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

Psalm 23:6 

As we conclude our 23 days in Psalm 23, it is only right that we look at the most important issue facing mankind, his eternal salvation. It comes as no surprise that as David enjoyed all of the benefits of knowing “the Lord as his Shepherd,” his ultimate destination was to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

God has made a new covenant with mankind, one that includes Jews and Gentiles (the rest of the world) alike. Consider the words of Jesus: 

“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”                                                                       

                                                                                                                     John 6:40 

This verse contains no less than three very important elements. First, the gospel is for everyone who will receive Christ. A realization of our sinful condition and the eternal separation that comes for those outside of knowing Christ is the starting point for anyone to receive the gospel. We must recognize, that apart from Jesus, we are wholly inadequate to stand before a righteous and holy God. As the world rejects that reality, tragically they also reject the gospel. But when we realize our spiritual depravity and need for a Savior, we are then in a position to receive His gift of deliverance.

Secondly, this good news is for everyone who will behold Jesus. The word “behold” means that we “see” or “consider” Christ. But I believe the most exciting part of this definition is that when we behold Jesus, we are “enjoying the presence of Him.” In other words, to behold Christ, is to know Jesus in an intimate and personal way.

Consider all of the word pictures used in scripture pointing us to this relationship with Jesus. God is our heavenly Father while believers are referred to as His children (1 John 3:1). Christ is the groom while we are His bride (Ephesians 5:22-33). And scripture tells us that everyone who belongs to Jesus is now a friend of God (John 15:15). A parent-child relationship, a man and woman entering into a marriage covenant, and the joy of having good friends, these are all illustrations explaining that Jesus desires for us to behold Him, thus enjoying His presence in our lives.

Thirdly, this passage echoes the central theme of the New Testament; that salvation is for those who will believe. To believe is to personally trust in Jesus for our salvation. It is to confidently surrender control of our lives over to His capable hands. And it means that we firmly rely on Him and the finished work on the cross as our means of being justified and made right before God (Galatians 2:16). The promise is that for those who will believe in Jesus, they will have eternal life (Acts 16:31, John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8).

Jesus tells us that the will of the Father is that everyone who behold the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life and that Jesus Himself will be the One to raise us up on the last day. Have you surrendered your life to Jesus? Can you be counted among those who are going to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever”? It would be a tragedy to end this study and not to have made that commitment to Jesus. Call on Him today and begin to experience what it means to be born again!