Dwight L. Moody, a well-known 19th-century evangelist, was once approached by a woman who needed advice and, according to her, two men followed her. Every time she took the trolleybus in town, they took it behind her. When she left, they left. With a nervous tic around her neck, she insisted that the same two men had followed her to Maugrey’s office.
Maugrey was able to easily detect that this beautiful woman suffered from a mental illusion, no one followed her. But to reassure her, he said, “These two men who follow you are David’s men. Are they called Goodness and Mercy?” He opened his Bible in Psalm 23. 6 and showed him, “Goodness and mercy will surely follow me. every day of my life. ” She was relieved and exclaimed, “It’s wonderful. I’ve always wondered what they’d be called. The woman left that day with peace of mind, comforted to learn that it was kindness and mercy that followed her.
- As believers in Jesus Christ.
- You and I must also trust that God’s goodness and mercy follow us at every turn.
- We must be equally confident and comforted.
- Believing that every day of our lives.
- These two friends of David are with us at every step of our lives.
- The way.
In Psalm 23, we learn that there is an intimate and inseparable relationship between the Good Shepherd and his sheep; an unwavering bond unies them as one. Verse 6 reinforces this truth and makes it very clear. David begins this verse by emphasizing the certainty of this indissoluble union. This reality can be seen in the word “certainly”. There must be no doubt that what is said here must be believed with unwavering certainty. No matter how dark the valley is, no matter how deep the canyon, this goodness and mercy certainly belong to the sheep. His loving care is an indisputable truth. Your concern should never be questioned, nor should your care be questioned. With the certainty of the love of God’s irrevocable covenant, his abundant goodness is firmly committed to his flock.
When did David testify to this? Follow him, he uses a Hebrew word that, as an adjective, means “beautiful” or “nice. “It represents the attractive way God shows his love for his sheep; God has a perfectly good and perfectly good character in all his actions; therefore, he can only do good to your beloved flock; this translates into attentive attention to your many needs. .
David also claims that?It is the unconditional love of the Good Shepherd for those whom the Father has chosen and entrusted him. He loves them with his sovereign love that will never be extinguished. Even when we are unfaithful to him, he remains faithful to us.
Will the Hebrew verb translated as?Will you describe these two virtues, goodness and mercy, as an active accompaniment of David?It can be said that these two components of divine love are like two shepherd dogs that help the shepherd surround his flock. When the sheep stray, these shepherds return them; when we slow down, they stimulate us. Therefore, it is with kindness and mercy that they turn their backs on us, constantly bring us closer to the Good Shepherd.
This persecution may recall the days of David’s escape from Absalom. Does David testify that whatever threats haunted him, there was always a greater persecutor: kindness and mercy?Although he was persecuted by those who sought to harm him, he remained convinced that this divine love would continue at every step of his work; he was convinced that divine love would accompany him to the end.
Here is the shepherd’s determination to keep his sheep. Even when David was in life-threatening situations, God’s goodness followed him closely. Whatever the test, his goodness of heart constantly followed him.
When did David claim these double blessings? He insists on his personal character. The fact is that this divine care is not directed at an anonymous group of un nameless sheep in a general and non-specific way, on the contrary, David knows that God focuses on him as an individual sheep named by name.
This unwavering love would haunt David “every day of his life. “There wouldn’t be a single day when this faithful favor wasn’t near him. These two parts of God’s love would pinch your heels all day, every day, for the rest. There will never be a day when the Goodness and Mercy of the Lord do not manifest immediately. We can never escape the faithful love of this good shepherd.