A SHEPHERD LOOKS AT PSALM 23 #11

A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23 #11

Goodness and Mercy shall follow me!

                   

     THROUGHOUT THE STUDY of this Psalm continuous emphasis 

has been put upon the care exercised by the attentive sheepman. 

It has been stressed how essential to the welfare of the sheep is

the rancher's diligent effort and labor. All the benefits enjoyed

by a flock under skilled and loving management have been drawn 

in bold lines.

     Now all of this is summed up here by the Psalmist in one

brave but simple statement: "Surely goodness and mercy shall

follow me all the days of my life."

     The sheep with such a shepherd knows of a surety, that his

is a privileged position. No matter what comes, at least and

always he can be perfectly sure that goodness and mercy will be

in the picture. He reassures himself that he is ever under sound,

sympathetic, intelligent ownership. What more need he care about?

Goodness and mercy will be the treatment he receives from his

master's expert, loving hands.

     Not only is this a bold statement, but it is somewhat of a

boast, an exclamation of implicit confidence in the One who

controls his career and destiny.

     How many Christians actually feel this way about Christ? How

many of us are truly concerned that no matter what occurs in our

lives we are being followed by goodness and mercy? Of course it

is very simple to speak this way when things are going well. If

my health is excellent; my income is flourishing; my family is

well; and my friends are fond of me it is not hard to say "Surely

goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."

     But what about when one's body breaks down? What do I say

when I stand by helpless, as I have had to do, and watch a life

partner die by degrees under appalling pain? What is my reaction

when my job folds up and there is no money to meet bills? What

happens if my children can't make their grades in school or get

caught running with the wrong gang? What do I say when suddenly,

without good grounds, friends prove false and turn against me?

These are the sort of times that test a person's confidence in

the care of of Christ. These are the occasions during which the

chips are down and life is more than a list of pious platitudes.

When my little world is falling apart and the dream castles of my

ambitions and hopes crumble into ruins can I honestly declare

"Surely - yes surely - goodness and mercy shall follow me all the

days of my life"? Or is this sheer humbug and a maddening

mockery?

     In looking back over my own life, in the light of my own

love and care for my sheep, I can see again and again a similar

compassion and concern for me in my Master's management of my

affairs. There were events which at the time seemed like utter

calamities; there were paths down which He led me that appeared

like blind allies; there were days He took me through which were

well nigh black as night itself. But all in the end turned out

for my benefit and my well-being.

     With my limited understanding as a finite human being I

could not always comprehend His management executed in infinite

wisdom. With my natural tendencies to fear, worry and ask "why,"

it was not always simple to assume that He really did know what

He was doing with me. There were times I was tempted to panic, 

to bolt and to leave His care. Somehow I had the strange, stupid

notion I could survive better on my own. Most men and women do.

But despite this perverse behavior I am so glad He did not give

me up. I am so grateful He did follow me in goodness and mercy.

The only possible motivation was His own love, His care and

concern for me as one of His sheep. And despite my doubts,

despite' my misgivings about His management of my affairs, 

He has picked me up and borne me back again in great tenderness.

     As I see all of this in retrospect I realize that for the one who is 

truly in Christ's care, no difficulty can arise, no dilemma emerge, 

no seeming disaster descend on the life without eventual good 

coming out of the chaos. This is to see the goodness and mercy 

of my Master in my life. It has become the great foundation of 

my faith and confidence in Him.

     I love Him because He first loved me.

     His goodness and mercy and compassion to me are new every

day. And my assurance is lodged in these aspects of His character. 

My trust is in His love for me as His own. My serenity has as its 

basis an implicit, unshakable reliance on His ability to do the right 

thing, the best thing in any given situation.

     This to me is the supreme portrait of my Shepherd. Continually

there flows out to me His goodness and His mercy, which, even

though I do not deserve them, come unremittingly from their

source of supply - His own great heart of love.

     Herein is the essence of all that has gone before in this

Psalm. All the care, all the work, all the alert watchfulness,

all the skill, all the concern, all the self-sacrifice are born

of His love - the love of One who loves His sheep, loves His

work, loves His role as a Shepherd.     

"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for

the sheep."

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his

life for us" (I John 3:16).

     With all this in view it is then proper to ask myself, "Is this 

outflow of goodness and mercy for me to stop and stagnate in

my life? Is there no way in which it can pass on through me to

benefit others?"

     Yes, there is a way.

     And this aspect is one which eludes many of us.

     There is a positive, practical aspect in which my life in

turn should be one whereby goodness and mercy follow in my

footsteps for the well-being of others.

     Just as God's goodness and mercy flow to me all the days of

my life, so goodness and mercy should follow me, should be left

behind me, as a legacy to others, wherever I may go.

     It is worth reiterating at this point that sheep can, under

mismanagement, be the most destructive livestock. In short order

they can ruin and ravage land almost beyond remedy. But in bold

contrast they can, on the other hand, be the most beneficial of

all livestock if properly managed.

     Their manure is the best balanced of any produced by domestic 

stock. When scattered efficiently over the pastures it proves of 

enormous benefit to the soil. The sheep's habit of seeking the highest 

rise of ground on which to rest insures that the fertility from the rich 

low land is re-deposited on the less productive higher ground. 

No other livestock will consume as wide a variety of herbage. 

Sheep eat all sorts of weeds and other undesirable plants which 

might otherwise invade a field. For example, they love the buds 

and tender tips of Canada thistle which, if not controlled, can 

quickly become a most noxious weed.

