SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY – PSALM 23 — Part 15
Ciertamente el bien y la misericordia – Salmos 23 — Parte 15
Posted Monday, October 29, 2012
This soldier carries Psalm 23:6 on his head as well as in his heart. [Photographer: Unknown. Photo courtesy of Photobucket.com.]
Psalm 23:6 "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever." (New King James Version)
Salmos 23:6 "Ciertamente el bien y la misericordia me seguirán todos los días de mi vida, Y en la casa de Jehová moraré por largos días." (Reina-Valera 1960)
When I first started writing this series on Psalm 23, I naively thought I would be able to keep up the pace of writing something new once a week. I had no idea that the "still waters" of this Psalm were so deep! (See Psalm 23:2)
Psalm 23 turned out to be meatier than we first thought. As we went about our daily tasks, our minds continually "chewed" on the next portion of that Psalm that we were to present to you.
A break from our regular activities came when we had occasion to travel to neighboring states. We seized the opportunity to view scenery that we had never seen before and to obtain fresh photos for our postings.
While we were in Arizona, we took a tour of Monument Valley with the help of a guide. We had no idea that our tour would involve climbing rocks or lying on our backs against slanted slabs to look straight up at holes in rock formations!
While lying on her back against a slanted slab of sandstone, Mary Hunt Webb took this photo of a natural hole in the top of a rock formation in Monument Valley, Arizona. [Photographer: Mary Hunt Webb.]
Our guide around those gigantic rocks was a comparatively young Navajo grandmother named Charlene. Dressed in a polo shirt, khaki shorts, and strong hiking shoes, she wore long, turquoise earrings that brushed her shoulders. Having spent her entire life in Monument Valley, Charlene definitely knew her way around the towering rock formations of that area. As she climbed up the steep slabs that bordered the bases of mesas, we gingerly followed in her steps because she knew where she was going. When the path became difficult, she held out her hand to help us across uneven terrain. As an experienced guide, she was careful not to put us in danger. When she told us what to do and where to step, we obeyed her because we knew she was an authority on that area. As we listened to her, we learned about the Navajo culture as well as about Monument Valley.
Our tour guide, Charlene, walks to the left of Mary Hunt Webb as they start the ascent toward the ridge where the sun shines down from the opening in the natural cavity above. [Photographer: Morris Webb, Jr.]
That is how the Lord guides us. He knows His way through the difficulties that await us. There may be times when we look at the rough terrain and wonder where He is leading us. However, He is careful not to put us in danger. In the same way that we trusted our guide, we can trust our Heavenly Father, Although His guiding hand is not as visible as Charlene's was, Psalm 63:8 recognizes God's guidance when it says, "My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me." (New King James Version) The Spanish translation of Psalm 63:8 is even more emphatic in that it declares, "My soul is attached to You; Your right hand has supported me." (Reina-Valera 1960)
Although Morris Webb is walking uphill, this path wasn't nearly as steep as some of them that we climbed. [Photographer: Mary Hunt Webb.]
As long as we obey the Lord, we not only stay out of danger, but we also experience an amazing journey. As we follow Him, goodness and mercy become our constant companions so that we are not only surrounded by protection, but their presence alerts others that we are not candidates for sin.
The result of following God throughout life is that we become His with the intimacy of being part of His family. The middle part of Psalm 23:6 states, "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord…". Although we tend to think of a house as a structural dwelling, the Bible frequently uses the word "house" to mean "family", "descendents", and/or "lineage". The meaning varies according to the context in which it is used.
An example of this usage of "house" to refer to "lineage" or "ancestry" comes to us in the first four verses of Luke 2 in the description of events that caused Jesus to be born in Bethlehem instead of in Nazareth where his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, lived. Luke 2:1-5 describes the events that happened as the result of an order that the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, sent out: "1) And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2) This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3) So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4) Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5) to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child." (New King James Version)
The reference to the" house" of David could not have been to the actual structure in which King David lived since he had been dead for several hundred years at the time of the expected birth of Jesus. As if to clarify, Luke 2:5 adds, "…he (Joseph) was of the house and lineage of David."
