Setting The Table

Psalm 23:5 “5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…”

The word “table” here does not mean a wooden table that we would think of today.

This psalm is about shepherd and sheep

The word table is a shepherding term, it refers the the “tableland” or mesa

What this is: the best shepherding places around the world (Alps of Switzerland, Western USA) are made up of mountain ranges that include “plateaus” which are elevated flat surfaces that are spry with grass, water, and shelter.

AKA a “table” as the psalmist is describing here

However, the sheep, in the winter/cold seasons are in the valley (v.4), and when spring comes, they can move to the higher elevation of the “table” up on the mountain.

Side note: isn’t it wonderful that the Christian life is not always spent in the “valley”. but God is gracious and merciful to take us up to the mountaintop experiences of life.

Yet, the shepherd cannot simply take the sheep up to the table, he must first go ahead of the sheep as a scout and scope out the land that they will graze.

This is what is meant by “preparing the table”. - going ahead and alone prepping the place where he will lead the sheep.

This is what David is saying that The Lord does for us as His sheep. When He desires tot ake us to a destination, He first goes before us and prepares that destination for our arrival.

He will not lead us anywhere that He has not first prepared for us.

Deuteronomy 31:8 “8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.””

Exodus 13:21 “21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.”

John 10:4 “4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

When the shepherd goes ahead of the sheep and prepares the table for them, he does so by doing three things

I. He uproots all of the poisonous weeds and plants in the pasture that the sheep will perish from if they eat it.

In the pastures, there are very beautiful flowers that are gorgeous to look at, but will absolutely destroy the sheep if they are consumed. However, the sheep, stuck by whatever shiny thing comes his way, will devour the poisonous plant not realizing how toxic it is for him.

So too does our Good Shepherd, weed out the things in our life that might seem wonderful to us: “its beautiful, its fun, theres no way it could bring harm”. Yet, these things are toxic and poisonous, and rather than leaving it up to us, He weeds them out.

II. He puts himself in the place of the sheep and makes sure that everything is accessible to them.

The shepherd removes any hindrances that might be obstructing the sheep from getting to the water and pastureland.

In our life, this is exactly what Jesus did for us. Just like the shepherd puts himself in the shoes of the sheep, the Good Shepherd has empathized with us and accommodated Himself to where we can access the necessary graces.

Hebrews 4:14–16 “14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Jesus, as our great high priest, has placed himself in our shoes, and empathizes with us so that we can confidently access the grace that has been offered to us by His sacrifice.

III. LASTLY, He sets traps and barriers for the predators

When it gets warm, not only do the sheep ascend to the mountains, so do the predators.

To combat this, the shepherd sets various traps and barriers to protect the table for the sheep and ward off the predators that would seek to destroy them.

Then, and only then, will he take the sheep up unto the table… once it has been properly prepared for them.

Yet… we see the second part of the verse, “…in the presence of my enemies.”

Remember how the shepherd set those traps/barriers.

What David is describing is the fact that when a shepherd prepares the table, and then makes the journey to get the sheep and bring them back, predators may be all around the table, trapped or barricaded.

Therefore, when she sheep arrive, it is likely the predators are there as well, watching and witnessing the sheep, wanting to get to where they are, but they can’t because of the what the shepherd had done.

Yet, he allows the sheep into the table, because he has properly addressed the predators that could get to them.

This is exactly what The Lord does for you and for me. He does not keep us away from the table, and He also doesnt keep the enemy away from the table… but He does prepare it for us.

• Peter: The warning about Satan

Luke 22:31–32 “31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.””

• Jesus told Peter that he had the keys to the kingdom

Matthew 16:19 “19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.””

• Satan knew this as well as Peter…but Jesus gave him the keys anyway

• In that same passage Jesus said “the gates of hell shall not prevail”

• Jesus told Peter that he was desired to be sifted as wheat by Satan

• However, Jesus gave this assurance as well…”But I have prayed for thee”

The Good Shepherd was preparing a table for Peter in the presence of Satan

This is what He does for us as well. We may be in the presence of our enemies but we are their under the protection of the preparation of our Good Shepherd.

“You annoint my head with oil…”

There’s another, more subtle enemy to the sheep as well… flies.

This is the enemy that often gets overlooked, the one that festers and burns slowly.

This is the the type of tactic Satan likes to use. Not the big bad ferocious wolf… thats easy to spot.

But a little fly, they are so small they can go unnoticed for a long time.

They bite the heads of sheep, and lay larva and eggs in the wound.

In that time, they can wound the sheep, fester, get infected, cause a serious health risk to the sheep if they aren’t treated.

This is Satan’s favorite tactic: Have the sheep on the table, the “mountain-top”, and then with small hairline cracks, and precise division… cause chaos and damage to the health of the sheep.

This plays out in so many ways, in our personal lives through temptations, addictions, and personal, sometimes internal battles that we fight.

It also plays out in the life of the church… sometimes The Lord leads us to really high places and then boom, suddenly small divisions start taking place. Gossip, backbiting, slander, divisiveness, contrarianism… all of these are a form of “death by a thousand cuts” - they are small and insignificant on the surface… but they fester, and infection sets in.

Suddenly on the mountaintop of the beauty of God’s grace in the table prepared for the sheep… chaos ensues, and disease becomes rampant.

So, what happens here? The shepherd must treat the wounds.

There are no vets on top of the mountain, anything that happens to the sheep must be taken care of by the shepherd himself.

So, he applies a medicated ointment or “oil” to the head of the sheep, and this oil provides the healing remedy needed to cleanse the infection and disease.

What’s the point? The Lord not only protects, but He also restores us when we are wounded.

Even when the wounds are self-inflicted, He anoints us with His healing agent that cleanses us from the effects of the enemy.

Whatever damage may be caused, the Good Shepherd can and will restore us.

Peter: Restoration on the shore

John 21:15–19 “15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.””

Remember, this is AFTER Peter had sinned, AFTER Peter had battled with Satan and himself.

What does Jesus do with the wounded and hurt? He restores them.

He anoints the heads of those who love Him with oil, like a Good Shepherd.

“My cup overflows…”

This is an expression meant to convey the abundance of the things given to us by The Lord as our Shepherd.

Our blessings from Him are not merely sufficient, they are abundant… they overflow.

It is an expression that shows us David pausing and ruminating on the fact that God has been so good to him in all of these different aspects and ways.

David knew about what it meant to be faced with enemies, and yet have God make a way for him even in their presence. (Saul)

David knew about what it meant to fail, and fall prey to the wiles of the devil, and be in the lowest places a human could be… yet still find forgiveness and restoration in God. (Bathsheba)

Peter knew these things as well. (After The Lord had restored him.)

Acts 4:8 “8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders,”

Here it is: A relationship with THE Shepherd will never result in you having a little bit of God… You don’t just get a little bit of the Holy Spirit, or a little bit of joy, a little bit of peace, a little bit of assurance, a little bit of Heaven, a little bit of the Resurrection.

No, we have been made heirs with Christ; He has made us a Kingdom of Priests to God to reign with the Son forever and ever.

When He saves us we get all of Him, He fills us with the Holy Spirit, and if we were a cup and the Holy Spirit were water: We have so much of Him in us that He would, if it were possible, be overflowing.