Have you ever been chased by a dog? I have been chased numerous times, and not once did I ever feel wanted, special, or loved by any of the dogs that pursued me. Of all the times I have been chased by dogs while on a bike, my experiences have mostly been in Cheyenne. I now arm myself with canine safe spray that will not harm any dog that decides to pursue me but will most definitely stop them from continuing! So, what does any of this have to do with the 23rd Psalm?
In the 23rd Psalm, we have discovered that in pursuing the Lord as our shepherd, we find in Him all that we need. In following Him, He causes me to lie down in green pastures. When I pursue Him, He leads me to refreshing and lifegiving waters. He is the one who restores my soul when I look to Him to satisfy my hunger and thirst for righteousness. Because the Good shepherd atoned for my sins on a cross I deserved, and then defeated death by rising from it, I fear no evil as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Why do I fear NO evil? As He leads Me, He is the one who carries a rod to protect me from my enemies and a staff to protect me from myself. He is the one who sets a feast before me in the presence of my enemies, He is the one who anoints my head with oil, and He is the one who gives me the cup of His favor that is overflowing!
From the first verse to the fifth, the 23rd Psalm compels me to follow the Good Shepherd for my good and the sake of His name until we come to verse six: “Certainly goodness and faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life...” I hope to show you why David shifts from our need to follow the shepherd to the degree, nature, and length “goodness” and “faithfulness” follows His sheep. I hope to do this by answering the following three questions:
- What is the nature of the “goodness” and “faithfulness” that is following the Jesus’ sheep?
- To what degree is “goodness” and “faithfulness” following me?
- For how long can I expect “goodness” and “faithfulness” to follow me?
What is the Nature of the “Goodness” and “Faithfulness” that is Following Me?
So, where is the “goodness” and “faithfulness” coming from and to what degree is it “following” the Lord’s sheep... and what if anything does this have to do with dogs? To answer that question, we need figure out how in the world “goodness” and “faithfulness” follows anyone or anything?
To answer this question, you need to see the verse that precedes it; look at verse 5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies...” The “You” in verse 5 is Jesus, and it is He who prepares a table in the presence of my enemies. Now, if He prepares a feast on a table before those who belong to Him in the presence of their enemies, what was it that the enemies were doing before the table was prepared? Well... to answer that question, you need to consider verse 4, which states: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Now, follow the logic and flow of these verses. If all that the enemies of those who sit at Jesus’ table can do is to angrily watch you feast on the banquet He has prepared for you with the oil of His favor upon your head and the overflowing cup of His blessing in your hand, then what do you think the nature of the “goodness” and “faithfulness” is that is following you?
To get a clearer understanding of the nature of what it is that is “following” Jesus’ sheep, you should understand the manner in which goodness and faithfulness is following them. The Hebrew word for “follow” can be translated “follow after” but it is most commonly translated “chase” or “pursue.” The NASB, the NJKV, and the NIV all chose to use the English word “follow” while the CSB and the NLT have chosen to use the word “pursue.” Listen to how the NLT translates this verse: “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps. 23:6, NLT). The image that should come to mind from Psalm 23:6 is not that of a shepherd who passively follows His sheep with the hope to bless them, but a shepherd who pursues His sheep to lavish goodness and faithfulness upon them!
Okay, but what of the goodness and faithfulness that is pursuing Jesus’ sheep? What does that mean for you Christian? The Hebrew word for good that is used here is used in Nahum 1:7, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.” It is the same Hebrew word used for “good” in Psalm 196:1, “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His mercy is everlasting.” Do you know why it is that “goodness” follows God’s people? It is because He is good!
There is another word we need to consider together to understand why Psalm 23:6 is good news, and that word is “faithfulness” and it comes from the Hebrew word, khesed, and it literally means, “mercy,” “loving-kindness,” God’s “steadfast love,” and His “enduring faithfulness.” It is a word that describes God’s covenantal faithfulness towards His people, and it is a word God used to encourage and embolden Moses after he asked if He could see God’s glory; this is how God answered Moses: “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion” (Exod. 33:19). So God hid Moses in the cleft of a rock and passed by Moses, and as God passed by Moses, this is what the Lord declared:
“The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness [chesed] and truth; who keeps faithfulness for thousands, who forgives wrongdoing, violation of His Law, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, inflicting the punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” (Exod. 34:6–7)
So, for God to make all His goodness to pass before Moses, He declared His covenantal love and faithfulness. These are the two Hebrew words David uses to describe what it is that pursues and chases after those who belong to the Good Shepherd! The oil on your head and the overflowing cup in your hand is because of the “goodness” and “faithfulness” that chases after you. And oh, dear Christian, there is more to consider, and we will do it by answering the second question.
