18 (pt. 2). The Supply of Nourishment: "a table before me" (23:5a, pt. 2)

Psalm 23:5a

The Provision: God provides a table of spiritual nourishment. Nowhere in the Old Testament is the word “table” used for a “tableland” of grass. Indeed, most of the grass eaten by the sheep I saw in the Holy Land on both of my visits were mere nubs of barely perceptible blades of grass.

            Clearly the “table” used in Psalm 23:5 is a symbolic parable for spiritual food which the Lord prepared and prepares for me. This “table” is filled with abundant spiritual nourishment. When Peter professed his love for Christ, in his three-fold restoration at the Sea of Galilee found in John 21, Christ responded with one command “Feed My lambs…shepherd My sheep…Feed My sheep.”

             Lambs and sheep need feeding and shepherding so that they can find a table of food. Jesus said that “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work." God's will was food for Him, and indeed it is food for us as well. 

            The Apostle Paul also was concerned that the church needed to be protected and fed in Acts 20:28: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to feed the church of God.”

            And if that were not enough, Peter, perhaps remembering Christ's final command to him (who could ever forget the aforementioned John 21 restoration)  also urged the pastors who read his epistle to “feed the flock of God” (1 Peter 5:2). God will feed us through our pastors and spiritual leaders, but most of all, through His Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Place: God places the table in front of His sheep. 

            We already saw that the Shepherd “prepared a table” beforehand, as in time. But this “before me” is not so much of a time but rather a place. It is a dimensional placement of the table. The word before means “In front of my face and before my very eyes,”  It is in this place that the Shepherd shows me the table of nourishment He has prepared for me.

          God demonstrates the place of His provision in the parable of the separation of the sheep and the goats, found in Matthew 25:34 – “Then the King shall say to (the sheep) at His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

            As mentioned yesterday, those who reject Christ, there is another prepared place, but it was prepared for the devil and his demons. “Then He shall say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

            If Heaven is prepared as a place where no evil can enter, and all that remains in our essence is the good that God has supplied within us, what else could Hell be, other than a place prepared where no good can enter, and all that remains there within those souls who have rejected Christ's supply of forgiveness in their essence is the utterly wicked that the devil and his angels has placed within their unforgiven souls? C.S. Lewis said of the unrepentant, 

"What are you asking God to do (for them)? To wipe out their past sins and, at all costs, to give them a fresh start, smoothing every difficulty and offering every miraculous help? But He has done so, on Calvary. To forgive them? They will not to be forgiven. To leave them alone? Alas, I am afraid that is what He does."

The Problem of Pain, chapter 8, "Hell" 

            Then where is that kingdom place for the forgiven? where is the "table before me" which is that spiritual inheritance? God Himself through His Good Shepherd has prepared it “before me” spiritually in front of me, even though I cannot see it with my physical eyes. Jesus said in Luke 17:20-21, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;  nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” 

“Dear Shepherd, before my spiritual eyes,
I see a table of heavenly food prepared.
May I feast at your banqueting table. Amen.”

18. The Supply of Nourishment: "Thou preparest a table before me" (23:5a)

Psalm 23:5a

A tradition seder meal prepared in Israel

            Psalm 23:5 keeps the intimate second person language which began in verse 4, with the sheep addressing the shepherd directly. In all, there are ten lessons to be learned in these tender two verses. As I, His sheep, commune with my shepherd, I see the prepared supply of nourishment, despite the surrounding of the enemies. In this verse, I see my Shepherd anoint my head with the overflowing abundance of His Spirit.  

The Preparation: God has prepared for me a table. The word “prepare” means to “lay in order.” He has been expecting me and prepared a table as I come out of the Valley of the Death Shadow.

            1. Notice the prepared supper. He supplies the nourishment we need. In Matthew 22, He invites the entire world to His prepared table: “ ⁴He sent out his servants, saying, ‘Tell them “Behold, I have prepared my dinner: … all things are ready, come to the marriage.” Unfortunately, not all will not come.
            I love how the servants gathered “as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests” (22:10). I do not have to be good enough to come to His table, I simply must respond and be clothed in His forgiveness (22:12).

