Issue 1565 – Goodness and Mercy – January 24, 2025
Arguably, the most familiar passage of Scripture in the world is the 23rd Psalm. It has to be in the top ten if it doesn’t take the top spot. I have written on it many times, both excerpts and detailed verse-by-verse exegesis.
The words are prayed, chanted, and sung. People find deep comfort in this short passage by King David.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even 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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23
I was meditating on this particular psalm early this morning and had to chuckle. Early on in Gleanings, perhaps the first time I wrote on Psalm 23, I had a reader confess me. When she was a small child, she often snuck a peek over her shoulder to see if she could catch a glimpse of Goodness and Mercy, the two angels she believed were following her.
We know that Goodness and Mercy aren’t a pair of angels. So what are they? The word translated “goodness” is the Hebrew “tobe”. According to my Strong’s Bible Dictionary, it means
“good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well): – beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, X fair (word), (be in) favor, fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving, merry, X most, pleasant, + pleaseth, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well ([-favored]).”
We’re talking about major league goodness here in all aspects of our lives. Like abundance, this is goodness to the overflowing. Not necessarily material prosperity, although that can be the case, but overwhelming, abundant to the maximum goodness in our lives.
The word translated “mercy’ is the Hebrew “kheh’-sed”. It means kindness; by implication (towards God) piety; rarely (by opprobrium) reproof, or (subjectively) beauty: – favor, good deed (-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity.
Mercy only captures a part of the depth of meaning. Some translations used “love” instead but that too seems to fail to capture the depth of meaning. It seems that “kheh’-sed” is in some ways a common and easy to understand word, but also one that is so deep that it doesn’t have a good English equivalent.
I’m not an expert on Hebrew, but I will rewrite the line in question to try and capture more of the fullness of meaning. An actual Hebrew speaker or translator will likely shudder at the attempt, but here goes.
Surely [bountiful, abundant blessing, joy, spiritual prosperity, loving kindness] and [love of and from God, mercy, and God’s unmerited grace and favor] will follow me all the days of my life.
Even the latter part of that sentence, “All the days of my life,” seems limited. All the seasons of my life may be better. We have seasons of life. Seasons of prosperity, seasons of trial, and seasons of waiting. He’ll be there through all of that.
There’s also another way to look at seasons. We live a short season here on earth and, after the harvest, an eternal season in heaven. All these blessings are ours, not just in this life but even more so in the future. That means we don’t have to look over our shoulders; they are not just following us but running ahead of us and all around us.
“Goodness and mercy”, “Goodness and love,” or overwhelming, unbelievable blessings from God in every aspect of our life from here to eternity is a fantastic concept. What a promise!
What a blessing!
May you know the Lord’s Goodness and mercy.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
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Until next time, may you gain a taste of the goodness and mercy of God and give Him the glory