To What Degree is “Goodness” and “Faithfulness” Following Me?
The goodness of God and the covenantal faithfulness of God is who He is! He is infinitely good, and He is infinitely faithful! Do not misunderstand what it means to have the “goodness” and the “faithfulness” of verse 6 pursue you! The “goodness” is God’s goodness, and the “faithfulness” is God’s faithfulness, and both chase after you because He chases after you! He found you dear Christian! He pursued you when and while you were still in your sins! What does it look like to have “goodness” and “faithfulness” pursue you? It looks like Ephesians 2:1-5,
“And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ...” (Eph. 2:1–5)
What does the “goodness” and “faithfulness” of God look like? It looks like Romans 8:28-30,
“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. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Rom. 8:28–30)
What does it look like to have the “goodness” and “faithfulness” of God chase after you? It looks like Jesus and His promise to His sheep:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.... My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:10-11, 27–29)
The “goodness” of God and His covenantal “loving-kindness/faithfulness” is pursuing me because Jesus is not interested in tagging along, hanging back, and no... Jesus is not waiting to see what I will do! Jesus is the good shepherd who pursues His sheep! Listen, it is because of the goodness of God and His khesed (mercy, loving-kindness, steadfast love, and faithfulness):
- That while you were dead in your sins, He made you alive together with Christ. It had nothing to do with your performance and what you could offer God and everything to do with His rich mercy, great love, and all-sufficient grace.
- He pursued you not because He had to, but because He wanted to cause all things to work together for your good and His glory for His glorious purposes. He called you Christian to, “become conformed to the image of His Son” and that is why He predestined, called, justified, and one day will glorify you.
- It is not because God needed you that His goodness and faithfulness pursued you; no, it is because the infinitely good and faithful shepherd laid down His life for you so that you would have life and have it abundantly in Him.
To what degree is “goodness” and “faithfulness” following you? Oh dear Christian, the “goodness” and “faithfulness” of verse 6 are not two sheepdogs that the Lord sends from the rear to keep you close to the Good Shepherd. NO! The “goodness” and “faithfulness” that pursues you is the Good Shepherd Himself!
For How Long Will His “Goodness” and “Faithfulness” Pursue Me?
So, how long should I expect the goodness and faithfulness of God to pursue me in and through the person of the Good Shepherd? All the days of my life! “All” means while I am sleeping and while I am awake... God’s goodness and His faithfulness pursues me! “All” means that in my failures and my successes... God’s goodness and His faithfulness pursues me! “All” means, in the words of Abraham Kuper: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”
So we know what “All” means, but for how long will the “goodness” and “faithfulness” of God pursue me? Here is the answer we are given: “All the days of my life.” What does this mean? I will tell you what it does not mean. It does not mean some days His “goodness” and “faithfulness” will pursue me. It does not mean that only when I am faithful that His “goodness” and “faithfulness” will pursue me. It does not mean that only on my best days that His “goodness” and “faithfulness” will pursue me. It means that in my waking and in my sleeping, in my living and even in my dying, on my good days and throughout my bad days, God’s “goodness” and “faithfulness” is pursuing me because I am held, secured, and loved by the Good Shepherd who has promised His sheep: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).
What this means is that every person whose Shepherd is the Lord of the 23rd Psalm is that He is the One who pursues us and keeps us, which is also the kind of reality we sing about:
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
God’s goodness and faithfulness pursues His sheep, so instead of running from the pursuing Shepherd, the safest place is to run into His goodness and faithfulness. Don’t run away in shame because of your sin(s) but run to the One who is faithful even when we are faithless (2 Tim. 2:13). Run to the One who promises to satisfy what you really need. Run to Him who will fill your hungry and thirsty soul. Run to Him who promises to restore your soul. Run to Him who carries a rod to drive away your enemies and a staff to protect you from yourself. Run to Him who prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemies who have no claim over you. Run to Him who has already blessed you with everything you need in Him. Run to Him whose goodness and faithfulness is more than you will ever need. Run to Him who promises to never leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6-8; Heb. 13:5). Run to Jesus who is infinitely good and faithful; run to the One whose goodness and faithfulness is running after you. Amen.
