Read: Psalm 23:6
THEME: Psalm 23 carries a weight of maturity. It is more than a song of a shepherd boy; it is the testimony of one who has been shepherded through a lifetime of pain, challenges and correctives.
In approaching the final verse of Psalm 23, we can marvel at the sense of security that comes as part of God’s blessing. ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever’.
In the face of God’s provision and protection, His guidance and grace, His comfort and correction, and His abundant supply of joy, David draws on an awareness of God’s unfailing goodness to conclude that nothing will ever interrupt his experience of his Lord’s favour.
Throughout his life David has been longing to build a house for his Lord, a permanent resting place for the Ark of the Covenant.
The stories he had heard in his childhood of the occasions when the ark had been stolen had always haunted him and given him sleepless nights, but as he draws this psalm to a close David realises that God already has a house in heaven that is more secure than any earthly house that he or his descendants might construct for him. It is never going to be a case of David bringing God into David’s security but of God bringing David into God’s security. David acknowledges that the goodness and mercy he has always known are not going to cease; and the safety of God’s dwelling place will be his constant home.
Let us remember that we have a God who is even more strongly committed to us than we are to Him.