"Goodness and Mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" (Psalm 23:6)
Dwight L. Moody, a noted evangelist of the nineteenth century, was once approached by a woman who needed counseling. Two men, she claimed, were following her. Whenever she stepped onto the city trolley, they stepped onto it behind her. When she stepped off, they stepped off. With a nervous twitch in her neck, she insisted that she had even been followed to his office by these very two men. Moody could easily detect that this precious woman was suffering from a mental delusion. There was no one following her. But to put her at ease, he told her: “Those two men following you are David’s men. Their names are Goodness and Mercy.” He turned in the Bible to Psalm 23:6 and showed her, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life.” She was relieved and exclaimed: “That is wonderful. I have always wondered what their names are.” The woman left that day with peace of mind, comforted to know that it was goodness and mercy that were following her.
In Psalm 23:6, David sings of two followers that accompany him all the days of his life. Believers in Jesus Christ are to live a life of trusting that the goodness and mercy of God are following our every step. Thes two terms refer to the attributes of God. In our vocabulary, when we say "O my Goodness" we are calling out to God. Also, many Christian churches have the phrase "Lord have mercy" in their liturgy which also refers to God.
Goodness is an attribute of God that shows his care for our needs in this life while mercy is an attirbute of His care for us in eternity. Someone has said that Goodness is God’s hand while mercy is God’s heart. od is good, and He walks with you in all the paths of life. Even though we may not understand everything that goes on in this world (the good and the evil), there is one thing that we must understand. GOD IS GOOD! The first place in the Old Testament where something is called good is Genesis 1. As God spoke into existence each phase of creation, He saw that it was good. Luke 18:18,19. The rich young ruler calls Jesus good Teacher, “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good, except God alone” (NIV). 3 John 11 says that “the one who does good is of God.” True goodness can only flow out of a life right with God and yielded to Him.
Goodness supplies all our needs while Mercy forgives our faults. Goodness cares for the temporal while Mercy cares for the spiritual. Goodness is the bounty of God while Mercy shows the love of God. Goodness of God leads us to repentance while mercy leads to regeneration. Goodness of God enables us to be convicted of our sins while God's mercy offers pardon for our sins.
The Psalmist David is acknowledging that “All I am and I have in this world and in eternity is only because of the goodness and mercy of God.” We can trust that the Lord’s overflowing blessings will remain with us no matter what circumstances we face. Goodness and mercy are common themes of his songs. David says this in many psalms. "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord. in the land of the living." (Psalm 27:13); "How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you" (Psalm 31:19; "Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me." (Psalm 69:16).
God is the perfect Shepherd whose goodness provides all we need for life. He provides personal care, guidance, companionship, protection, and security. And as our eternal Host, God welcomes us to feast at His rich table of abundant and overflowing blessings and promises to follow us with His goodness and mercy. God's gooness and meryc pursue even when we don’t deserve his goodness and couldn’t earn his mercy.
David is certain of this bold statement when he says, goodness and mercy shall follow all the ways of his life as he begins the verse with "surely." There is TV game called Millionaire Games Show. John Carpenter won the game on the November 19, 1999 episode of Millionaire. Carpenter proceeded to advance to the million-dollar question without using any lifelines. On the last question he was sure he knew the answer and he knew he was going to win. But he had one last line of help he could use. He could phone someone. He then used his Phone-A-Friend to call his father not for help, but rather to tell him he was going to win the game. Carpenter answered the question correctly and won a million dollars. His win gave him national recognition and led to multiple talk show appearances, as well as reappearances on Millionaire itself. His statement of winning was with confidence and boldness. That is the kind of confidence that David is singing about.
The word "goodness" is talking about the blessings of God, the generosity ofGod. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17 NKJV). We can talk about good people and good things, and our expectations for them, but when it really comes down to it, we know that they all fail. Only God is good and He is the one that is the standard for goodness.
This word "goodness" is talking about the provision and protection of God. It refers to the love and care that God has for us. Much of what we have talked about so far is this series on Psal 23 can be summarized by this word "goodness." In , Moses asked to see the glory of God. God responded back to Moses that He would show Moses all his goodness. This is what Moses sees in God. "And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin …" (NKJV Exodus 34:6-7). Except from God, there is no goodness. David sings, “apart from you I have no good thing.” (Psalm 16:2).
God's goodness is the subject of whole Bible. In Genesis creation story, after every creation, He saw that it was "good." Paul talks about God' goodness: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28). Peter confirms the goodness of God: "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3). There are many psalms praising God's goodness: "Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart."(Psalm 73:1). "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." (Psalm 84:11). "Oh how great is thy goodness." (Psalm 31:19), "He loves righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord."( Psalm 33:5).
The word "goodness" is also closely connected to the next word "mercy." The word for "mercy" in Hebrew is a great word. It's the word "Hesed." No one English word can adequately translate the depth of this word in Hebrews. Hesed has to do with God's mercy and forgiveness. Hesed also has to do with words like grace, steadfast love, kindness, loyalty, and faithfulness. God is merciful to us. God is forgiving to us. God shows grace to use. God shows us steadfast love. God's love for us runs deep for us and does not end. God also shows us kindness. God is loyal to us. God is faithful. All that is rolled into this word "Hesed."
The mercy of God gives us the forgiveness of sins and leads us to repentance. God's mercy gives freedom, from our sins and bondages. It is the mercy of God that gives us eternal life with God. According to Max Lucado: “Both Goodness and mercy are neeeded . Not goodness alone, for we are sinners in need of mercy. Not mercy alone, for we are fragile, in need of goodness. We need them both." The good shphered takes us not only to green pastures and still waters here, but provides an eternity with him.
For some of us, days in the future are going to be filled with grief, loss, uncertainty, disappointment. In those days of loss, uncertainty, and disappointment, God's goodness and mercy is going to follow us.
Some of us need to slow down and take the time to see God's goodness and mercy on a daily basis.
Some of us need to stopping running from God and see God's goodness and mercy. Everyday, God's goodness and mercy are with us. For a student, you see the days to come be filled with school, homework, tests, quizzes, projects, athletics events, and extra curricular activities. For those who aer struggling with health issues, your days are filled with doctors visits, procedures, treatments, tests, and medicines. If you are a professional or a business owner, you are busy with meetings, targets, employees and other issues. If you are a home maker, you are busy with the chores of daily routines and taking care of children and other domestic things. In all situations of life, God's goodness and mercy are following you. David's life like our was like a roller coaster. In David's life, there were highs, and there were lows; there was triumphs and defeats; there were both happiness and heartaches. In David's life, there was sin, and there was forgiveness. No matter what David faced or endured, David confidently says, "Goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life."
Prophet Jeremiah says in Lamentations 3:27, "Because of the LORD's mercies that we are not destroyed, because his compassions never fail. Because of God, Everything will turn out for Good. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph says to his brothers who had sold him into slavery, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about his present result, to preserve many people alive”
"This is Jehovah's doing; It is marvellous in our eyes." (Psalm 118:23).
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