23rd Psalms Christians: Going Places with God
Lesson 6 To The Tablelands, Psalms 23:5
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Thou preparest a table
In our last
lesson we listened as David, reflected on the life of sheep and relationship
with the shepherd they traveled from the
winter feeding grounds through the dark valleys towards the cool high mountain
pastures. The journey was dangerous yet it was also the time when the sheep and
the shepherd grew closer, as the sheep drew close to the shepherd for comfort
and protection.
Now in verse
5 the valley trip is over, the flock has ascended to the high mountain pastures
and now they look out upon the "table" spread before him.
Phillip
Keller write, "So it may be seen that what David referred to as a table
was actually the entire high summer range.
Though these may have been remote and hard to reach,
the energetic and aggressive sheep owner
takes the time and trouble to ready them
for the arrival of his flocks.
Early in the
season, even before all the snow has
been melted by spring sunshine, he will go ahead and make preliminary survey trips into this rough,
wild country. He will look it over with
great care, keeping ever in mind its best use for his flock during the coming
season.
Then just
before the sheep arrive he will make another expedition or two to prepare the
tableland for them. He takes along a supply of salt and minerals to be
distributed over the range at strategic spots for the benefit of the sheep
during the summer. The intelligent, careful manager will also decide well ahead
of time where his camps will be located so the sheep have the best bed grounds. He goes over the range carefully
to determine how vigorous the grass and upland vegetation is. At this time he
decides whether some glades and basins can be used only lightly whereas other
slopes and meadows may be grazed more heavily.
He will check
to see if there are poisonous weeds appearing, and if so, he will plan his
grazing program to avoid them, or take drastic steps to eradicate them."
Stephen Haboush
also writes of this same verse, "What, then, is the "table"
that: the sheep speaks about? It is the pasture ground that the Shepherd
prepares for his sheep in advance of their coming.
And what are
the "enemies?" The foxes, wolves, bears, and serpents. Palestine
being a mountainous country, the wild beasts have not even yet been entirely
destroyed.
Shepherds
must contend with the wild beasts in protecting their sheep, as I can testify
from personal experience. What did I do when I saw a wolf coming to attack the
sheep that belonged to me? How did I feel when I saw a wolf? The queerest
sensation would run up and down my spine. I think the hair on my head would
stand up,. but though fright froze me and tremors shook me, I never yielded to
the wolf a single inch of the ground that I stood on. I would call my two dogs,
pat them on the back, and tell them to charge. They usually would sense and see
the wolf before I would and they would give me timely warning. They would set
up a fierce barking and angry swishing of their tails as soon as they perceived
the lurking danger. These dogs were father and son. Seeing the wolf, the
younger dog would rush ahead and entice the wolf away from the rocks and
boulders to an open space. When he had
succeeded in this the fight began. Thereupon the older dog would run around
them in corkscrew fashion, with the speed of a racehorse, all the time coming
closer to the wolf in the center. The older dog continued his circular run
until he had reached the point of vantage he was after. Then he stopped quite
suddenly. A thrilling sight as he stood there, ready for the decisive leap!
Every muscle of his body was strained to a superlative effort. The muscles
became so knotted that you could see them bulge on neck, shoulders, and legs.
What a friend such a faithful dog is in a crisis such as I am describing! From
his youth he had been a friend. Many a
time he protected me. There have been occasions when but for him my life would
have been at the mercy of some prowling beasts. And once more he was ready to
do the utmost for me now that he stood alone between those fangs and the lives
of those, including myself, in his care,
Now the supreme moment had come, the moment that should determine whether he
would live or give his life in the struggle.
It was the climax of the occasion, the crisis of the
battle that moment when he strained his every muscle for the stupendous leap.
As he stood there ready for the leap, I watched him tense with emotion. Upon
his efforts depended the safety of the flock and perhaps my own life.
Spellbound, I awaited the moment that was to bring the decision. How the eyes
of our defender gleamed! Like a twin
torch they signaled defiance to the marauding denizen of the wild. The open
jaws disclosed teeth as sharp as needles. A last bark, short, shrill, sharp,
and with a sure leap he landed on the body of the foe. With unerring instinct
he found the artery that harbored the life blood of the beast, and the next
moment it lay on its side, forever deprived of power to prowl and prey. Need I
point out that it was a joy to me to watch such a struggle and to witness such
a victory. All honor to the faithful dogs!"
Jesus, our Shepherd, made preparations for us
Just as the real shepherds above and David, Our shepherd has
made preparations for us. Read John
14:1-5 to see some of these.
Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you.” Where was
Jesus going immediately after this night?
He was going to be Mt. Calvary and the cross to be crucified
in our place
Considering the crucifixion that Jesus had in mind, how did
He prepare us a place?
By His death on the cross, he paid the price for our sin, and then through His resurrection He proved
His power over sin.
What is meant by a place and many mansions, that Jesus
prepared for us by His sacrifice?
A dwelling place not really a mansion. (See John 14:23 same word "mone" in Greek is here
translated abode.) We are to abide with Jesus forever this is much better than
any mansion could ever be.
Are there other preparations which God has made for my
"table?"
The Bible, the church, family, friends, health this list is
endless.
