His Table Before Me [Devotion]

Psalm 23 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

The 23rd Psalm is probably the most quoted Psalm and it’s easy to see why. Its simple message of the Lord’s strength and comfort for His people, even in the midst of hardship, is one that we often need to hear. I love the imagery that reminds us that the shepherd may lead us through the valley of the shadow of death but He walks through its shadow with us.

But I wanted to reflect specifically on verse 5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

This verse came to mind as I reflected on the humbling way in which the Lord showered my family with favor over the last month and a half of 2019. I won’t take up your time by going into all the details but from mid-November through December God, through many different blessings took incredibly stressful news and turned it into peace. He took slim finances and answered our need with anonymous gifts. I barely had to buy groceries in December because He prompted several families to give us large quantities of food. And I’m not just talking about meeting our needs… God went far, far, beyond what we needed to grant us undeserved but much welcomed abundance. And that’s what I think we see in verse 5, undeserved abundance.

Verse 1 states that God’s role as shepherd means our needs will be met. Verse 2 talks about Him providing our needs as he leads us to food and water. Verse 3 shows that He gives life spiritually as well as direction and leadership in our lives. Verse 4 reminds us that He protects us and is with us in difficult and dark times.

But verse 5 is where we see Him prepare a table in the presence of our enemies. In the context, that David is writing in, this imagery leaves behind the fields of sheep and shepherd and takes us into the royal courts. The table being prepared is referring to when a king would throw a banquet in honor of a favored subject. It is a gesture of generosity and favor.

It’s not as though we to be honored or exalted. We certainly don’t deserve His generosity or favor. But in many ways that’s the point. God, in His generosity, goes far beyond what we deserve and even beyond what we need. Think, if He only gave us what we deserved we’d be damned. If He only gave us what we need His gifts to us would have stopped with His Son who is needed for eternal life (and I am in no way down playing that gift) but we know from scripture that every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:17)! How glorious to serve such a God! I’m not saying this to imply that following Him entitles us to easy lives or earthly riches. I don’t want us to think that if we’re faithful God will turn into a cosmic vending machine dispensing our desires. That’s not what the Psalm is saying. Rather we see that the faithful Shepherd not only cares for His flock but raises them up to places of honor and sets them apart for Himself. We are exalted and set apart in Christ (Romans 8 :16-17)!

And why is it done in the presence of enemies? For God to get the glory. Whether the enemies referred to are those who oppose God’s work in us in an earthly way (i.e. persecution), those who oppose God’s work in us in a spiritual way (Satan and his angels), or even death itself God will deliver His people from all enemies not so that they may lord it over them but rather that God may be glorified in the completion of His work.

Whether you are lying down in green pastures or walking through the valley of the shadow of death know that God is preparing the great feast of heaven for His sheep. And remember that His earthly blessings are only shadows and reminders of the true eternal blessings and glory we find in the person of our Savior Jesus Christ. These earthly blessings are His goodness and mercy that follow us all our days and by His grace we will dwell in His house forever!