Psalm 23 - I Will Dwell in the House of the Lord forever

“goodness and lovingkindness”

How do we view this last verse in light of our Shepherd metaphor? How do goodness and lovingkindness (mercy) fit into the narrative? Granted, at first glance it is not that easy to see. However, with a little thought and imagination the metaphor becomes clear.

Herbert Lockyer writes,

Goodness and mercy have been called “the two guardian angels, heavenly escorts,
and God’s sent messengers” commissioned to attend to each believer during all
the days of his or her pilgrimage. But in keeping with the imagery of this psalm, is it not more fitting to think of goodness and mercy as the two faithful sheepdogs the shepherd loved and valued? When a shepherd went before his sheep, doubtless his well-trained dogs at the rear kept the sheep from straying (God’s Book of Poetry: Meditations from the Psalms, pp. 81-82).

What a great thought that is. Goodness and lovingkindness are the two great helpers that assist the Shepherd in keeping the sheep on the right path.

God’s goodness is the expression of His compassion for us in providing us with the things that are essential to life. He is both beneficent and sympathetic to our circumstances and he responds accordingly. Goodness is related to grace.

According to Haddon Robinson,

Goodness is getting those things that we do not deserve……The goodness of God is
found in immeasurable abundance and it touches every part of our lives. The
religion of the Bible is a practical, down-to –earth affair. Jesus taught that
God knows about the doctor bill, the visit to the dentist—and that we who trust
a good God can be sure that He will provide for those basic necessities of life.
You know this to be true if you have walked with the Shepherd in the past and
have seen all that He has done for you (The Good Shepherd: Reflections on Psalm
23, pp. 29)

God’s goodness has both a positive and a negative aspect to it. Positively, God gives to us and blesses us with many things. Negatively, God holds back those things that are harmful to us.

Psalms 27:13
13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
NAS

Psalms 31:19
19 How great is Thy goodness,
Which Thou hast stored up for those who fear Thee,
Which Thou hast wrought for those who take refuge in Thee,
Before the sons of men!
NAS

Romans 8:28
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. NAS

James 1:17
17 Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. NAS

Lovingkindness or mercy here is the Hebrew word hesed which speaks of a “loyal love.” It includes the ideas of compassion, patience, forgiveness and help.

God’s lovingkindness or mercy is a reference to His covenantal commitment to His sheep as the Shepherd. Remember the opening line of this Psalm? “The LORD is my Shepherd.” As the Shepherd, He is committed to blessing His people with His everlasting love and compassion.

Psalms 86:15
15 But Thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.
NAS

Psalms 103:17-18
17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children's children,
18 To those who keep His covenant,
And who remember His precepts to do them.
NAS

Haddon Robinson puts it well,

Notice that God sends goodness and mercy. Not goodness alone, for we are sinners
needing forgiveness; not mercy alone, for we need many things besides
forgiveness. But they are linked to each other.

Goodness is
getting those things we do not deserve. Mercy is withholding those things we do
deserve. Goodness to provide, mercy to pardon (pp. 29).

As we have discovered about sheep, they need a great deal of provision and a whole lot of pardon!

Psalms 31:7-8
7 I will rejoice and be glad in Thy lovingkindness,
Because Thou hast seen my affliction;
Thou hast known the troubles of my soul,
8 And Thou hast not given me over into the hand of the enemy;
Thou hast set my feet in a large place.
NAS

Psalms 94:17-18
17 If the LORD had not been my help,
My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
18 If I should say, "My foot has slipped,"
Thy lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up.
NAS

Psalms 63:3-4
3 Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise Thee.
4 So I will bless Thee as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Thy name.
NAS

“Surely…….will follow me all the days of my life”

The phrase “follow me” literally means pursue me. There is great confidence in this phrase.

Surely – because God never fails. Surely – because he does not begin a work he
doesn’t complete. Surely – because he will never leave us or forsake us
(Robinson, pp. 30).

Herbert Lockyer puts it this way,

There is never a day in the pilgrimage of the child of God when the heavenly
escorts of goodness and mercy are absent. All of our days not some of our days.
Days of storm and days of sunshine, days of trial as well as days of triumph,
days of pain as well as days of pleasure (God’s Book of Poetry: Meditations from
the Psalms, pp. 82).

No matter where we are, no matter what we’ve done, no matter what our circumstances might be, God’s goodness and lovingkindness is pursuing us, to uphold us, to care for us, forgive us and to challenge us.

"And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever"

There is some disagreement about what the house of the LORD refers to. Some see it is a reference to the sanctuary or tabernacle (Allen P. Ross for example). Some see it is a reference to heaven (Warren Wiersbe for example).

For me I like a more metaphorical understanding of the term. I think Haddon Robinson has it right when he says, in the phrase, “The house of the Lord” – David is not thinking so much about where he would be but who he would be with.

This brings us back to the idea we have been promoting throughout this study. David is describing for us in this Psalm a year in the life of a sheep. Phillip Keller writes,

The word “house” used here in the poem has a wider meaning than most people
could attach to it. Normally we speak of the house of the Lord as the sanctuary
or church or meeting place of God’s people. In one sense David may have had this
in mind. And, of course, it is pleasant to think that one would always delight
to be found in the Lord’s house.

