“You prepare a table
before me in the presence of my enemies.” (Psalm 23:5A)
In this post we are going to take a look at what “prepare a table” really meant to a
community which was very familiar with sheep tending. It really adds a tremendous amount of new
information as to how this simple phrase speaks to God’s “shepherding” of His
flock, you and me. Just for something a
bit different I want you to begin by reading all of Psalm 23 up to today’s
passage. To make it easy I’ll print it
in this post. Please take a moment and
ask God to open your eyes to what He wants you to gain in this reading of His
Word and then read the following. See if
it doesn’t cause you to reflect on the first few verses with a little different
perspective as a result of working through this study together.
“The Lord is my
shepherd, I shall not be in want. He
makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he
restores my soul. He guides me in paths
of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence
of my enemies.”
Once again, I’m going to rely heavily on the great
information found in an old book (pub. 1970) called A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23.
Let’s first take a closer look at where the author of the Psalm might
have experienced a “table” in terms of caring for sheep. In the western United States as well as in
Southern Europe the name for the high plateau where sheep graze throughout
their summers are called “mesas”. The
term in North Africa is also “mesas”. If
you took any Spanish in school you probably already recognized that mesa is
translated “tables” in English. Coincidence? I hardly think so. Yes, this high country flat land may resemble
a table top but the connections to Psalm 23 is unmistakable. These high country mesas certainly word the “tables”
where the sheep found their wonderful summer grazing. So if these areas, these flat mesas were the “tables”
David wrote about then why would they need to be “prepared”. I’m glad you asked that question. (I write that a lot, don’t I?)
On these mesas there was much work to be done by the
shepherd before any of his flock could find safe and plentiful grazing. Before the season began in this high country
the shepherd would have to make multiple trips there to “prepare the table”. Initially, the shepherd would have to locate
and scout out these areas. Some would
have vegetation but it wouldn’t be thick enough or wide spread enough to graze
his sheep for a long period of time.
Others might have wide spread and plentiful grass but there might be
other considerations. There were often
problems with the watering areas the shepherd had prepared the previous
season. He may have had to remove dead vegetation
and other debris which had collected and fouled the waters. Earthen dams which the shepherd had created
to provide “still waters” for the sheep to drink from often had to be rebuilt
or added to. The shepherd would also
need to scout out the fields for dangers like crevices, predator dens, or areas
where such animals could hide to attack the flock. The shepherd would want to locate higher places
where he could position himself in order to keep watch over his sheep to see
that they weren’t getting into trouble or that they were not being stalked by
hungry animals. These beasts were
experts at causing panic in the flock which would result in a stampede where
sheep were injured or where weaker sheep could be more easily cut out of the
flock and attacked. The shepherd had to
be well aware of all the predator’s tricks in order to protect his flock.
Poisonous weeds were another very real danger which the
shepherd had to look for before he ever brought his flock onto the “table”. The shepherd would walk the fields and locate
such plants. Then he would either make
plans to avoid such areas or often would have to take on the painstaking task
of pulling up all these poisonous plants to create a safe area for his flock to
feed. Once again, the shepherd had to
have great knowledge of what plants could be a danger to his sheep as well as
how to protect them from such things.
Now it’s time for us to identify some of the characteristics
of our own Good Shepherd in light of the skills of the earthly shepherd
described in the previous paragraphs.
First and foremost we must restate that all of these things are based on
the love that the shepherd has for his sheep.
He wants them to be safe and content.
He wants them to find good grazing, clean and clear water and a quiet
place of rest and restoration where they can build themselves up. Our loving God is just the same. He loves us with an unbelievable and
unfailing love. He wants us to be safe
and content with what we have and where we are.
He wants to provide good “food” (spiritual food) on which we can
grow. He wants us to feel safe and
protected in His presence. He goes
before us and can see what dangers lie ahead as time means nothing to Him. He is already in our future and is waiting
for us. He does His very best to protect
us from these dangers and guide us to safety.
He wants us to find such safety by staying close to Him. He warns us of the types of dangers that are
around us and before us and warns us to avoid them. It’s sad that we often ignore His warnings
and His guiding words and stumble on into trouble from which He will have to
rescue us. He knows the things that can
harm us and draw us into trouble and He wants us to stay close to Him and live
under His ever present and watchful eye.
The second half of today’s scripture bothers some
folks. When they read “in the presence
of my enemies” they wonder why God allows us to get in those places. Once again let’s turn to the shepherd and his
sheep. The shepherd knows that the sheep
need the good grazing only available high the hills. He knows that the best way, sometimes the
only way, is to move them through the valleys where there will be some grass
and plenty of water to sustain them on this journey. This actually represents the reality of our
situation here on earth. Some think, as
I have previously stated, that once we become children of God, or His sheep,
that our troubles are over. Nothing
could be further from the truth and as I have shared before, Jesus made that
perfectly clear that we would have troubles in this world. (John 16:33)
Just as the valley of the shadow of
death represents a place where there is dark and light, the life we live here
on earth will have good and bad, joys and sorrows. Christian people, devoted and committed
servants of Christ still get sick, get injured or killed in accidents and still
struggle with health issues as many of the unsaved do. Cancer still takes its toll. We live in a fallen world and we are not immune
to its pains. But as the shepherd was
always there for his sheep our heavenly Father is always there for us. When He is in our hearts we are never alone. It’s interesting to note that the scripture speaks
of “the valley of the shadow of death”.
If there is shadow in the valley then there must be light to cast that shadow. Even in those dark times the light of Jesus
Christ is there as well.
As far as contrasting the valleys with the mountaintops I
find it interesting that more growth has taken place in my life because of an
experience in the valley rather than on the mountaintop. The valley is where our faith is tested and
where we are forced to run to the protection and provision of our Good
Shepherd. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t
mean that while bad things are coming my way that I am praising God and
thanking Him for them (although maybe I should be). It’s when He’s carried me through those
troubling times and brought me safely through that I realize it was by His hand
that I made it. I look back and see it
as a faith builder. It’s in hindsight
that I see the God was in control and had a plan. He wanted me to trust Him with my future and
work through the struggle knowing that with God as my shepherd it was all going
to work out. I grow spiritually as I
realize the God was at work all along and this shows me that I need to trust
Him more and stay close to Him. I’m
reminded once again of a few scriptures which might speak to you as much as
they do to me regarding having faith that God’s got a plan and it will be
accomplished…and I just might learn some important lessons along the way.
“For
I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and
come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You
will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
“I can do all this
through him who gives me strength.”
(Philippians 4:13)
“I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:15)
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor
demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our
Lord.” (Romans
8:38-39)
Friends, know that you will have many times in the “valley”
and many more on the “mountain top” and that both of them are ordained by God
for your good. No matter where you find
yourself, know that God is there and that He will carry you through. I think I will close today’s post with a very
familiar poem which fits rather well right here. Remember that you are never alone when God is
in your heart and that’s a wonderful encouraging, protecting, sheltering, and
loving presence. God bless you all until
next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment