Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." Psalm 23:6

Remember what we noticed in verse 1 of this Psalm: it is a personal account of what Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has done for His flock - you and me. It's all about Him, and His incredible love for us, demonstrated by what He does for us. With that before us, we conclude the Psalm.

Surely - Not maybe, or perhaps; this is an exclamation of the definite!

Goodness and mercy - these are God's attributes. When Moses asked to see God's glory, the LORD said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you…" Exodus 33:19. And when God passed in front of Moses, He said, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, patient and full of goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands … " Exodus 34:6,7. What a God! (Write the words "goodness" and "mercy" on a piece of paper, then put as many meanings to these two attributes of God as you can come up with. You'll be amazed at what you find out about God!)

Shall follow me - The Shepherd walks ahead of His sheep. God's goodness and mercy, like a rear guard, follow the flock. The writer of the Psalm has learned, by experience, to trust God. And so he makes the statement that God's goodness and mercy shall (future) follow him. We have nothing to fear for what lies ahead, because we can look back on everything Jesus has already done for us along life's road.

All the days of my life - my allotted time; for as long as I have breath in my nostrils. It is a sure thing that the goodness and mercy of Jesus will accompany us throughout our earthly journey.

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever - This is both a hope for the future (by use of the word "forever"), and a conscious decision on our part (will dwell). "Dwell" is an interesting word; it means to live with, remain with - as a continuous presence.

Finally the sheep have a home. No more do they need to experience the shepherd locking them up safely for the night when he goes home. They are with Him forever! And there is no more night!

As a sheep, I anticipate looking out across the flock, to see you there one day - by His grace!