Scripture: Psalm 23
I. The LORD sends goodness to pursue us.
A. God then is pursuing David – and us – because He wants to give us a good thing (vs. 6), a blessing. The fact that the LORD is good is the statement made in Psalm 119:68: “You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.” When David looked behind him as a shepherd in the wilderness, he could always see God’s goodness hot on his heels. Bad circumstances do not mean that God is against you. He is always for you. And He is chasing after you to do you good.
B. Don’t listen to Satan’s lies about the LORD. The truth about the LORD is found in Psalm 34:8: “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” God leads His sheep with goodness at the beginning of Psalm 23. And God pursues His sheep with goodness at the end of Psalm 23. At the end of his life, we read these words Jacob spoke when he was reunited with Joseph in Genesis 48:15, “And (Jacob) blessed Joseph and said, ‘The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day.’”
II. The LORD sends mercy to pursue us.
A. This word mercy (vs. 6) is sometimes translated with the word lovingkindness. And it is this word lovingkindness that God used to describe His character and His glory to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7: “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.’” He will always show mercy to us. It is mercy that will help us with our every need.
B. And how long would God be merciful to David? And how long will God be merciful to you (vs. 6)? All the days of my life. Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:38-39: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Application:
Happiness and goodness and mercy are pursuing you all the days of your life.
Sources:
The Bible
Commentaries by David Gibson, Alec Motyer, Allen Ross, and Bruce Waltke.
Sermon Discussion Questions
1) What difference does it make that God is not merely following you but pursuing with goodness and mercy? How can we hold on to our faith in God’s goodness when our circumstances are hard
2) What lies does Satan tell us about God’s goodness? What is the primary tool we can use to fight Satan’s lies?
3) How is God’s character revealed in Exodus 34:6-7? What does Romans 8 teach us about God’s love for us?