The Shepherd's Psalm (Pt. 5)

 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:5-6 ESV).

 

Our reading today as we continue in the Shepherd’s Psalm is taken from the last two verses of this wonderful hymn. While we will not finish all of the content today, it may be the most encouraging of all the declarations David has made. Remember Psalm 23 is one of the most prolific poems of the Bible, familiar to many outside the Judeo-Christian tent. It’s a poem of reassurance, inviting us to join David as he rests in the comfort and guidance of God. The principle declaration is that we are not alone in our journey. And not only will God guide and protect you, but God will flaunt your bounty in front of your foes!

 

The Prophet Isaiah sees this victory and says:

 

For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. (Isaiah 9:4-5 ESV).

 

The God who empowers us to walk without fear in the valley of the shadow of death is the One who leads us there in the first place. The Spirit that hovered over the waters of the Jordan and revealed Jesus’ identity as the Beloved is the same Spirit who leads him into the wilderness to be tested. The Jesus who stands atop the mountain transfigured is the same Jesus who descends willingly to the dead. This God is the one who sets a banquet and sends the servants into the streets to fill open seats (cf. Matthew 22:9). This Jesus is the one who shares a table with tax collectors, outcasts, and the unclean.

 

We need to be careful to see the table as inclusive. This table is long and broad, groaning under the weight of the feast it holds. Chairs and benches extend in either direction, as far as the eye can see. It is a show of God’s provision and abundance, and of God’s boundless grace toward even those whom we consider to be our enemies. I’m still enough of a simpleton to take God at His word. This image is literal. Our real enemies – the world, the flesh, and the devil – will all be left to gaze on our bounty and be rendered helpless to stop our celebration. All of the pain, trial, and persecution will fade into nothing more than a distant shadow of a memory. That’s what we have as our absolute hope!