Thou anointest my head
At this time, in the high mountain ranges, summer is in it's
fullest bloom. There is plenty of forage
in the pasture prepared by the shepherd. Yet it is at this very time that the
sheep often are plagued by small but annoying problems. If these irritants are not dealt with the
sheep become discontent and unhappy.
Both Keller
and Haboush speak of oil that is carried by the shepherd to anoint the sheep
during this time. The oil is used to
heal wounds, skin diseases and also to ward off insects from the sheep's nose
and eyes. The shepherds care of his
sheep this way prevents their become too annoyed and upset to forage or rest.
The Comfort of the Holy Spirit
The Lord’s care
of us as His sheep also involves dealing with those things which can irritate,
annoy and even hurt us by preventing us from feeding and resting.
Let's go back
to John 14. This time read verses 16-17.
What does this passage tell me about how God will deal with
the irritants in life?
He will send the comforter to indwell me.
Who is the Comforter?
The Holy Spirit.
What is the Greek word for comforter and what does it mean?
The Greek word is paraclete and it means comforter,
strengthener, advocate. Literally it
means "one called alongside to help."
Look at only a few of the ways the
Holy Spirit helps us.
|
Scripture
|
Means
of Help
|
|
John 14:26
|
teach, cause to remember
|
|
John 16:13
|
guide into all truth
|
|
Romans 8:26
|
makes intercession
|
|
Romans 15:13
|
all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope
|
|
Galatians 5:22-23
|
Fruit, love, joy, peace etc.
|
The Bible
clearly and emphatically tells us that the Holy Spirit indwells us and me as
the Bible says and I still find myself irritated, anxious and worred so much
that I cannot rest or feed from God’s word, What could be the problem? How could the following scripture relate?
Read Ephesians 5:18-20.
If I do not yield myself to the working of the Holy Spirit,
I cannot enjoy the comfort He brings. If
I allow myself to be filled with anger, bitterness, gossip, etc., I am like the person Paul warns not to be
filled with wine. I am allowing myself
to be controlled by something other than the Holy Spirit.
My cup runneth over.
Stephan
Haboush has an interesting story that explains the meaning of "my cup
runneth over."
In your familiarity with the Psalm, have
you ever gotten any meaning from the above statement? Having its origin in the
East, let us see what light can be had therefrom. Let me tell you a story from
which I hope you will get the meaning of "my cup runneth over."
A pilgrim,
having a very dear and intimate friend in a distant country, visits him. Upon
his arrival, this pilgrim, though in a strange land, finds the gates and doors
of the palace of his friend open and the friend standing expectantly with open
arms to welcome him to his bosom. The pilgrim is refreshed wonderfully; the
dust of the long and tedious journey is washed away, and he is made to feel at
home. He did not dream of The wealth or of the great possessions of his friend,
or of the beauty that he saw in every nook and corner of the magnificent
palace. Years before by way of accident he had made the acquaintance of this
friend but he had had no idea that the latter had such wonderful possessions.
The modesty and the spirit of humility and the unusual graciousness of this
friend upon their first meeting led the pilgrim to believe that he was poorer
than himself. But now his eyes were open to the greatness of this wonderful
friend. Every conceivable thing was lavished on the pilgrim. From the hour of
his rising to the hour of his slumber he was entertained royally, for nothing
was left undone to make his stay the richest experience of his life. Every wish, and every want was fulfilled. The
time of parting came. The pilgrim was to return to the land of his home.
How will he
express his appreciation to his wonderful host? If he offered gold and silver
his friend would feel insulted, for he was vastly richer than the pilgrim.
Would the mere words "thank
you" or "much obliged" be sufficient to express his sincere
appreciation of the wonderful hospitality? How, then, should he express his
gratitude? The pilgrim, while visiting his friend, learned many strange
customs. Time after time there came to his ears this expression:
"Mamnonok-Kateerang." But what did it mean? Every time this was said
by a departing guest there came a look of complete gratification upon the face
of his friend and host. Upon inquiring, he learned it was the supreme
expression of appreciation among true friends in the East: "My cup runneth
over."
In the above
story Jesus is our host and we would be the guest. All we can say as thanks is "My cup runneth over!"
We as guests
at the table our shepherd has prepared should be overwhelmed by the
graciousness and generosity of our shepherd.
Read the following verses and list the blessing or gift which is ours
through Jesus Christ.
|
Scripture
|
Blessing
or Gift
|
|
John 14:27
|
Peace
|
|
John 15:5
|
Fruitfulness
|
|
John 15:11
|
Joy
|
|
John 15:12
|
Love
|
|
John 15:27
|
Purpose
|
|
John 16:13
|
Truth
|
|
John 16:20
|
Promise
|
|
Others ?
|
|
Conclusion:
Consider also this list of God's blessing in the life of His
sheep.
He has given me...
Love that can never be measured.
Life that can never be finished.
Righteousness that can never be spotted.
Peace that can never be destroyed.
Rest that can never be disturbed.
Joy that can never be faded.
Glory that can never be clouded.
Light that can never be dimmed.
Happiness than can never be saddened.
Strength that can never be weakened.
Wisdom that can never be baffled.
Supply that can never be exhausted.
Truly My Cup runneth over.
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