Psalm 23:5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
The victorious shepherd king has brought me through the valley of the shadow of death and
welcomes me at his celebratory feast
Today is Day 7 of a set of meditations from Psalm 23.
Each day we will prayerfully read through the entire psalm, then focus on a particular verse.
Again, let me encourage you to be speaking these words to your soul, to the Lord, each morning as you awake and each evening as you fall asleep. As you bring these words to mind, you are feeding your soul, reshaping your soul more into the likeness of Christ, your true shepherd.
Consider what you would do if you ended up on a trip without either Bible, phone, or computer? You might even be staying in the home of someone who does not even have a Bible. How would you position yourself to be in the Word? How would you be able to listen to your heavenly Father’s voice? Having Scripture treasured in your heart, you would be able to bring it out and study it, enjoy it, still able to commune with the Lord.
Before starting today’s meditation, take a moment to review your thoughts, your notes regarding what you have covered so far during this set of meditations.
Who is our shepherd?
Our compassionate shepherd is Yahweh, the One who spoke all Creation into being. Who created us imago Dei, in the image of God, so that we would have union and communion with Him, a relationship unlike that with any of His other created beings, as well as declare His character to the world. He is the one who loves us and provides for us abundantly, such that we lack for nothing. He satisfies us so fully that in Him we find rest and refreshment for our bodies, as well as full restoration for our souls.
Our Shepherd knows our name! We know His voice. We belong to Him! He so loves us that has has sacrificed himself for our sake.
After renewing us, He leads us out to live for His glory in the paths which He has already determined for us. The calling which He has for us will undoubtedly lead us into narrow places of difficulty and suffering. Yet we are not clearing a new path, for He has gone before us. Neither are we alone, for He is with us, even if we cannot see him. Deep darkness and significant danger truly is not outside of the experience of the faithful Christian life. He is the faithful warrior king who has passed through the valley of death, having done battle on our behalf, coming out victorious on our behalf.
Our Shepherd King now invites us to celebrate his victory with Him at His royal table. We are invited into intimate fellowship with Him, celebrating His victory over the Evil One, rejoicing that our king has delivered us from the dark valley of evil. He does not simply welcome us to His table as honored guests. Rather, as Isaac Watts penned, “No more a stranger, nor a guest, but like a child at home.”
For Each Study, we will be going through six steps:
Relax and Refocus
Read
Reflect
Respond
Rest
Trying it on
Relax and Refocus
Find a spot where you can sit comfortably, away from other distractions as much as possible. Are you thirsty? Even if you are not aware of being so, you may be even a bit dehydrated. Support yourself in being able to be calm and focus by rehydrating. Drink some water with a pinch of sea salt or electrolyte water. After my water, I love to start my day with a cup of matcha.
As you pull aside from all the responsibilities, the many cares, the overwhelming burdens of your day, remember that the Lord loves you and He cares about the matters which weigh you down. He welcomes you to come sit at His feet, even as Mary of Bethany was welcomed when Jesus dined at their home. To include her in the group, Jesus broke strict social conventions, as well as theological interpretations of the Torah, to include her.
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me.”
And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be take away from her.” (Luke 10: 38- 42).
What emotions rise to the surface as you hear these words? What are some teachings which you have heard in the past regarding this passage? Tell them to Jesus. Bring them out into the open so that you can receive His Word.
Pause and Pray
Walk with me through this narrative, because here is a picture of how your Shepherd welcomes you to His feast.
John’s gospel tells us that Jesus loved Mary and Martha and Lazarus (see John 11), and He called them friends.
He welcomes you to come sit at His feet and fellowship with Him, as a friend, even as Mary of Bethany did. Not only did He invite her to come near, He honored her for all eternity for drawing near. He welcomes you. He is inviting you to draw near. What does Jesus say? “….But only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Consider this context that in Jesus’ day women and men did not mix. Not only by the theological traditions of the religious leadership, but also by the cultural standards, she would not have been allowed to sit with the men. Even more astounding in this narrative was that Jesus was inviting her to receive theological teaching, the same training that any other male follower of a highly respected rabbi would receive.
