Psalm 23

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” (v. 5)

Our God will bring reconciliation to our lives. First, we are reconciled to Him, then with one another. There is growth when we walk with the Lord. Preparing a table speaks of communion with one another, sitting down together in a time of feasting. It speaks of finding acceptance with our enemies, and when we have exalted Him, he also exalts us.

Case in point: Daniel. He found great favor with the prince of the eunuchs: “Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.” Dan. 1: 9; consider also Joseph who God promoted to second man in Egypt (Gen. 39); God will give us the favor of men; even in Luke we see that Christ grew in favor with God and man (Luke 2: 52). In the paths of righteousness, we will find a table spread before us, and eat with our enemies. This is necessary because God has anointed our heads with oil, the oil of His Spirit. Once he has anointed His beloved, they are blessed indeed. Three big blessings are seen in this verse as a result of making the Lord our shepherd: He will make us to be at peace with our enemies; he will anoint us with a special anointing; and He will cause our cup to run over with blessings. The cup is also a symbol of communion, but more specifically, communion with our God. Our cup shall run over with the anointing oil of God; we shall be blessed beyond measure, we shall have a close communion with the Lord.

This is for the saved man, he who walks with God daily and communes with Him regularly. This is the man that prays without ceasing, and that makes his body a “living sacrifice”…he is the one who makes the Lord his Shepherd, and sees the promises and blessings of God poured upon him. This is the sheep that abides in His Word, and is a disciple indeed, because he abides in Him, and the Shepherd knows him by name. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow him, as two friends that are always there to lend a hand, never leaving him alone, and he shall dwell in the house of the Lord…forever. - Marty Dunn




Leave a Reply.