            2. Secondly, notice the prepared salvation. God prepared my salvation and chose me in Christ. Ephesians 1:4 – “He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.” This salvation is a blessed inheritance of a kingdom. Jesus said, “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Matthew 25:34).
 

            3. Thirdly, His preparations are secure! Do not have any reservations about your reservation in heaven. Not only is His preparation secure, it is spacious! Jesus Christ, right now, is preparing heaven for me and all who trust Him. John 14 says, “ ²In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

  4. Also, His preparations will be spectacular, unheard of, and quite unimaginable. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Elsewhere, Paul described the preparations are made to show the splendor of His glory, "that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory."

          5.  There is another preparation, though, and it is a preparation of separation. Not all will come to the table prepared for them. Not all will receive and feed at the Supply of Nourishment. Matthew 25 says that “He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats…Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

“Dear Shepherd, before my spiritual eyes, I see a table of heavenly food prepared. May I feast at your banqueting table. Amen.”

17. The Solace in Correction: "they comfort me" (23:4f)

Psalm 23:4f 

            Have you ever literally breathed a deep sigh of relief? That’s what the word “comfort” literally means. When translators were putting this verse from Hebrew into the Greek they used the word which is translated into English as to encourage, or to implore. Elsewhere in the Hebrew the word means to repent, relent, or to feel sorry. Have you ever been so anguished where you could not breathe? The word "comfort" is a word that was used when someone was in deep sorrow and anguish and others come along side and try to lift that person up.

            How can a rod, used for correction, and a staff, used to support, lift up and provide protection, bring such comfort in times when there is such anguish that I can barely breathe?

            There is a solace in God’s correction. In Job 5:17-18 it says, “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects: do not despise the chastening of the Almighty: For He bruises but He binds up, He wounds but His hands make whole.”  In Proverbs 3:11, it is written, “Do not despise the chastening of the LORD or grow weary of his correction.”

            The New Testament says that correction by God is a sign of His love and also of our being His children, “⁹ Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰ For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. ¹¹ Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Hebrews 12:9-11)

            One of my favorite passages of Scriptures is 2 Corinthians 1:3-6 where there are nine times in four short verses that some form of the word comfort or consolation is used, beginning with calling God the God of all comfort. Paul returns to the comfort theme again in chapter 7:4-13. It is my favorite because Paul says that one of the best ways we are comforted by God is when others come alongside of us. It is like the girl who went to her parents for comfort and the mother said, “Child, the Lord is with you!” The girl tearfully crawls into bed and says, “I know, but I want someone with skin on.”

Will you be God’s comfort “with skin on” to someone who needs it?

“Lord, console me with your rod and staff.
Lead to others who need your comfort
and let me help them to breathe. Amen.”

16. The Security of His Protection "Thy rod and Thy staff" (23:4e)

Psalm 23:4e

A rod is used for correcting the sheep. The same word is used in Proverbs 22:15 “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”

The rod is also used for counting the sheep, as in Lev. 27:32, “whatever passes under the rod, a tenth shall be holy to the Lord.” The shepherd would count his sheep not just for making sure that he had them all but also so that he would also give back to the Lord a tenth, or that which was holy to God. In ministry we count people because people count. Numbers are important to the Lord because each number represents a person. The rod also reminds me to count whatever the Lord has entrusted to me, whether it is time, money, abilities and other resources, and wants us to count it as holy to the Lord.

The rod is used for commanding the sheep. The word for rod is also translated as scepter ten times. For instance, Ps. 45:6 says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” The rod of God shows the command of the Lord which is sovereign. When you need some comfort and security from the Shepherd, look to His sovereign scepter and bow in prayer but also bow in obedience. God is in charge and is sovereign.

A staff is used for the protection of the sheep. Sheep are vulnerable to prey and when David went to fight Goliath, he remembered that he used his staff to fight off enemies of his sheep. “But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.” Later, David not only took his sling and some stones to fight Goliath but 1 Samuel 17:40 says, “he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had.”