Such an explanation helps us to better understand Psalm 23:6. That verse assures us that, as believers in Jehovah as our Heavenly Father, we will be part of God's family in a continuing manner that has no end. That is because Psalm 23:6 states, "…and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." The word forever has a different meaning in Heaven than on earth. Here on earth, forever means until one or more of the involved persons ceases to live on this planet. But, in Heaven, there is no cessation of life. In the context of Heaven, forever means without end.
If you have acknowledged that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died as the one time sacrifice for your errors, you know that your life will not end when your earthly body ceases to function. As a believer in Christ, your inner being will live forever in the kingdom of Heaven. If you do not have that assurance, you can have it by asking God in prayer to forgive you of your sins and by trusting that Jesus is God's Son. Galatians 3:26 affirms, "You are all God's children through faith in Christ Jesus." (Common English Bible)
Through the months that we have spent reflecting on the wisdom of the six verses that compose Psalm 23, Morris and I have acquired much information about sheep and the care they require. I often went to sleep at night with sheep on my mind. If I awoke in the middle of the night, I frequently repeated the words of Psalm 23 instead of counting imaginary sheep. While that was not a guarantee that sleep would come, I often fell asleep before I could finish repeating that chapter three times. I believe that happened because Psalm 23 contains the essentials of yielding everything to the Lord.
Morris and I pray that this reflection of Psalm 23 has caused its wisdom to sink down into your spirit and into your heart. We look forward to seeing what God leads us to share with you in our next posting.
BIBLE VERSES FOR THIS POSTING
Psalm 23:6 "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever." (New King James Version)
Salmos 23:6"Ciertamente el bien y la misericordia me seguirán todos los días de mi vida, Y en la casa de Jehová moraré por largos días." (Reina-Valera 1960)
Psalm 63:8 "My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me." (New King James Version)
Salmos 63:8 "Está mi alma apegada a ti; Tu diestra me ha sostenido." (Reina-Valera 1960)
Luke 2:1-5 "1) And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2) This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3) So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4) Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5) to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child." (New King James Version)
Lucas 2:1-5 "Aconteció en aquellos días, que se promulgó un edicto de parte de Augusto César, que todo el mundo fuese empadronado. 2) Este primer censo se hizo siendo Cirenio gobernador de Siria. 3) E iban todos para ser empadronados, cada uno a su ciudad. 4) Y José subió de Galilea, de la ciudad de Nazaret, a Judea, a la ciudad de David, que se llama Belén, por cuanto era de la casa y familia de David; 5) para ser empadronado con María su mujer, desposada con él, la cual estaba encinta." (Reina-Valera 1960)
Galatians 3:26 "You are all God's children through faith in Christ Jesus." (Common English Bible)
Gálatas 3:26 "pues todos sois hijos de Dios por la fe en Cristo Jesús;" (Reina-Valera 1960)
Like a sheepdog trailing a flock that obeys its shepherd, goodness and mercy follow us. [Photographer: Katrina B. of Portland, Oregon. Photo courtesy of wikimedia.org.]
Psalm 23 – 1) The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. 2) He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3) He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. 4) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will 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 anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever." (New King James Version)
Salmos 23 – 1) Jehová es mi pastor; nada me faltará. 2) En lugares de delicados pastos me hará descansar; Junto a aguas de reposo me pastoreará. 3) Confortará mi alma; Me guiará por sendas de justicia por amor de su nombre. 4) Aunque ande en valle de sombra de muerte, No temeré mal alguno, porque tú estarás conmigo; Tu vara y tu cayado me infundirán aliento. 5) Aderezas mesa delante de mí en presencia de mis angustiadores; Unges mi cabeza con aceite; mi copa está rebosando. 6) Ciertamente el bien y la misericordia me seguirán todos los días de mi vida, Y en la casa de Jehová moraré por largos días." (Reina-Valera 1960)
