This beloved Psalm speaks so many wonderful & encouraging things to us! Today our thoughts are drawn to verse 5b. What does it mean, that the Lord would prepare a table before me?
PSALM 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
4 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
My immediate family gathered together for a few days of vacation last week and weekend. We were blessed to enjoy the time together, and of course, there was a fair amount of good food involved. Many hands helped to plan, bring and prepare the food, but my wife spent more time preparing than any of us. Every meal, she was preparing a table before us. For her it is joyful work, but nonetheless, preparing a table for others is servant work. This brings us to the remarkable and blessed reality of verse 5b of our psalm.
The Lord prepares (ongoing action!) a table before you & me! This includes God's provision of our daily bread, for which we pray in the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer. Luther's Small Catechism reminds us what is meant by daily bread: "...everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like." Whew, that's a lot of bread God gives to us every day! That's a full table prepared!
But there's another really important table the Lord prepares for you. Your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born a man and lived the only sinless life ever lived on this earth, so that He could serve you by taking the punishment for all your sins. Hours before Jesus sacrificed Himself for you & your sins, He instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion, often called the Lord's Supper. In this sacrament, the Lord prepares the most glorious table for you. In a mystery we accept only by faith and will never understand, Jesus gives to you His true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of your faith! No greater table has ever, or will ever be prepared. No greater Servant has ever or will ever serve in such a powerful life-saving way!
Give thanks to the Lord for His great table, prepared for you!
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