     In a few years a flock of well-managed sheep will clean up and

restore a piece of ravaged land as no other creature can do.

     In ancient literature sheep were referred to as "those of the

golden hooves" - simply because they were regarded and esteemed

so highly, for their beneficial effect on the land.

     In my own experience as a sheep rancher I have, in just a

few years, seen two derelict ranches restored to high productivity 

and usefulness. More than this, what before appeared as depressing 

eyesores became beautiful, park-like properties of immense worth. 

Where previously there had been only poverty and pathetic waste, 

there now followed flourishing fields and rich abundance.

     In other words, goodness and mercy had followed my flocks.

They left behind them something worthwhile, productive, beautiful

and beneficial to both themselves, others and me. Where they had

walked there followed fertility and weed-free land. Where they

had lived there remained beauty and abundance.

     The question now comes to me pointedly, is this true of my

life? Do I leave a blessing and benediction behind me?

     Sir Alfred Tennyson wrote in one of his great classic poems,

"The good men do lives after them."

     On one occasion two friends spent a few days in our home

while passing through en route to some engagements in the East.

They invited me to go along. After several days on the road one

of the men missed his hat. He was sure it had been left in our

home. He asked me to write my wife to find it and kindly send it

on to him. Her letter of reply was one I shall never forget. One

sentence in particular made an enormous impact on me. "I have

combed the house from top to bottom and can find no trace of the

hat. The only thing those men left behind was a great blessing!"

     Is this the way people feel about me?

     Do I leave a trail of sadness or of gladness behind?

     Is my memory, in other people's minds, entwined with mercy

and goodness, or would they rather forget me altogether? Do I

deposit a blessing behind me or am I a bane to others? Is my life

a pleasure to people or a pain?

     In Isaiah 52:7 we read, "How beautiful upon the mountains

are the feet of [them] that bringeth good tidings, that

publisheth peace. . . ."

     Sometimes it is profitable to ask ourselves such simple

questions as:

"Do I leave behind peace in lives - or turmoil?" 

"Do I leave behind forgiveness - or bitterness?" 

"Do I leave behind contentment - or conflict?" 

"Do I leave behind flowers of joy - or frustration?" 

"Do I leave behind love - or rancor?"

     Some people leave such a sorry mess behind them wherever

they go that they prefer to cover their tracks.

     For the true child of God, the one under the Shepherd's care, 

there should never be any sense of shame or fear in going

back to where they have lived or been before. Why? Because 

there they have left a legacy of uplift, encouragement and 

inspiration to others.

     In Africa, where I spent so many years, one of the greatest

marks left by any man was that of David Livingstone. No matter

where his footsteps took him through the bush and plains of the

great continent there remained the impact of his love. Natives,

whose language he never learned, long years after, remembered him

as the kindly, tender doctor whom goodness and mercy had followed

all the days of his life.

     There remains in my own mind boyhood recollections of the

first stories I was told about Jesus Christ as a man amongst us.

His life was summed up in the simple, terse, but deeply profound

statement, "He went about, doing good!" It was as though this was

the loftiest, noblest, most important thing on which He could

possibly spend His few short years.

     But I also was deeply impressed by the fact that His good 

and  kindly acts were always commingled with mercy. Where 

so often other human beings were rude and harsh and vindictive 

of one another, His compassion and tenderness was always apparent. 

Even the most flagrant sinners found forgiveness with Him,  

whereas at the hands of their fellow men they knew only 

condemnation, censure and cruel criticism.

     And again I have to ask myself is this my attitude to other

people? Do I sit up on my pedestal of self-pride and look with

contempt upon my contemporaries, or do I get down and identify

myself with them in their dilemma and there extend a small

measure of the goodness and mercy given to me by my Master?

Do I see sinners with the compassion of Christ or with the

critical eye of censure? Am I willing to overlook faults and

weaknesses in others and extend forgiveness as God has forgiven

me my failings?

     The only real, practical measure of my appreciation for the

goodness and mercy of God to me is the extent to which I am, in

turn, prepared to show goodness and mercy to others.

     If I am unable to forgive and extend friendship to fallen

men and women, then it is quite certain I know little or nothing

in a practical sense of Christ's forgiveness and mercy to me.

     It is this lack of love among Christians which today makes

the church an insipid, lukewarm institution. People come to find

affection and are turned off by our tepidity.

     But the man or woman who knows firsthand about the goodness

and mercy of God in his own life, will be warm and affectionate

with goodness and mercy to others. This is to be a benefit to

them, but equally important, it is to be a blessing to God.

     Yes, a blessing to God!

     Most of us think only God can bring a blessing to us. The

Christian life is a two-way proposition. Nothing pleased me more

than to see my flock flourish and prosper. It delighted me

personally, no end, to feel compensated for the care I had given

them. To see them content was wonderful. To see the land

benefiting was beautiful. And the two together made me a happy

man. It enriched my own life; it was a reward for my efforts and

energy. In this experience I received full compensation for all

that I had poured into the endeavor.

     Most of us forget that our Shepherd is looking for some

satisfaction as well. We are told that He looked upon the travail

of His soul and was satisfied.

     This is the benefit we can bring to Him.

     He looks on my life in tenderness for He loves me deeply. He

sees the long years during which His goodness and mercy have

followed me without slackening. He longs to see some measure of

that same goodness and mercy not only passed on to others by me

but also passed back to Him with joy.

     He longs for love - my love.

     And I love Him - only and because He first loved me. Then He

is satisfied.

                           ....................

To be continued