Even so, He invites you to draw near and enjoy His friendship! In Jesus’ day, women not be permitted to dine with the men. Yet our Shepherd has prepared a sumptuous feast for you. He invites you to dine with Him! He invites you to celebrate His friendship, His victory.
What emotions arise in your heart? What from this passage is especially meaningful to you at this moment? Let your heart overflow to the Lord Jesus, even if what you are trying to say seems rather messy and not as well thought out as you would prefer.
Pause and Pray
Read
Psalm 23
1 Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing, (for with Him I have everything that I need.)
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still water.
3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I 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 have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever
Notes:
Overflows
Hebrew: “Overflows” or “abundance”
In other Hebrew literature sources of approximately the same era, the word is used as “wealth, saturation, satisfaction.”
The Hebrew word used here is only found in one other place.
Psalm 66:12 “You brought us into a place of abundance.”
He prepares
The verb tense indicates an activity which is “ongoing” or “habitual”
The Hebrew grammar tense communicates that Yahweh continually and actively prepares a feast for me.
Reflect
Questions to guide you in pondering the passage. Use your “W questions” to think through the foundational message here. (The who, what, where, when, etc. questions that you probably last used in high school literature class.)
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies
*Who is speaking? The Shepherd? The sheep?
*We hear a pivot in this part of the psalm. What do you hear as you read the statement above?
Note how the voice switches to “you.” No longer do we hear a sheep speaking. We now hear David’s voice, David, who is a shepherd to his sheep, but also a sheep of the Good Shepherd, the Warrior King.
No more a stranger, nor a guest, but like a child at home.
*Who has prepared the feast?
The Warrior King is He who prepares the feast. That Warrior King is our Shepherd, Jesus, who has prepared a celebration with us! He has just passed from not simply the “valley of the shadow of death,” but from death on our behalf. We have just passed beyond the central statement of the psalm: “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
*What kind of provisions does our Shepherd provide for us? Does He simply provide the basics to satisfy our minimal needs?
The Shepherd prepares a feast for us in the wilderness, after he comes out of the valley of the shadow of death, yet before the full victory is witnessed. Imagine: He invites us to draw near and to celebrate with Him when the final battle has been done, yet still before all the “clean up work” is yet to be completed.
*Where is the feast spread?
Yahweh, in the wilderness, out His abundance, prepares a sumptuous meal for us. The conquering king invites us to feast with Him. He invites you to join Him at His table.
*What is your status as we feast with Him?
He invites us, not as servants, not as a defeated foe, but as His beloved children, just as beloved as the sheep whom Shepherd loves, cares, and sacrifices himself for.
*Who else is present? What about the enemies in our presence?
Our Shepherd celebrates with us, even while our enemies witness our feast. We do not need to be paralyzingly afraid of our enemies. Death is not our ultimate destroyer. The Evil One, the Accuser, our Adversary, no longer has the power over us, for his head has been crushed. We are now saved from the penalty, the power, and one day in the future, from the presence of sin. Neither do we need to fear his servants, for they are also facing the consequences of their evil.
The Shepherd invites us to His intimate fellowship meal as His friends. As Tim Keller beautifully expressed in his presentation, “Let the Psalms Teach you to Pray,”
Jesus, as our friend, is offering us candor and constancy.
With the candor He offers us vulnerability, openness, transparency.
With the constancy, He offers us commitment, as in “Friends always let you in—they never let you down. They always open their heart to you; always have enough time for you. ”
Consider how Jesus Christ made himself completely vulnerable to you while on the cross. He had all of hell coming down on Him, and yet He said, “Yet Thy will, not mine, be done.” He laid down His life in the greatest act of friendship. Even with all the mocking and cursing, the betrayal, He stayed faithful to the course which His Father had laid out for Him.
We need the ultimate friend whose love can overturn all the verdicts which others have about you. The ultimate friend who overturns the verdicts of the Accuser. He is the ultimate friend who laid down His life for us. (John 15: 13) In relationship with Him, He makes us into the human beings whom we were meant to be.
Our God, who can be our friend.
As Keller prayed, “Teach us not just to say our prayers, but to be a friend to you in prayer. Friend us, show us your face, Oh Yahweh!”
What is on your heart to speak to Yahweh in prayer?
