Psalm 23:6       
Goodness and Love
     The Psalmists loved to pair words to describe the Lord. It was as if one adjective or adverb was not enough! In Psalm 25:21 we have integrity and uprightness. In Psalm 43:3 we have light and faithful care. In Psalm 89:14 we read about righteousness and justice as well as love and faithfulness. Here, in Psalm 23, David muses on the goodness and loving kindness of the Shepherd King. Here is a man who spent a large amount of his life being pursued by enemies, he was often in hiding, often fearful and rarely did he know what might happen next. His enemies wanted to kill him, to overthrow his throne, to extinguish his influence. He was a man of God and they were in the pay of the devil so of course he was constantly under threat. What a relief it is for this hunted and hounded man to step back and gaze into the face of His Shepherd. The moment is dramatic for he realises that despite all of his enemies’ taunts, there is only one thing that matters, “While I am in the flock of the Good Shepherd, goodness and love will pursue me.”  The Lord sends His faithful collie dogs, snapping at our heels and constantly reminding us that He is good and we are loved; every day of our lives. The collies  mean us no harm, their job is to keep us moving, to keep us from going astray and to help the Shepherd as He marches ahead of His, often unruly, flock. I think if I had been a shepherd I might have called my dogs by these names – Goodness and Love! Thank God for His faithful sheepdogs, as they relentlessly do their work and will continue to do so, all the days of our lives!  Hallelujah!

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