There is a word in Psalm 23:6 that I think we miss because of the way it gets translated into English.

David says, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.”

When we hear “follow,” we generally think of somebody walking behind us. Your kid is following you through the grocery store. Someone says, “Follow me over to the park.” It's not a particularly dramatic word.

That's not what is happening here. The Hebrew word means to pursue. It can be used in a military context, referring to an aggressive party chasing down an enemy to capture or destroy them.

David knew what that felt like. He had been pursued by enemy armies. He had spent time wondering if they were going to catch him, and now he takes that same picture and flips it around. Instead of being pursued by an enemy, David says he is being pursued by the loving kindness of God.

What Is God's Loving Kindness?

The word translated “love” in this passage is chesed. It is one of those Hebrew words that is difficult to reduce to a single English word. Depending on the translation, you might see love, mercy, faithfulness, loving kindness, or something similar. This is a very special word.

It is covenantal commitment. It is the stronger party deciding, out of loyalty, to continue doing good toward the weaker party. And in our relationship with God, we know who the stronger party is. God doesn't owe us this kind of love. We cannot demand it from him. He chooses it.

God is saying, in effect, “I have decided to love you, to show mercy to you, to do good to you, and I will be loyal to that commitment.”

This Is the God Who Introduces Himself to Moses

We see this same idea in Exodus 34. Moses, who had been a shepherd and is now shepherding God's people through the wilderness, asks God to let him see Him. God tells Moses that He will pass by and proclaim His name.

And when God does, he describes himself as compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin.

God is essentially saying, “I want you to understand this is a core part of how I want you to see Me.”

When you hear the name Yahweh, remember this. Remember that God is the stronger party who has chosen covenant loyalty toward his people. That is the God David says is pursuing him.

Sometimes We Don't Notice It

The interesting thing about God's loving kindness is that sometimes we don't even notice it.

We're focused on something else. We're worried about something else. We're dealing with something difficult and our attention gets pulled toward that.

I've noticed little pictures of this in my own family. My wife's loving kindness constantly pursues our kids. She cuts up fruit and tastes it first to make sure it's not too sour. She manages their medications. She checks on them. She does all kinds of things that communicate, “I'm taking care of you.” And the kids don't always notice.

Sometimes we don't notice God's loving kindness either. We are focused on what's happening in front of us, and meanwhile God is doing things behind the scenes that we aren't aware of.

That's one of the reasons I think the prayer, “God, open my eyes,” is so important.

Show me your loving kindness. Help me notice what you're doing.

David's Story Gives Us Another Picture

There is another story from David's life that I think illustrates this particularly well.

David had made a covenant with Jonathan, the son of Saul. Saul was David's enemy. He was literally trying to kill David. Now David had promised Jonathan that when he became king, he would care for Jonathan's family.

Eventually David does become king. And at that point, it would have been completely reasonable and even prescribed for David to eliminate Saul's descendants, because they could have become a threat to his throne.

Instead, David asks, “Is there anyone still left from the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness (chesed) for Jonathan's sake?”

He's pursuing someone so that he can show chesed to them.

Eventually he finds Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth.

And David brings him into the house of the king and tells him that he will always eat at the king's table.

That's the progression that I love. He is pursued by loving kindness. He is brought into the house of the king. He is given a seat at the king's table.

And when I hear Psalm 23 after hearing that story, it makes me wonder whether David is remembering some of this when he writes, “You prepare a table before me,” and “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Becoming People Who Show Chesed

There is an obvious application for us at Tables Church.

Let's show Chesed to one another.

Let's be people who look like our God. Let's be people who decide that we are going to love each other and that we're not going to stop when someone messes up. We're going to restore people. We're going to sit at the table with one another. We're going to talk. We're going to eat. We're going to do this as often as we can, because this is the kind of God we have: A God whose loving kindness relentlessly pursues broken people.

If we are becoming people who look like Jesus, then His way of loving people should start to become our way of loving people too.

Scripture: Psalm 23:6; Exodus 34:6–7; 2 Samuel 9:1–13

Reflection: Is there someone in your life who may need to experience God's loving kindness through you? What would it look like to intentionally pursue that person with patience, presence, or practical care?