ARE YOU GOODNESS OR MERCY

 

Phillips Brooks is perhaps best known as the author of "O Little Town of Bethlehem." He was a very busy pastor, yet he always seemed relaxed and unburdened. Shortly before he died, a friend asked the secret of his strength and serenity. In a heartfelt response, Brooks credited his still-growing relationship with Christ. He said, "The more I have thought it over, the more sure it has seemed to me that these last years have had a peace and fullness which never used to be.

It is a deeper knowledge and truer love of Christ. I cannot tell you how personal this grows to me. He is here, he knows me and I know Him. It is the most real thing in the world. And every day makes it more real. And one wonders with delight what it will grow to as the years go on" (Our Daily Bread, October 1994).

In Psalm 23 David says that once we have made the Lord our shepherd, then we can count on three things to be true in our lives. The Lord will provide for our needs, restore our souls and protect us from our enemies. In the last verse David makes a bold statement, "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" (Ps 23:6).

David is certain of this bold statement. He begins the verse with - surely. There are no doubts; it is an absolute certainty, an exclamation of confidence! He is certain that goodness and mercy have been following and they will continue to follow him all the days of his life. His Shepherd walks ahead to guide him; Goodness and Mercy are the "Rearguards."

In Exodus 14 we read about Pharaoh pursuing the fleeing Israelites. He found them camping by the sea.  God told Moses “the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord”.  Leading the Israelites that day were the Angel of God and the pillar of cloud. They immediately moved to the back. They stood between the Egyptian and Israel camps (v.19).

The Lord remained in front; using a strong wind he parted the waters leaving the dry sea bottom. This made it possible for the Israelites to cross. When they were safe on the other side and Pharaoh’s army was in the middle, he allowed the water to return. Pharaoh’s whole army drowned. Israel sang to the Lord; the women played their tambourines and danced (Exodus 15).

In Isaiah 52:11-12 God told his children to leave Babylon and go home. Then he gave them a great promise “you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard”. Yahweh (Lord) ever present and eternal will go ahead of you. Elohim (God) infinite and all –powerful will guard you from behind.

These words of Isaiah had a future application too. Life as God meant it to be is a journey with a clear destination. It’s a march from slavery to freedom and from a foreign land to our home land. God promises to go ahead of us making the way for us as we travel home. He will go behind us keeping us safe.

After his sin with Bathsheba David (2 Samuel 11) he wrote Psalm 51. In verse 1 he pleads “have mercy upon me, O God... according to the multitudes of your tender mercies blot out my transgressions (Psalms 51:1). The son conceived in the sin died despite much pleading with God; surprising soon after, Bathsheba gave birth to Solomon (2 Sam 12). He became the wisest man on earth (1 kings 4:29-34) and the next king. There is only one explanation to that - God’s mercy following David!

In 2 Samuel 24: 9-15 David numbered the people, this was a terrible sin. God allowed him to choose his judgment. He was offered three things; famine, enemies chasing him, plague. David said “please let us fall into the hand of the Lord for his mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man”. God granted David’s wish; because of his mistake seventy thousand men died; David was not one of them.

In 1 Samuel 21-22 a man named Doeg informed Saul that his enemy David was hiding at the tabernacle and he had received help from the priests. In response Saul instructed Doeg to kill the priests, he killed 85 priest and their families (I Sam. 22:18-19) but David had already fled. These events prompted him to write psalm 52.

In verse 1 David wrote “the goodness of God endureth continually”. In the midst of such horrible things he could still see God’s goodness. He believed that it would continue unchanged outlasting Doeg ’s and Saul’s evils. He warned the evil doers that God “will uproot you from the land of the living (v.5) yet David was like “a green olive tree in the house of God; trust in the mercy of God forever” (v.8).

The olive tree is one of the longest living trees; the oldest in the world is about 1500 years and it’s still fruitful. David pictures himself as a fruitful olive tree in full sap growing in the sacred courtyard. He says “I will praise you forever because you have done it.” (Psalm 52:9).  His heart overflows with joy and gratitude when he remembers what God has already done. His trust is rooted in God’s past faithfulness.

Psalm 103 is perhaps the most perfect song of pure praise found in the Bible. It was written by David. In verse 11 he says "For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him."  The heavens are the highest objects of which we have any knowledge. Whenever David looked at the starry heavens he was reminded of the immeasurable height of God’s mercy.

In verse 17 David says “As for man his days are as a flower of the field …the wind passes over it and it is gone…but the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting …his righteousness unto the children’s children”.  When his life ends, the goodness and mercy of God will remain behind to take care of his children and his future generations. This will go on as long as life lasts on planet earth.

God’s children start every morning on a clean slate of mercy "through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because his compassion fail not. They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness (Lam 3:22-23). God's mercy is abundant (Psalms 86:5), it can never be exhausted. Ephesians 2:4 speaks of God being rich in mercy. He is very faithful, so he can be trusted to keep his promises.

Mercy and goodness are like two sheepdogs that help the shepherd corral his flock. When the sheep slow down, goodness and mercy spur them on. They constantly drive the sheep closer to the Shepherd. David uses the word “me,” to emphasize how goodness and mercy attend to him at a very personal level. He is not lost in the crowd. They follow him individually.

The original word translated follow also means a relentless pursuit. God’s goodness and mercy are not passively hanging behind David; they are chasing after him. God is always pursuing him with goodness and mercy to strengthen his faith.  Whenever he feels inadequate, God’s goodness is there to give him everything he needs. Whenever he sins, God’s mercy is there to forgive and restore him. 

In David’s life, there were highs and there were lows. There were days of incredible victory and days of incredible defeat; Days of humbling obedience and days of impassioned sin. David makes no distinction between any of these days when speaking of this relentless goodness and mercy of God. Their unstoppable hounding has been constant through “all the days” of his life.

The goodness and mercy of God are escorts commissioned to attend the believer during his earthly pilgrimage. The mercies of God are new every morning, they continue all day long, every single day as long as life lasts. They follow in every variety of situation, sunny days and cloudy days; joyful seasons and sorrowful seasons; youthful years and sunset years.

Take a look at the rear mirror of your life; you will see how the God’s goodness and mercy have been chasing you. Goodness has supplied your every need and mercy has forgiven your many sins. Like Moses, Miriam and the Israelites its time compose a song of gratitude and dance for God; try a theme close to Psalm 136.