Psalm 23, the sequel

Psalm 23 - 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

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

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

In the previous post, we dug lots into the first 3 verses of this short but deep Psalm. Time to move on in the text.

Verse 4, we don’t get much context for that around here where I live. But as one commentary puts it. “The sheep districts [in Palestine] consist of wide open wolds or downs, reft here and there by deep ravines, in whose sides lurks many a wild beast, the enemy of the flocks”

The path to righteousness sometimes isn’t a path through great and fantastic times. Thank goodness most of our lives (at least up till now, in North America) can be counted as such. But in many cultures, it’s quite the opposite. There are many places around the world that are not just frowning on Christianity, but they downright hate it, and will kill Christians. North Korea and the Middle East are not fans.

So this verse, is not about God removing pains and sorrows and dangers from our lives. He’s not promising any of that. The ONLY commitment in this verse, is that while you’re in your depression, mission, danger, strange territory, or even final destination as a martyr, God will be with you. And He will be your comfort. 

We have had some very, very depressing moments and times in our lives (my wife and I). Some of those times, I would really rather not have repeated. But I look back, and I can clearly see the hand of God throughout all the stages. Between losing an adoption, to losing my jobs, finding temporary work, and the list goes on. God was with me. Though sometimes I felt that he was lightyears away, He was there.

Now moving on to verse 5, Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

This is referring back to the previous text “I shall not want”. But the beauty here isn’t just that everything is provided. He provides everything we need (not everything we want, must be careful here) and it’s not a secret, but a public display. When God wants to show victories, they are very public. Think of all the dark times David had, and many of the old saint kings and Prophets. God rarely displayed his power and glory in secret. Why would He also keep providing for His people in secret?

Yes there are things that are meant to be private. But here, David is not only encouraged because the Lord encouraged him, and never left him alone, but he also shows his enemies that the Lord is King, and will console him. 

The symbolism of the table set, in this culture, was actually a feast. NOTHING was lacking. Everything that was needed, was there! Thou annointest my head with oil - a reference to the unguents and perfumes which were the regular accompaniment of an Oriental banquet. And my cup runneth over. Not only is everything provided, and nothing is lacking, but it’s such abundance that there’s leftovers. There’s too much. Oh how would our lives be different if we looked at God’s abundance towards us. Just that the sun gets up every day, and that we have oxygen to breathe is an abundance and the rest is a bonus.

We will never understand while on this planet, even why He keeps giving us this abundance of grace. Every single day, with the way we offend him and sin, and still. Grace, over grace, over grace. Physical needs are met and spiritual needs are met. 

And with the martyrs we have all around the world, keeping their testimonies before their oppressors and enemies. This is truly a marvel that can only come from the Lord.

Then the last statement of this text.

 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

The Lord never fails, never gives up and keeps following, supporting and keeps encouraging. His goodness and mercy follow me all day, and every day. And the reward in the end is living in the house of the Lord, forever. What a glorious plan.