We tend to believe that we need to be so very formal in how we approach our God. Jesus has cleared the way for us to be able to go directly into Yahweh’s presence and speak our hearts. You are one of His beloved sheep! He knows your name, knows your voice. Just speak!
Pause and Pray
You have anointed my head with oil.
In Jesus’ day and throughout the millennia practicing hospitality was a value of the highest priority. Jesus addressed three key protocols of hospitality while he was a guest in the home of a prominent Pharisee: the welcome kiss, the washing of feet, and the anointing of the head with oil. These were considered the standards for courtesy, reflecting the honor and respect due to a prominent rabbi. (Luke 7: 34- 50)
Jesus, our Shepherd and host, shows this same incredibly generous loving and lavish gesture to welcome us into His home to celebrate with Him.
My cup overflows
Note the generosity and the extravagance pictured here in this expression.
Do you hear any parallel with this word picture and anything else in this same psalm?
*How would you define abundance?
How is life with the Shepherd described in verse 1? “I shall lack nothing.”
Abundance is characterized by giving beyond any regular requirement. WE have a kind and generous Father who does not simply provide only the minimal for us. As my friend would joyfully say, “He also gives us dessert!”
Although David’s wealth and abundance which he experienced was because of the taxes and gifts of his people, he still acknowledged that Yahweh was the provider of all goodness.
Yet, our heavenly father makes no promise that we will always have our heads anointed with oil, an overflowing cup, or even that we will never go hungry. We do know that those do not live in harmony with the shepherd live in a wilderness wasteland, unable to see the Lord’s blessings. Those who do walk with Him, though, are refreshed and even fruitful even when in the midst of walking through great trials. (See Jeremiah 17: 5-8)
Pause and Pray
Respond
One key example of feasting before the final victory is our celebrating the Lord’s Supper. You recall that Jesus celebrated his final Passover with his disciples just before he was betrayed, arrested, led away to be crucified. At the meal Jesus humbled himself to the position of the lowest of servants to wash the feet of his disciples, including his betrayer, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Judas Iscariot. Jesus feasted in the presence of his enemy.
Jesus would soon fight the last battle to pay for our sin. When we meet around his table, feasting with Him at His invitation, we celebrate with a nibble of bread and wine in preparation for celebration at the Lamb’s Feast one day in His home, when ALL has been accomplished and fulfilled.
“No more a stranger, nor a guest, but like a child at home.”
Isaac Watts
Rest
One key example of feasting before the final victory is our celebrating the Lord’s Supper. You recall that Jesus celebrated his final Passover with his disciples just before he was betrayed, arrested, led away to be crucified. At the meal Jesus humbled himself to the position of the lowest of servants to wash the feet of his disciples, including his betrayer, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Judas Iscariot.
Jesus feasted in the presence of his enemy.
Jesus would soon fight the last battle to pay for our sin. When we meet around his table, feasting with Him at His invitation, we celebrate with a nibble of bread and wine, in preparing our palate for celebration at the Lamb’s Feast one day in His home, when ALL has been accomplished and fulfilled.
When you approach His Communion table, remind yourself of his extravagant love and hospitality in how He so deeply humbled himself for you, so that you might share in His glory! In His victory! Delight in His rejoicing over you!
Trying It On
Oh, Shepherd! O, Lord Jesus, you who show us Yahweh, you are the victorious warrior king over all sin and death and destruction of the Evil One! You who went through the Valley of Death for us, so that we might share in your death and share in your new life. We praise you for your mercy and abundant love in inviting us to come to your presence as your children, as your friend. There’s no need to hide in the shadows in fear or shame, because you have called me “daughter.”
Oh, risen, glorified Christ! The one to whom all authority has been given in heaven and on earth, you who are victorious over your enemies who sought to destroy you.
Shape me into a woman of joy, abundant joy, just like an overflowing cup. Let me fully and wholeheartedly sees that I am fully welcomed, fully rejoiced over, even as Mary was, for you have not changed. Let me pour out your love to others by showing hospitality, guiding them to know you as Shepherd, as my life in you is as fragrant anointing oil to draw others to you. Let me bring your shalom all people throughout my world.
Amen