We wrap up Psalm 23 today with verse 6, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Being followed often feels like someone is “out to get you” and can be irritating. Thankfully, the Psalmist is showing us that we are being pursued by goodness and mercy. It is a fact. The verse begins with SURELY – we can be confident even when life is scary and unknown.

Shepherds have sheepdogs to help them. The dog is trained well enough to be trusted by the shepherd to keep the sheep together. The shepherd leads and the sheepdogs pursue. For us, we must remember that we are being led to a reality of home. We are not there yet. We are pilgrims. Some days are hard, and it can just hurt to make it through the next day. We lose loved ones along the way. We get a bad diagnosis, or we can’t pay the bills. Thankfully, in the middle of all that “hard” stuff, there is a CHESED love of God over us. CHESED means “deep, abiding, faithful, covenantal love.” God will be and do what He said. We can trust that! He is tenaciously pursuing us!

We see a beautiful progression of God’s love:

The Good Shepherd that lays down His life John 10:14 Psalm 22

The Great Shepherd who equips the saints Hebrews 13:20 Psalm 23

The Chief Shepherd who will come back in glory 1 Peter 5:4 Psalm 24

Isaiah 53:6 is what this series is really all about. It says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Jesus wants to be your Good Shepherd. You can’t be in rows or circles if you are not even in the flock. Confess your sins, confess Jesus as Lord, and give your life to Him. It is so worth it!