Psalm 23: Shepherd and Host II

God is not only my shepherd; he is also my host. The shepherd protects me from harm and guides me on the right path; the host welcomes me and gives me a good meal and fine accommodations.

"You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows."

The battle rages; enemies approach. They sharpen their weapons and take aim. What does God do? He fixes a meal for us. Right in the middle of the battle, right where the action is most dangerous. The verse is so powerful because it arises as a direct response to the feeling expressed in a verse in Psalm 78.

Psalm 78, the second longest psalm, describes the history of the people in Israel until the kingship of David. When it speaks of Israel's wilderness wanderings, it stresses the disobedience of the people. They lacked food and, thinking to mock God, said, "Can God spread a table in the desert?" (v. 19) The question reverberated through the corridors of time until our author decided to give a decisive answer to it. And what an answer! God can and does spread a table for us--a sumptuous feast. The psalmist takes it even one step further. God supplies our need, not simply in the desert but also in a place of great, immediate danger.

The spirit of Psalm 23:5 is like that of Paul, who says in Romans 8 that we are not simply conquerors in Christ; we are more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37). We not only have a feast in the desert but we have it in the midst of enemies. And the portions are not small. We don't have to eat and run because an impending rainstrom might wash out the church picnic. rather, "my cup overflows." Every need is taken care of amid our foes.

Thinking about foes leads to a final thought. When I think of enemies, I think of being chased. My heart pounds, sweat bathes my brow, my breath becomes a series of gasps. I've got to escape! The psalmist is also thinking about being pursued, yet he is being pursued by God. Read verse 6:

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long."

Oh, what a triumph! The voice at my back, the sound at my heels is the sound of the hound of heaven who pursues me all the days of my life. It is a friend who comes after me, to embrace me and wash over me with cups of goodness and buckets of love.

Don't you feel pursued at times? When I am pressured, I feel lik I am being chased. My heads starts to hurt. I take deep breaths. I don't know if I'll be ready on time. Even if I am ready, I worry that I will fail at the presentation. What a joy to think that the sounds I hear pursuing me are really the graciousness and love of God. They are not following to pummel me or to exhaust me, but to set a table for me, to calm me, to restore my balance and rhythms, to say, "It's OK to slow down and breathe, because I'll let you feast in the middle of life's battles."

What more can I say? God has given his invitation to the great feast while the battles of life still rage. Let's sit down to the table and sup with him. The table is every meal, but it especially points to that meal called Communion or the Lord's Supper, in which we celebrate the Christ who gave himself so that we may live.

So come to the table. The cups are brimming. The feast is prepared. Don't wait until the battle is over to sit down for the meal. The battle will never be over in this life. God calls us now. Let him be our shepherd and our host now in the midst of life.

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Easter IV--April 29, 2007 Easter IV--April 13, 2008

Easter IV--April 29, 2007
Easter IV--April 13, 2008