The staff was also used to represent the very presence of the owner. Elisha gave his staff to Gehazi, saying, “Take my staff in your hand, and be on your way...Lay my staff on the face of the child.” In so doing, it was a representation of the prophet's presence. In the New Testament, God's presence with us is called the Comforter. The Holy Spirit is more than a representation, the Comforter is the actual and very presence of God within us.

Tomorrow, we will see more of how the rod and staff comfort, correct and protect us.

“Dear Lord, help me gain comfort even in your correction and protection of me. Thank you for the presence of Your Holy Spirit in me.  Amen.”

15. The Staying of the Savior: "For Thou Art With Me" (23:4d)

Psalm 23:4d

        I love how this part of the psalm turns personal. Not only has the writer been saying me rather than us, now he no longer speaks about the Shepherd in the third person but turns it to a direct address. He says "You are with me."

        The Shepherd does not lead us where He Himself has never trod. No, He leads us on paths first trailed by the Son of God. No temptation has He not faced, no sorrow has He not shared, no joy nor triumph has He not seen, no loss has He not experienced. He has been there.

        Psalms 118:6 says, "The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" But from this side of the cross, it is even more than that. No longer is the Shepherd merely by my side, and with me. Jesus said it is better that He went away so that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit would come and live within me.

        Could it get any better? Well, actually yes. There are the assurances of God’s Holy Presence not on being in me, but also staying with me.

        God’s WORD--1 John 5:13--These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

        God’s WILL--John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Eph. 1:5 “having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”

         God’s WORK-- Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
John 10: 28 “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.”

         God’s WITNESS of the Holy Spirit--Romans 8:15-17 “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

John 14:16-17 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

“Thank you, my Shepherd, for not only being with me but in me forever. Amen.”

14. The Separation from Fear: "I will fear no evil" (23:4c)

Psalm 23:4c

¹ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 ² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³ He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

 ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil:

    I like what Oswald Chambers said, “When you fear God, you fear nothing else. When you don’t fear God, you fear everything else.”

    The name I go by literally means fear, “timos,” the Greek word from which we get words such as timidity or intimidation. But my full name, Timothy, means fear of God, with the latter part coming from the word “theos.” Without God, I am simply afraid. Just like my full name, today’s and tomorrow’s devotional are intrinsically related--fear and the presence of God.

    The basis for our ability to not be afraid is the presence of God, and yet in the first instance of fear, the reaction was to hide from God. “I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself” (Gen. 3:10). Adam was afraid not because he was naked but because he realized he was naked. And his solution was to hide from God, obviously out of shame because of his sin.

    Standing without pretense, or “naked”, before God is the only solution to our fear. Yes, we have sinned, and yes that leaves us exposed, but we should run toward God’s presence in those times, not from Him.

    Franklin Roosevelt said fear itself is the only thing we have to fear, but I disagree. The Bible calls us not to be afraid of sudden fear (Prov. 3:25). The quote from Corrie Ten Boom in the picture today reminds us to trust the engineer, the shepherd, when things get fearful. She also said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.”

    Are you looking too much at our world? Are you looking too much within yourself? We cannot help looking a little bit at “fightings and fears, within and without,” but we cannot look to God too much. And the closer we draw to Him, the smaller our fears become.

    The song, “Just as I Am” is known by many, but few know that it was originally published in “The Invalid’s Hymnbook.” Written by Charlotte Elliott, who for most of her life was in such poor health physically that she felt utterly useless to the world and to God’s work. She saw others doing great things for God but she had been physically confined to a sofa in her living room at for much of her 45 years in Brighton, England. Distressed and depressed, she penned her heart out to God, writing these words to express her limitations…and the sufficiency of a Shepherd who became a Lamb of God.  

Just as I am - without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,

- O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - and waiting not

To rid my soul of one dark blot,

To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,

Just as I am - though toss’d about

With many a conflict, many a doubt,

Fightings and fears within, without, 

Just as I am - poor, wretched, blind;

Sight, riches, healing of the mind,

Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,

Just as I am - Thou wilt receive,Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;

Because Thy promise I believe,

Just as I am - Thy love unknown

Has broken every barrier down;

Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,

Just as I am - of that free love

The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,

Here for a season, then above,

- O Lamb of God, I come!