Psalm 23 - Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (14)

The forgiveness and favour we enjoy now is eternally secure in Christ.

Goodness and mercy

As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!       - Psalm 40:11

In verse 1 David says "I shall not want", and here he restates this but with renewed joy and confidence. He is not alone through the darkest valley and so he fears no evil, but more than this God prepares a feast for him, anoints him with oil and fills his cup to overflowing. God works everything to the good of those who love him [Romans 8:28] and delights to show mercy [Micah 7:18], so we who follow him enjoy his goodness and mercy.

Surely follow me

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you.        - Deuteronomy 31:8a

How sure we can be that this goodness and mercy will be with us! Why would God send his precious Son to die for our sins if he was not sure he would bestow mercy on those who accepted his atoning work? And why would God, having done this for us, then hold back on sharing his good inheritance with us, his adopted children?

And these things will follow us "into all places and all conditions" [Matthew Henry]. God's love and compassion never fail, and are new every morning [Lamentations 3:22-23] so we know that even in the darkest valley and even in the presence of our enemies God will go before us and will be with us. His goodness and mercy will follow us wherever we may go.

Eternally

He will never leave you nor forsake you.                                 - Deuteronomy 31:8b

Is this wonderful condition of ours a temporary one, here for now but ultimately fruitless? Surely not, for our God is eternal [Malachi 3:6] and his plans are unchanging [Psalm 33:11] and he makes perfect the good work he has started in us [Philippians 1:6].

We can know that the safety of soul we are granted through Christ, and spiritual gifts and blessings we inherit as God's children, are not something bestowed upon us merely for a season, but are things that foreshadow and prepare us for an eternity spent with God. 

Therefore

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.                                  - Deuteronomy 31:8c

This last verse is in part a conclusion drawn from earlier revelations in the psalm, but it also goes back and reinforces when David says "I will fear no evil". Not only are we sheltered by the Spirit and hidden with Christ in the darkest valley now, but we also have no fear of God abandoning us; our current state of safety is eternally secure, so truly we have nothing to fear.