sucked into the ordinary and godlessness that surrounds us.
When we come into the presence of the Lord and our heads are anointed with oil we should be in awe. We have plenty, so we need to be watchful and use what we have in service.
Explanation
Goodness and mercy
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23:6 ESV
We’ve eaten, we’re full. We have drunk, and we’re satisfied. We’ve been anointed and spoiled.
In fine dining, the last course is cheese and fortified wine. This is the picture here: our psalmist has spoken of the table and cup, and is now reflecting on the goodness and loving-kindness of our shepherd.
This reminds me of the song: surely goodness, surely mercy.
Mercy is probably better translated as lovingkindness, but it’s understandable why mercy was chosen. Mercy is the opposite of condemnation.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1 ESV
The Lord’s dwelling place
He is promising us that these blessings will last forever. This is not just referring to a physical temple (which hadn’t been built in David’s time), but an eternal house.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! [2] My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Psalm 84:1-2 ESV
This reminds me of the song from Psalm 84: You are my king and my God. We can see a glimpse of this dwelling place in the psalm, and note the following aspects:
- It’s lovely: God has made it
- It’s to be longed for: we want to be close to God with nothing standing between us and God. In this world we may experience a shadow of God’s presence, but there we’ll be able to meet with him. There we’ll be able to see him in all his glory.
- It’s to be rejoiced in: our God is a living God.
- It’s our refuge: God defends us with His shield and glory.
Application
Three words: Reflection, Redemption and Reformation.
1. Redemption
After the feast, our psalmist is reflecting. When we reflect, we remember, we appreciate, and we anticipate.
The psalmist reflects on God’s mercy and lovingkindness. How does he know this? As you may recall this psalm is believed to be written when David was on the run from his son Absalom. He wasn’t in a good place, yet he remembered that God has been faithful to him.
The lesson here is to be content whatever situation we are in. It’s one thing to be content in times of plenty, and quite another to be content in the midst of trouble. Paul provides an example of contentment of times of trouble:
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:11,13 ESV
With experience I have found that contentment has very little to do with the situation we find ourselves in, and much more about the relationship we’re in. The days might get better or worse, but: Remember the past. Appreciate the present. Anticipate the future.
2. Redemption
Remember the great rescue that God has performed for us.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
1 Peter 3:18 ESV
When we reflect, we need to remember our redemption as this is the centre of our faith and hope.
3. Reformation
We’re undergoing an ongoing reformation to become more holy, however as Proverbs teaches: the company that you keep most will have the greatest influence on you.
my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, [16] for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
Proverbs 1:15-16 ESV
Our company is the Lord’s. His company changes us and we want to start doing what he’s down us. The early church leaders were uneducated, but had spent time with Jesus:
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13 ESV
The only way to me equipped is to spend time with the shepherd.
Singing Change my Heart O God reminds me of this. We can seek to be changed, to be like Him, and to dwell with him. This is our Shepherd’s promise. This is his goodness.
Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
Psalm 116:7 ESV
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