He Pursues Me Until I am Home
Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Yahweh’s covenant love is beautiful beyond understanding! His love abides in Me, as He has made His home within me.
Each day so far, we have meditated our way through this Shepherd Psalm of David. This installment is the final in the series. If you would like to meditate deeper into previous verses, reach out to me and I will send more along to you.
Today we will consider the blessings which come as a result being in a faithful covenant relationship with the Shepherd who is also our host. He hosted us at his banquet table, and even more, He invites us to dwell with Him in His home.
Ancient redwood trees have stood for countless generations. Redwood trees can grow to be 2000 years old.
In approaching the concepts in verse 6, what was the context in which David wrote this psalm? That is, what teaching had he received in order to learn who Yahweh is? During David’s time, God’s people would have had the Torah, the first five books of what we would recognize as being the Old Testament.
Consequently, David would have been aware of the personal relationships which Yahweh had with Adam and Eve, Enoch, Noah, Abram, Hagar, and Jacob, just to name a few. Even as the California redwood trees have stood for generations, Yahweh’s faithful presence has been with His people, hearing and answering their spoken and unspoken prayers. David would have heard the accounts of how Yahweh lovingly cared for His people, leading and providing for them as they passed through their own personal valleys.
David passed through many deep valleys and close escapes while his father-in-law, out of murderous jealousy, hunted for him to destroy him. Later in his life his son Absalom sought to take the throne by force, causing David to yet again go on the run. Certainly David experienced trauma at more than one point in his life. We do not know exactly when in his timeline David wrote Psalm 22, yet surprisingly this psalm does not chronicle his own suffering. These words are actually a messianic prophesy which chronicles the incredibly suffering and shame, then the glorious victory of the suffering servant, the shepherd of Psalm 23. Later, we see that these words speak honestly and clearly of what Jesus as God incarnate would experience in order to make payment for our sin, to take upon himself the judgement which we deserve. What is now your impression about Jesus’ words and torture as recounted in Psalm 22? “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” in view of this psalm?
Consider again: Who is the Shepherd? Who is Yahweh? What a tremendous cost Christ paid in order for you to have a relationship with Him which enables us to draw near! That we can know Him who doesn’t simply care for us, but that He brings us into His home! We are not simply guests, but we are in Christ, His beloved children.
Pause and Pray
I praise you, Yahweh, that you are a God beyond our imagination! That you would be a God who pursues a personal relationship with your creatures? You would make a covenant with us? That your lovingkindness to us never fails? That you rule and overrule in all things, in love and with compassion, providing for us, even as you created and sustained all things!
I praise you, Lord Jesus, our faithful shepherd and host! You are our victorious warrior king, having gone through the valley for us, laying down your life, so that you would redeem us from our sin and suffering. We praise you for how you restore our bodies and our souls. For how you provide for us, even when we are in a wilderness and cannot envision how our needs could be fulfilled. You lead us through suffering, never letting go of us, bringing us out to your banquet table. Not only do you invite us to feast with you, but you have invited us to dwell with you!
I praise you, Holy Spirit, for breathing life into me such that I believe in these truths. That I would know the Shepherd’s voice and follow Him. That You dwell within me, opening the Father’s Word, illuminating my understanding, so that I might delight in Yahweh, as well as in His Word so that I will walk beside Him and follow in His ways.
Please continue your work of grace in me, as I look further into these words in Psalm 23.
Amen
For Each Study, we will be going through six steps:
Relax and Refocus
Read
Reflect
Respond
Rest
Trying it on
Relax and Refocus
Find a spot where you can sit comfortably, away from other distractions as much as possible. Are you thirsty? Even if you are not aware of being so, you may be even a bit dehydrated. Support yourself in being able to be calm and focus by rehydrating. Drink some water with a pinch of salt or electrolyte water.
As you pull aside from all the responsibilities, the many cares, the overwhelming burdens of your day, remember that the Lord loves you and He cares about the matters which weigh you down. He is the one who provides all that His sheep need. As Creator God, all things, visible and invisible, belong to Him.
We hear David’s heart in Psalm 27, as his words echo Psalm 23:6
One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
that I may dwell I the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to meditate in His temple.
Psalm 27:4
Read
Psalm 23
1 Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing, (for with Him I have everything that I need.)
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still water.
