Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

(Psalms 23:6 NIV)

Those that feed on God’s goodness must follow His direction. He leads them by His providence, by His word, by His Spirit, disposes of their affairs for the best, according to His counsel, disposes their affections and actions according to His command, directs their eye, their way, and their heart into His love. God leads His people not to the standing waters which corrupt and gather filth, not to the troubled sea, nor to the rapid rolling floods, but to the silent purling waters. For the still but running waters agree best with those spirits that flow out towards God and yet do it silently.

As if we were constantly in the place where God makes His abode, and allowed to partake of His smiles and friendship. In a dogmatically important sense it is our privilege to live even on earth; it will certainly be our privilege to live in heaven. Full of grateful exultation and joy, every child of God may adopt this language as their own and say confidently, “Goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life here, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” for heaven, where God dwells, will be our eternal home.

Therefore I choose to live in His goodness and thus His mercy shall follow me. Father God will bestow them upon me. This is the result of what is stated in the previous verses. The effect of God’s mercy when dealing with David had been to lead his mind to the assurance that God would always be his shepherd and friend, that He would never leave him to want. Thus we too can embrace His loving kindness all the days of our life, that we too will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

Through all its changes, in every variety of situation, until I reach its close. Life indeed would end and David does not venture to opinion or conjecture when that would be, but as long as life should continue, he felt confidently assured that everything needed for him would be bestowed upon him. The language is the utterance of a heart overflowing with joy and gratitude in the reminder of the past, and full of glad anticipation, as derived from the experience of the past, in regard to the future.

Therefore I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The expression, I think, does not refer to eternity or to heaven, but it is parallel with the former expression “all the days of my life.” That is, he would dwell in the house of the Lord as long as he lived, with the idea added here, which was not in the former member of the sentence, that his life would be long, or that he hoped and anticipated that he would live long on the earth.

The phrase used here, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” is one that is several times employed in the Psalms as indicative of the wish of the psalmist. Remember this: “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” We clearly see that in “O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where your glory dwells” (Psalms 26:8 NASB).

The language here is obviously taken from the employment of those who had their habitation near the tabernacle, and afterward the temple, whose business it was to attend constantly on the service of God and to minister in His courts. We are not to suppose of David that he anticipated such a residence in or near the tabernacle or the house of God, but the meaning is that he anticipated and desired a life as if he dwelt there, and as if he was constantly engaged in holy occupations.

His life would be spent as if in the constant service of God. His joy and peace in religion would be as if he were always within the immediate dwelling place of the Most High. This desire expresses that he is a true child of God. It would appear that he wishes to live as if he were always engaged in solemn acts of worship and occupied in holy things. He desires peace and joy in religion as if he were constantly in the place where God makes His abode and allowed to partake of His smiles and friendship.

In a very important sense it is his privilege to live even on earth; it will certainly be his privilege to live in heaven. In the fullness of grateful exultation and joy, every child of God may adopt this language as their own and say confidently, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, that I may dwell in the here and now, for I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” for heaven, where God dwells, will be our eternal home.

Some people will gladly run your life for you if you let them! Some people have a way of always bringing you down rather than building you up. These are those who encourage you to get involved in destructive things. They take advantage of you. Their concern is what you can give them, not what they can give you.

To be a friend of God will actually care about what’s best for you. Outside of your parents it may be a brother or sister, teacher, classmate, coach, teammate, pastor, anyone God brings alongside us to help you make smart choices. These friends are your green pastures, your quiet waters. They are God’s provision for you. They will encourage you to slow down when you take on too much. They will challenge you to get busy when you’re too idle! They care about you enough that they’ll warn you when you’re heading into danger.

However, the Christian life is not meant to be difficult. If you find that your Christian life is wearing you out and leaving you distressed, you have wandered away from His green pastures and quiet waters!

David’s confidence was not based on his own strength or merit but on the goodness and mercy of God that had followed him through every valley and over every mountain. He knew the Shepherd personally. He had experienced His provision, His protection, His presence. And from that experience, he could say with absolute certainty: goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

Not might follow. Not should follow. Will follow. This is the confidence of one who knows his Shepherd. This is the assurance of one who has walked with God through dark valleys and beside still waters. This is the testimony of one who has learned that God’s goodness and mercy are not occasional visitors but constant companions.

And so David’s heart overflows with the desire to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Not just visit occasionally. Not just attend when convenient. But dwell. To make his home in the presence of God. To live as if he were always in that sacred space where God’s glory dwells. To spend his days in the constant service and friendship of the Most High.

This is the privilege of every child of God. Not someday in heaven only, but even now on earth. We can live in the goodness and mercy of God. We can dwell in His presence. We can make our home in the house of the Lord. And when this life ends, we will continue that dwelling in the eternal home He has prepared for us. Surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.