Shane & Shane – Psalm 23 (Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy)

Shane & Shane is a worship duo that began as a solo act in 2001 and formed in 2002, releasing their first album Psalms.  The name “Shane & Shane” comes from the first names of its two performers: Shane Barnard and Shane Everett.

They have released a total of fourteen albums, including:

• Psalms (2002)
• Carry Away (2003)
• Upstairs (2004)
• Clean (2004)
• An Evening with Shane & Shane (2005)
• Pages (2007)
• Glory in the Highest: A Christmas Record (2008)
• Everything Is Different (2009)
• The One You Need (2011)
• Bring Your Nothing (2013)
• The Worship Initiative (2015)
• Psalms, Vol. 2 (2015)
• Hymns, Vol. 1 (2018)
• Hymns (Live) (2019)

This requested song, Psalm 23 (Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy), comes from their 2015 album Psalms, Vol. 2.

Lyrics can be found at https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/shaneshane/psalm23surelygoodnesssurelymercy.html.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

It is, as expected, Psalm 23.  The artist changes the order of this Psalm, both in wording and verse order.  They also added a few words not contained in the Psalm as their artistic choice, but has the same theme presented: that God is our guide, our comfort, and source of goodness to which our response is worship, entering into a personal relationship with God.

The same truths found in this Psalm exist in the New Testament also.  I provided Scriptural references in section 2 to connect the dots.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

Almost all the lines come directly from Psalm 23, with the small exception also Biblical.

I added my own verse/chorus/bridge distinctions since none was provided.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1-2: Shows dependence on God as our guide (Psalm 23:1-2).  Jesus describes Himself as the good shepherd, with His followers as His flock (John 10:1-18, John 10:24-29).

Line 3 and 4: That is, God saves us from our brokenness and restores us to a relationship with Himself for His glory (Psalm 23:3).  Jesus, through the cross, has paid the penalty for our lawbreaking (Isaiah 53:1-12, Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, John 1:29, John 3:16, John 19:30, Acts 4:12, Acts 20:28, Romans 5:6-10, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 1:3-4, Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 2:14, 1 Timothy 2:6, Titus 2:14, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:15, Hebrews 9:22, Hebrews 9:26, 1 Peter 1:17-21, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 2:1-2, and Revelation 5:9) and reconciled us to Himself (Romans 5:10, Romans 11:15, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, Ephesians 1:3-10, Ephesians 2:15-18, and Colossians 1:20-22).  Christ came to glorify the Father (John 12:28).

[Chorus]

Lines 1-4: It is through God’s love and mercy that our relationship with God is restored, resulting in eternal praise (Psalm 23:6).

For restoration, see commentary in Verse 1, lines 3-4.  For eternal praise, see Nehemiah 9:5, Psalm 30:12, Psalm 52:9, Psalm 86:12, Psalm 89:1, Psalm 115:18, Psalm 145:1-2, Psalm 145:21, and Revelation 5:9-13.

[Verse 2]

Lines 1-2: Contextually, it is King David who received vindication of his enemies who exalted themselves, insulting him (Psalm 13:1-2).  There is a clear shift in power, that David rules and his enemies must stand idle, unable to touch him.  That is the historical meaning of God’s table preparation (Psalm 23:5).

Under the New Testament, the final enemy that must stand and watch is death (1 Corinthians 15:26).  Christ defeated it when He resurrected from the dead (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20, Acts 1:3, Acts 3:15, Acts 4:33, and 1 Corinthians 15:3-8).  The table God prepares is the final resurrection banquet, as described in Matthew 22:1-14.

Lines 3 and 4: This is the only section that is not found in Psalm 23.  Line 3 borrows from Psalm 91:5.

Shane & Shane describes trust in God regardless of scenario.  This is the attitude of Abraham (Genesis 15:1-6), Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego (Daniel 3:16-18), and Paul (2 Corinthians 11:16-33 and 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

[Bridge]

Lines 1-3: See commentary in Verse 2, lines 3 and 4.  Also, see Psalm 23:4.

Lines 1-5: Repeats lines 1 and 2.

Line 6: Carries the same idea as line 3.

Lines 7-12: Repeats lines 1-6.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Psalm 23 is a popular and often-quoted Scripture passage that unbelievers should easily recognize it as Biblical.  The Biblical language offered is easy for them to understand its meaning.

Score: 10/10

4. What does this song glorify?

God.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

It should not surprise us that Shane & Shane’s Psalm 23 (Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy) scored high, especially given that almost 100% of the song directly quotes from it.  Those who are not Christians should easily understand its reference and meaning, bringing glory to God.

This is a great addition for someone looking for a directly Scriptural song for their worship set.

Final Score: 10/10

Artist Info

Track: Psalm 23 (Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy) (listen to the song)

Artist: Shane & Shane

Album: Psalms, Vol. 2

Genre: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)

Release Year: 2016

Duration: 4:47

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

07/13/2023 – Updated commentary on Verse 2, lines 3 and 4.  Thanks to J for the great catch!