3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever
Notes:
Tov: male form of the word “goodness,” “beauty“
Hesed: Yahweh’s covenant faithfulness
As Michael Card explains in his interview about his book, “Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness,” he says that this is an untranslatable word, translated 169 ways, across 6 different English translations. The meaning is fundamentally “kindness,” “unexpected kindness,” “undeserved kindness, as well as other words such as love and loyalty. This Hebrew word was so untranslatable that in 1529 the Bible translator, Miles Coverdale, simply combined two words together into one and invented the word “lovingkindness.”
What word does God use to define himself when Moses asks Him His name? Genesis 34, He declares, “….Compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in hesed and truth….
Rawdaf “will follow” means to pursue, to chase, to follow after
Reflect
As you read these verses aloud to yourself, what word of combination of words particularly stand out to you? What is the Spirit drawing your attention towards at this moment?
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life
Address what is in your heart, the thoughts which are influencing your interpretation of this verse. Look at these things full on in order to acknowledge to yourself how you may be perhaps wrongly prejudiced. Write out your thoughts, your questions, your emotional response which you would like to share with Yahweh. Is there anything here that you are uncomfortable with and are hesitant to speak to Him? Think back to what we have previously covered regarding His heart towards you. If you have reviewed what we have covered so far, and you are still uncomfortable, do reach out to me, knowing that you can be free of your burden, and I will walk with you.
Pause and Pray
Do I believe that the Shepherd will absolutely, truly pursue me
with goodness and loving-kindness all the days of my life,
even when I am going through my own the valley of the shadow of death?
Questions to guide you in pondering the passage.
*Just what does the passage say? Pull out the facts. What are the “W” questions? The who, what, where, when, why questions.
*Who is the psalmist speaking to now?
To himself
But remember, also to you
David, through the Holy Spirit, is speaking to you that these words are true for you. If you are truly one of Jesus’ sheep, these words are true for you.
*On what basis is this statement true? What is David’s experience?
Define/rephrase/review the words. Perhaps rewrite the sentence in your own words.
Surely
Goodness
Lovingkindness
“will follow” (Where else in the psalm is there a hint of the sheep being followed? )
Surely = truly Absolutely confidence can be placed in this statement
Goodness: all beauty, all healthfulness, all joy, all peace
Lovingkindness/ “hesed,” Yahweh’s covenant faithfulness based upon His perfect, unchanging character
“will follow” Consider “your rod and your staff they comfort me.” Why would these implements comfort a sheep? Because the shepherd uses them to fight off predators which could hunt them and destroy them. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” No longer do the enemies hunt down the defenseless sheep as prey, for now the goodness and hesed of the Lord are chasing down Jesus’ sheep.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life
State this to yourself, emphasizing a different word each time
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life
*Do I truly believe this?
*Do I believe that the Shepherd will absolutely, truly pursue me with goodness and loving-kindness all the days of my life, even when I am going through my own the valley of the shadow of death?
In the face of:
The threat of physical suffering? Of a disease or injury or cancer?
In the face of conflict with an adult child or your parents or a spouse?
In the face of anticipated significant loss?
Even someone close to you is acting as an enemy?
What if I cannot see that there’s any possible way that my needs might be met or that any goodness could come out of that set of circumstances?
If I believe what the Shepherd says to be true, what will I speak from my soul?
What will I cry out to the Shepherd? Or will I turn away, be silent, and not speak to Him?
What the Shepherd says about himself: has this only been in the past?
What about today’s circumstances which are not part of what you had expected? What about aspects of the future are unclear?
David Powlison wrote in his essay, “Two Ways of Doing Life,” an “anti-psalm 23”
I can’t really trust anyone. NO one has my back.
No one is really for me—except me.
And I’m so much all about ME, sometimes it’s sickening.
I belong to no one except myself.
My cup is never quite full enough. I’m left empty.
Disappointment follows me all the days of my life.
Will I just be obliterated into nothingness?
Will I be alone forever, homeless, free-falling into void?
Sartre said, “Hell is other people.”
I have to add, “Hell is also myself.”
It’s a living death, and then I die.
This is what our inner world looks like when we are living for anything other than God.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life
Looking back, are there spaces in your story where this did not seem to be true? How do you view your shepherd now that you realize what Jesus went through?
What is your impression about Jesus’ words and torture as recounted in Psalm 22? “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Pause and Pray along with this guided prayer, then finish with your own words
*Yahweh, my heavenly father, please give me the eyes of faith to be able to see your goodness and lovingkindness, your hesed.
