Psalms 23:6 MKJV  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of Jehovah forever.

What a comfort it is to consider the leading of the most High, that He is continually providing for all our necessities with regard to food, protection, peace, and rest. Before He can be any of these things, however, He must first be what He is declared to be in the very first verse- a Shepherd that is embraced, possessed, looked up to and eternally possessed in submission. All the subsequent scenes of sweet communion will have no place in reality until the One that is leading there is seen as way more than just a companion, but as the only hope for life at all. A single step cannot be made towards His provision and place of quiet bliss until He is considered to be the great God of not only wonderful blessed provision, but also the One with the rod and the staff, the One who is completely and uncompromisingly Holy. No claim on the provision has any validity until there has been total surrender and submission to the One from whom all blessings flow. The goodness and mercy that is anticipated is more than just a wish in the heart of the One who understands the faithfulness of the great God of judgment. An awareness of His faithfulness in correction and consequence brings incredible confidence to the one who merely yields to His will in every aspect of life. Rather than being concerned in the least about any area of need, there is an abundant assurance that all is well with the One who is equally faithful to provide for all who comply to His will.

To dwell in the house of provision has everything to do with giving honor to the one who has secured the dwelling, stocked it with essentials, and protected it from threats. There is no passion for hanging out in the abode of one whose rules and standards are dishonored and ignored. When there is no respect for the power and integrity of the owner there will be an expectation of something quite opposite to goodness and mercy- rebellion and destructive judgment. The stories of David’s own sons are clear examples of this. Though Absalom and Solomon had the same relationship to David, there was great contrast in their perception of their father, and ultimately great contrast in what would follow their actions. Absalom, in failing to see the divinely given power and might of his father, chose instead to undermine and rebel. Though gifted as a leader, his dishonor and disrespect for his father prohibited his residence in a palace that was his every right to occupy. His failure to possess his inheritance in submission to his father brought an inevitable consequence of total loss and death.

His brother, though, maybe impacted by the example played out before him, held onto a passionate possession of not only his father’s relationship, but his position of authority and power in his life. Beyond the obvious human failures, he saw in his father a man who had been faithful to the God who had blessed him with protection and provision. Rather than resisting and rebelling for his own ambitions, he found in humility and submission a great opportunity for extended residence in the house of his honored father. In seeking wisdom over material blessings, he demonstrated complete and total deference to the One that would make all that other stuff just follow behind him as a wake.

For this day, there is a path that is lit and leading to restful provision. Its destination, though, is the dwelling place of the Almighty, Holy, and uncompromising Shepherd whose provision of goodness and mercy requires humble and fearful submission to the superiority of His will. To dwell is to first possess total honor for the Shepherd.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 6:24 am and is filed under Fear, Goodness, Holiness, honor, Judgment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.