Psalm 23
New King James Version (NKJV)
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads 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;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwellin the house of the Lord
Forever.
Psalm 23 is one of the most recognized pieces of scripture in the entire Bible...who here has heard this or at least part of it before? These passages are SO popular that the Bible database BIBLEGATEWAY.com states of its top 10 cities stats: " Psalm 23 shows up in the top five passages for every city but Singapore."
This Psalm is probably so popular because it paints a picture of great comfort and tranquility. We hear it read to people who are struggling with fear, depression, hopelessness, and even those at the end of their earthly lives. It is read at funerals, offering strength to move forward in a time of sorrow.
But, there is one line in this Psalm that has always made me wonder....It's given me pause, and I've contemplated it many times. I'm talking about v.5 and specifically the first part: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies".
First of all, the word "enemies" is a really strong word. I'd be willing to bet that very few of us here have true enemies. The definition of "enemy" is:
1. One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes the interests of another; a foe.
2.
a. A hostile power or force, such as a nation.
b. A member or unit of such a force.
3. A group of foes or hostile forces.
4. Something destructive or injurious in its effects:
An enemy isn't just someone who may not care for us or our personality. An enemy is someone actively looking to hurt us in a physical or emotional way. The Bible calls satan himself "the enemy".
Many times I've thought about this verse and wondered what God could possibly mean by this, and why it's put this way. I'm a person who thinks in pictures. So, when I'm visualizing this Psalm, it looks something like this:
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
My mind picture: <Jesus as the Good Shepherd, leading me on a beautiful sunlit path, birds singing, little woodland creatures scampering around...>
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
<Jesus spreading out a blanket in a lush green field on the banks of a beautiful lake and inviting me to lay down and soak in the restful beauty all around me>
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
<Jesus is now a teacher, lovingly opening the Bible to me and explaining it in ways I understand>
4 Yea, 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.
<Here, Jesus is the Good Shepherd again, with His brilliant glory lighting the way through a dark and dangerous path, fierce animals bowing before Him along the way>
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
<I sit at a beautifully prepared table, Jesus ties a bib around my neck and places the best ice cream sundae ever in front of me. But in the dark corner of the room, there is a hourde of angry men with weapons who want to hurt me but can't, because, after all, Jesus is there! I stick out my tongue at them and begin to eat my dessert........>
Something always seemed wrong with this picture!
I didn't understand what God was doing or saying in this verse. Could I really relax and enjoy anything with my enemies in the room? Or, would I feel anxiety? Maybe my ice cream wouldn't go down very well.....
We know that in Old Testament times, and even still in modern times that a shared meal is a sign of peace. Many times when a covenant is made, the two parties who were once at odds come together and eat to seal the deal. This doesn't seem to be the case here. After all, it doesn't say "You join me with my enemies and prepare a meal for us". or "My enemies are made into friends"
The Young's Literal Translation Bible actually words this line as : 5 Thou arrangest before me a table, Over-against my adversaries"
Young's Literal Translation was compiled by Robert Young in 1898. He also compiled Young's Analytical Concordance. This is an extremely literal translation that attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek and Hebrew writings. I continued to wonder why God would serve me ice cream in a room full of meanies.
Then, the other day God gave me a revelation about this part of Psalm 23 that made me jump right out of my chair, and I would like to share it with you today.
Currently, I am working towards a Bachelors Degree in Religious Studies. I'm taking a very intense Old Testament course. When I say intense, I mean, we are going through it line by line! The professor was talking about the day when God fulfilled his covenant with the Israelites and brought them into the Promised Land. The Promised Land was also called the Land of Canaan, inhabited of course by none other than the Canaanites. The Canaanites were bitter enemies of the Israelites.
Why? Because they were the accursed black sheep of the family. Here's a little background:
This dates all the way back to Noah and his family. In Genesis, chapter 9, starting in v.18 we read:
18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth.
20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father’s nakedness.
24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,
“Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers. ”
26 He also said,
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem
27 May God extend the territory of Japheth
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be his slave.”
Aha! Now we're getting somewhere! Canaan didn't do anything wrong - it was his father Ham who sinned. But Noah chose to curse someone Ham loved more than himself...his son. What could be worse?
We see through history that the tribe of Canaan separated themselves from the rest of the family, some of whom became the Family of our patriarch Israel - the children of God's promise. I think we are safe in assuming that the children of Canaan were very bitter about their rough deal. And bitterness on both sides, passed down from generation to generation would surely make enemies of the two groups.
Psalm 23 was written by King David who knew full well the relationship between the two groups, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, what God did there. When David wrote " You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" he was reminding the people of Israel - and us today- that GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES!
God promised to give his chosen children - the Israelites, called the Hebrews or Jews- the best land. The land of Canaan was prime real estate...flowing with milk and honey. But this seemed like something impossible - the land was filled with people who absolutely hated the Jews! There was generations of malevolence there. The Israelites wondered how on earth this would happen.
We have to remember, like they did, that God is always faithful. He keeps His promises. Especially when things seem impossible. David is reminding his people: God kept his promise! God brought the Israelites into a land filled with their enemies, and set up housekeeping for them. They needed to cling to the memory of all God had done for them when He made His Promise. Don't forget His faithfulness! David is reminding us the same thing today.
That's wonderful news. Because God's word, the Bible is full of promises. Here are just a handful:
Jeremiah 29:11
11 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.
Matthew 11:28-29
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
John 14:27
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Romans 10:9
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Today friends, I encourage you to remember that our Lord is a God who keeps His promises. His word is true. There is no reason for despair. God is reaching out to us, and promises to bless us. I ask you: ":What steps are you taking to get to know Him better?" "Are you living like you believe God's promises?" This week, think about ways to set aside some time to get into God's word, and increase your hope, peace and joyful living. Amen
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