I acknowledge that the worst thing that could possibly happen in the universe in all space and time is the crucifixion of the Son of God suffering for my sin. I marvel that the absolute worst thing imaginable was somehow not apart for your goodness and unimaginable lovingkindness. My faith cannot hardly bear to believe that even the darkest part of my story is not untouched by your grace for me.
Please give me a heart which can receive your truth about my story, rather than what I currently believe. Please give me a heart which is willing to receive your love, willing to say, “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done.” Let me walk in the joy of the light of your presence, sharing your hesed to others, even as you have to me. Blessed be your name!
Amen.
If you would like for me to walk alongside you, I am here for you.
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever
How would David have perceived “house of the LORD?” Did David have a temple in which to worship?
What was David familiar with? The tabernacle in the wilderness, literally, God’s dwelling in the wilderness. He would have known about Yahweh revealing His presence as the glory cloud descending upon the tabernacle. He would have associated God’s presence among His people with the tent of meeting in the middle of the community with the glory cloud upon it. (See Numbers 2) When it was time for the children of Israel to pull up stakes and move on, the glory cloud would lift and lead them to the next location. Once the tabernacle was reassembled, the glory cloud would descend upon it, filling it. (See Exodus 4, Numbers 9, 14, 16, 20, as well as Leviticus 9 and other references.)
Returning to David, 2 Samuel 6 records almost the entire community of God’s people corporately rejoicing and worshipping together, traveling the road together, because the ark was returning to be with YHWH’s people. Next, what does 2 Samuel 7 reveal to us regarding God’s plan and David’s part in it? How does Yahweh state where He wishes to dwell? What does this say about God’s plan? Even more wondrous than we could ever envision, correct?
Respond
Now that Christ has come, we have the Spirit’s words to us of the incarnation in John 1. Furthermore, in his gospel recorded in John 2: 21, we hear Jesus saying that He is the temple of the Lord. After the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, we have received the Spirit. Jesus has sent the Spirit to fill us, so that now we are His temple, the dwelling of the Holy Spirit of Yahweh. (I Corinthians 6:19, 1 Cor. 3:16, Romans 8:11, John 14:17 and others!) This is the place where we are at home. We are at home in Him, and we are at home when in community with his people, the body of Christ.
I am His house where His Spirit dwells, as His Spirit is within me.
As we spend our earthly life enjoying Him, we will enjoy being in His house, not only in the future, but also now! This is the abundant life which the Shepherd has come to give us! (See John 10:10)
We will know His hesed even more fully!
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever
How do we dwell in Him?
His Word abides in us: We meditate upon His Word. We sing His Word. We speak His word to ourselves through memorization and also to others while in conversation. We open our hearts to Him in prayer, both formal and informal prayer. We can be transparent with Him about what it is that is on our hearts and on our minds.
Rest
One day in the future we will live eternally with Him without anything to hinder our perfect unity and relationship. Yet today you do live in fellowship with Him. You can include Him in all your activities of your day. You can speak to Him, sharing everything that is on your heart. He is closer to you than your own breath.
Pause and Pray
Trying It On
Remember Mary of Bethany, sitting at Jesus’ feet, receiving His teaching, enjoying His fellowship? In His house we will be able to sit and listen to Him! We will be able to feast with Him. Even now He dwells within us, welcomes us to come and sit, enjoying His presence, listening to His Word as He reveals it through His written Word.
Consider the overwhelming love of the One who is dwelling in you! How can you go deeper into your relationship with your shepherd? Where do you sense a weak area which could be strengthened?
Where do I think/believe that some aspect of my life is off limits to my prayer life with Him?
*Seek to be more transparent with Him about your life. He dwells within you, witnesses all. He desires to pour out His love on you. Where do you perceive that you are hiding, running, blame shifting, or covering from Him?
Where you feel a check in your soul, a drawing back, ask the Spirit to further reveal the Son to you, so that you might fellowship even more freely with the Son and the Father. Also, ask the Spirit to reveal your heart to you, so that you might see where you are actually believing the “anti-psalm 23.” The Spirit will gently do so, drawing your heart more closely to the Shepherd’s. He awaits your coming!
The Apostle Paul uses the expression “in Christ” or “in Him” over 140 times to define the spiritual unity which we have with Him. The Apostle John further says in John 15, “Abide in Me, and I in you.” Dwell in Him, even as we are His house where He dwells.
Shalom