But it must be kept in mind always, that the Psalmist, writing from the standpoint of a sheep, is reflecting on and recounting the full round of the year’s activities for the flock.

He has taken us from the green pastures and still waters of the home ranch, up through the mountain passes onto the high tablelands of the summer range. Fall has come with its storms and rain and sleet that drives the sheep down to the foothills and back to the home ranch for the long, quiet winter. In a sense this is coming home. It is a return to the fields and corrals and barns and shelters of the owner’s home. During all seasons of the year, with their hazards, dangers and disturbances, it is the rancher’s alertness, care and energetic management that has brought the sheep through satisfactorily (A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, pp. 137).

In fact the phrase “I will dwell” conveys the idea of returning; the same verb is translated “He restores” in v.3.

Phillip Keller goes on to say that in his view the “house” is the family or household or flock of the Good Shepherd. He says that because the Shepherd is so good and loving and caring the sheep are deeply satisfied and do not want to stray. They want to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Here is the sheep so utterly satisfied with its lot in life, so fully contented with the care it receives, so much “at home” with the shepherd that there is not a shred of desire to change.” Stated in simple, direct, rather rough ranch language it would be put like this, “Nothing will ever make me leave this outfit – it’s great! (pp. 136)

Keller goes on to describe the condition of the sheep on the other side of the fence. He recalls the poor, sickly, malnourished, neglected, abused, and pest infected sheep of the heartless shepherd who owned the property next to his. They were always trying to get onto his property because he had made provision for his sheep.

Because they didn’t belong to him he would have to take them back to their careless owner. It was a terrible experience for him. He tells of one particular incident.

I recall clearly coming across three of my neighbor’s ewes lying helpless under a fir tree near the fence one drizzly day. They were like three old, limp, gray, sodden sacks collapsed in a heap. Even their bony legs would no longer support them.

I loaded them up into a wheelbarrow and wheeled them back to their heartless owner. He simply pulled out a sharp killing knife and slit all three of their throats. He couldn’t care less (pp. 139)

He then proceeds to make a very important spiritual application.

Right there the graphic account of Jesus portrayed of Himself as being the door
and entrance by which sheep were to enter His fold flashed across my mind.

Those poor sheep had not come into my ranch through the proper gate. I had never let them in. They had never really become mine. They had not come under my ownership or control. If they had, they would not have suffered so. Even starting out under my management they would have been given very special care.

In short, they tried to get in on their own. It simply spelled disaster. What made it doubly sad was that they were doomed anyway. On the old impoverished ranch they would have starved to death in the winter.

Likewise with those apart from Christ. The old world is a pretty wretched ranch and Satan is a heartless owner. He cares not a wit for men’s souls or welfare. Under his tyranny there are hundreds of hungry, discontented hearts who long to enter into the household of God – who ache for His care and concern (pp. 140)

Keller goes on to remind us that there is only one way into the fold of God and that is through the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ.

John 10:9
9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. NAS

The way through the Door is quite simple. It involves two things: Repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells us that Heaven is a free gift. It is not earned and it is not deserved.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast. NAS

The reason we cannot earn entrance into the fold of God is because man is by nature a sinner. We could never do enough good to save ourselves because as sinners we could never meet God’s standard of righteousness, which is perfection.

Matthew 5:48
48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. NAS

Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, NAS

Our sin corrupts us completely. In fact, if the Lord didn’t call us, none of us could be “saved.”

Romans 3:10-11
10 as it is written,
"There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
NAS

God is a loving God who is full of mercy and grace.

1 John 4:8
8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. NAS

Exodus 34:5-6
5 And the LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD. 6 Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; NAS

However, God is also a holy God who demands righteousness and justice for our sin.

Exodus 34:7
7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." NAS

How does God solve the apparent dilemma between His love and His justice? He solves it in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the infinite God / man left the glories of heaven and humbled Himself so that He might “taste death for everyone.” He gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins and to bring about atonement. In His death He satisfied God’s justice and displayed God’s love.

2 Corinthians 5:21
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. NAS

Romans 5:8-11
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. NAS

When Jesus was on the cross he uttered the words “it is finished.” What was finished? The work of atonement. His death on the cross paid the debt of our sin, in full.

The key to receiving this deliverance from the consequences of our sins is faith. Faith is more than mental assent, it is more than just believing that God exists or that Jesus died on the cross. It is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for his gift of salvation.

When we place our faith in Jesus Christ for eternal life we are acknowledging that He is the risen and living Savior, that He is becoming the Lord of my life and that we have repented or turned away from of our sins.

Have you placed your faith in Christ alone? Is He the Lord of your life? Have you repented of your sins? If not you can do so today!

Romans 10:9-10
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; 10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. NAS

What about those of us who have already received eternal life and entered into God’s flock through the Door? Every day we are coming in contact with people “on the other side of the fence.” Do they see in us the joy and benefits of belonging to the Good Shepherd? Do they become envious of the contentment we have and the care we receive from our gracious Owner? Do they see that God’s goodness and lovingkindness is following us wherever we go? May it be so!