Psalm 23 was written by a shepherd who knew the trade very well. It can be understood in the same way that a flock moves along the road throughout the year, so the Psalm moves along the road. Close your eyes and imagine the flock in each situation. In the previous verse we passed through the valley of the shadow of death. Who remembers why we had to go through the valley? Because in one place the grass had run out, and this path led to the next pasture, the summer season.
This was usually at a higher place, on the side of a hill, often a plateau that was as flat as an aspen. Before the shepherd let the flock out to pasture, he prepared the pasture, or "laid the table" for the sheep.
- Before the summer grazing season, the shepherd goes ahead to thoroughly inspect and prepare the site.
- It checks for poisonous plants, which it either avoids or systematically uproots before the sheep arrive.
- In addition, the shepherd looks for signs that wild animals may have passed by. If so, they must be hunted down or scared off in some way so that they do not disturb the sheep.
- In addition, the good shepherd cleans streams and small drinking ponds from pollution, as leaves, tree branches, stones, dirt and dirt often fell into the clean water or became overgrown with weeds. The shepherd has prepared the pasture for the summer grazing season.
„You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Psalm 23:5 ESV
The good shepherd welcomes you into his house
(and this is not the church)
the shepherd prepares the "table"
Eating together was a sign of intimate community in Eastern societies. If you had a problem with someone or despised someone, you refused to eat with them. e.g. the Pharisees had a problem with Jesus eating with sinners. God, with the motif of hospitality, is not just inviting us into the house of prayer, but into HIS PRESENCE, HIS COMMUNITY WITH HIM. Of course it is good to be in the house of prayer, but we can enter into God's presence at any time. He accepts you because you are His child.
How is God preparing the table for you? How does He prepare your fellowship with Him?
- Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. For all your sins, present, past, future. Without this you could never enter into the presence of God, because God is Holy and does not have fellowship with sin. This is the FIRST STEP to preparing the table.
- Throughout your life, it tries several times to address you, to show you its existence. Random events, or accidents that have just happened, or miracles that have escaped, for which there is no explanation, which is a sign that God is looking for you. I have had many of these in my life, but I am sure yours has too. Think about it. God has prepared the table for this, for an encounter with Him. Apostle Paul:
- “Nehéz neked az ösztöke ellen rugódoznod.” (Apcsel 26:14).
- Finally, by his sovereign power, he brought you to a place where the gospel was authentically preached and you could accept it.
- God has been preparing the table for you ever since, blessing your life, disciplining you if necessary, doing everything He can to be in fellowship with you. HE CONTINUALLY INVITES YOU INTO HIS PRESENCE. The question is, will you marry him? It's very sad to see people run in the opposite direction knowing this, as if to say I don't care about the table, I don't care how much you worked on it, I don't care that you died on the cross for me, God, I don't care about you, leave me alone, I don't want to be with you. How would you feel if someone did that to you?
You anoint my head with oil
In the ancient East, anointing the head with oil served several purposes (healing, ritual, and hospitality). In the context of hospitality, when an important guest arrived, the host would anoint the face and hair of the guest with fragrant oil, which would keep the guest smelling good all night. This was an expression of HIS DISCIPLINE AND HIS GREAT RESPECT FOR HIS GUEST. This explains why when Jesus was invited by a Pharisee and did not anoint his head with oil, he was expressing his disrespect for Jesus. He did not invite him to dinner because he respected him, but to get involved.
But God will anoint your head with oil, which means He loves you and you are very important to Him.
„But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. ... Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.” Isaiah 43:1-2, 4 ESV
"If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” John 12:26 ESV
So enough with the feeling of inferiority, because that is Satan's lie.
my glass is overflowing
God not only blesses you, but blesses you abundantly. It is mainly spiritual jobs that are referred to in the New Testament, but it is often true of material jobs as well. E.g. feeding 5000 people, there were leftovers. Isn't that wasteful? No, it is the cup overflowing.
„Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV
Is this not often the case in our lives? We ask God for bread, and he gives us bread with butter. And not just buttered bread, but breaded meat with French fries and cucumber salad.
You could say that I have been asking God for a long time, but he won't give it to me. So what is happening to me now? I don't know. My experience is that God has abundantly blessed me with everything I need.
- Try to take stock of the positive things in your life, the blessings God has given you, and not focus on what you don't have. God knows better than you what you need.
- There may be a reason why it would not be good for you if he gave you what you ask for now. I've had people who begged God for a wife, had a hard time getting one, then said it was easier to be single. Not everyone is ready for marriage. But so it is with money, kids, jobs, success, everything. God knows better. Can you accept that?
- You may not have what you want because of your sins. For example, if you hurt others all the time, you pray in vain for the Lord to give you friends. You need to repent first. It could also be that you don't have something in your life because of sins you committed a long time ago. God has forgiven you, but there are still consequences that may not be fixed. God still wants to give you overflowing blessings, just maybe not in the way you want.
- Or I have no idea why. He knows better, and I trust him, as hard as it is.
Another ancient Eastern custom was the law of hospitality. This meant that if a traveller entered your house and asked for food, you had to feed and water him. This was the accepted custom in the society of the time, and no one wanted to violate it. After dinner, when the host had done his duty, he would pour wine halfway into his glass. This was his way of saying that it was time to leave. Not a word had to be said, because everyone understood the reference. (This is not always the case today. Some guests simply don't want to leave. But if the host liked the guest for some reason, he would fill his glass to overflowing. This was a way of saying I liked you, you were important to me and I wanted you to stay the night. This is what David says in the Psalm: "Stay here, do not go away. You are welcome in my house. Stay here for the night, and even after that.
In front of the enemy
Everyone has enemies, even believers. No matter how nice you are to people, no matter how much love you have for them, there will be people who don't like it, because they are enemies of Christ. They don't hate you, they hate Jesus (of course, it is important that people don't hate you because of your own sins: bad language, malice, quarrelling, name-calling, hurtful words and actions).
„If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Romans 12:18 ESV
Unfortunately, this is not always possible, so we always have enemies. If everyone loves you, then you have to wonder whether you are representing Christ authentically in the world, or compromising to please everyone.
Remember who your real enemy is.
„For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 ESV
God is hosting you so that your enemies are watching and gnashing their teeth, but they can't help it. When there is a war, soldiers had to eat quickly, in a dog run, but here David is saying that with GOD'S PRESENCE, MAN CAN EAT EAT EARLY, no need to rush. If you abide in God, the enemy cannot overcome you, you overcome them. God gives victory to all who fight with Him.
e.g. John 21, when Jesus is feeding the disciples, and the enemy, the devil, is furious and gnashing his teeth because he has failed to destroy Peter, and even failed to destroy his ministry.
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31-32 ESV
Personal application
- The main message of today's passage? Come into the presence of God. He has done all he can to make this happen, he has set the table for you, and he wants to keep you well even when your enemies try to stop you.
- Maybe you have never experienced this before, then today is the time to experience what it is like to be with God. There's a famous verse where God says He wants to have dinner with you, Revelation 3:20, He wants to be in relationship with you. Satan can't do anything if you let Jesus in the door, but only you can do that because the handle is inside.
- Finally, the Bible TALKS ABOUT ONE MENTIONED ASSTAL. It will be when Jesus comes back, and it will be the marriage of the lamb. There will be everything that the eye can see. It's going to be a big party.
„On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.” Isaiah 25:6 ESV
And in the book of Revelation it says:
„Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;” Revelation 19:7 ESV
Do you have tickets for this dinner?