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48. Table Prepared

Psalm 23.5

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

The metaphor shifts to a guest entertained by a generous host. The Lord is now a Host. (It is unlikely that the shepherd changes into the host.) And this Host is most generous and gracious. We are invited to a banquet table; we experience the unrivaled goodness that is in God: sweets, kindnesses, happiness, peace, and plenty. All of this makes us proclaim, “God is Love!”

Every believer is invited into God’s presence to sit at the royal table, decked out with enough and to spare. The dinner is prepared; come, for all things are ready. God Himself prepared everything necessary for salvation. The guests bring nothing with them but a sense of their own unworthiness and of his lovingkindness. Every blessing we enjoy is dependent on the grace and generosity and forethought of the Father: these are prepared mercies. The blessings of salvation are fully prepared, well cooked and baked, by God: full pardon, full peace and full reconciliation. The table is extravagantly prepared before me, and the ability to respond is inherent in the invitation itself. I sit and enjoy.

There is a Marriage Feast of the Lamb being prepared for us for a future day in the heavenly eternal kingdom. This is not that. This Feast is prepared “before us” for our present enjoyment; we may draw near with our thoughts; we may partake in our hearts. Our gracious host in our weekly Communion Worship Services also prepares this Feast for us. The banquet is for us, for now, for any time we need refreshment: any time we may draw near and receive nourishment for the soul. Come, the table is prepared before you, the feast is spread: the blessings of salvation are prepared before the face of all people.

Not only is the Banquet prepared in full view of all people; it is also prepared for me in presence of my enemies. The Host does not remove all the snakes, wolves, lions and bears; they are still around; He simply neutralizes their power so that all they can do is powerlessly stand around and watch while we enjoy His blessings and gifts. All their designs planned against us are totally ineffectual. Neither the power nor the presence of enemies could prevent the Lord from preparing a table. Satan sees the feast, but he cannot partake and he cannot deprive the believer of that refreshment and provision.

47. Comfort

Psalm 23.4

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

 The Holy Spirit is the “Comforter” promised by the Good Shepherd. The Holy Spirit uses a shepherd’s rod and a shepherd’s staff to comfort me, the frightened and worried sheep. This comfort is so powerful that not only do we not fear evil but also we are built up with comfort, courage, and confidence (He is with us). The presence of the Lord is the sweetest blessedness, the brightest bliss, and the perfect peace. Because He is with us we can walk through the dark valley of the shadow of death as though it were conquered territory (which it is). Fear not death: it cannot separate. Fear not Sin: it cannot condemn.

The Rod is the Holy Spirit; the Staff is the Word of God. The Word and the Spirit bring comfort in every time of need. One instructs and one witnesses. Both actions are necessary to keep us dumb sheep on track and in safety. With the Rod He gathers the sheep and rules the flock, giving warnings and promptings with threats and brandishing and with jabs and pokes. The Rod is His power, His ownership, and His presence. When the sheep recognize each of those three characteristics of the Good Shepherd they are comforted. His Power: I am secure under His power over all my enemies; His Ownership: I am comforted with the remembrance that He is responsible for me; His Presence: no greater comfort or stronger security is available than resting in His Presence.

With the Staff (as the Word) the Shepherd rescues (with the crook), and protects (beating the enemy), and generally helps in every time of need. This activity of the Word comforts us when we need comfort. I may not always see the shepherd clearly nearby, so the standard of a large, crooked staff stands taller and is easily seen and felt in the tumble of daily life. Opening the Word to hear His warning and protection and believe His promises brings great comfort. Jesus’ Word and His Spirit: they comfort me.

46. With Me

Psalm 23.4

For thou art with me.

 For comfort, safety and security this is all a sheep really needs to know: that the shepherd is there, near by, with him. And this is the Lord’s unconditional promise couched in various phrasing: “Lo, I am with you always.” The Presence of God “with me” is all that I really need, for if God Himself is present then all of God’s resources and riches are available as well. The promise of His presence is powerful.

When the sheep knows and senses the shepherd’s presence he can enjoy the pasture and the stream, play and romp, graze contentedly, rest comfortably and love life. But as soon as he looks around and does not see the shepherd panic sets in, fear takes hold, and anxiety seizes him. Thankfully, the shepherd notices and comes to get the wanderer.

The good news promise of the presence of God is for us for all of the time, but in this instance it is meant as God’s Promise for a specific season: “when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” Then He is with me. I will fear no evil. “The shadow of death” can be any time of extremely difficulty, when the possibilities of actual evil lurk in every shadow and around every corner. It may be sickness, loss, depression, bad feelings with real threats and dangers, but I can triumphantly declare, “I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” God is for us; who can be against us? God’s love powerfully overwhelms all the negative forces threatening me.

Death is the valley, but it only has the appearance of danger, not the reality of it. As the Shepherd and I wind across the valley darkness increases and dangers multiply while shadows play across the path, but they are shadows of evil, not realities of it. He has abolished Death, and when the light appears the shadow is forgotten. We walk together through the valley toward the light. The valley is a place of passing through, not a dwelling place. There is no evil to fear if He is with me: sin, the evil, has been forgiven and has no power; death, the evil, is no longer the end but an entrance to life; the devil, the evil one, has been destroyed.

God is with us all the time, though usually we are not consciously aware of Him. He is also powerfully present to bless when we really need him, but again we may not be conscious of Him. Our awareness of Him being with us or not does not make God any more or less with us. “He is with me.” That is a promise; that is a fact; the truth of it is apprehended by faith, not by feeling or experience. Accept the fact: the Shepherd is there. Say it until you believe it: “You are with me!”

 

45. Leads

Psalm 23.3

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

A sheep like me constantly needs leading and guiding, especially after having been restored again and again. My self-absorbed nature is prone to wander. Therefore, He promises to give me the leadership and guidance I need. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the right way. I only need to be led by the Holy Spirit to come back to Jesus and get on the way, the path of righteousness.

Yes, the promise is that the Lord will lead me in the paths of righteousness. This means two things, two wonderful blessings for me: One) I am on the path of righteousness by the faith of Jesus Christ granted to me by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel, thus I am righteous, I am declared to be so, and I will remain so; Two) I am walking and living a more righteous life in reality for the Holy Spirit is leading me in the right path. This is also a wonderful blessing because living on the right path results in blessings and beneficial consequences.

The Lord leads me in the way I should go for my benefit and blessing, but mainly he leads me for his own name’s sake. The name and reputation and character of God are stake. I am bearing His name and my righteous behavior reflects His Name on earth to all living and nonliving creatures. God has a “selfish” motivation for leading me on the right paths. His character shines forth through His redeemed children and they all give glory to God by living in the paths of righteousness.

There are several right paths for each sheep and several options may be chosen and each would be right; but there is only one Shepherd and the wisest choice is to keep Him in view during every decision of life. Look unto Jesus at all times, especially during crisis periods: then allow the Holy Spirit to produce impressions on your spirit, let your conscience enlighten, and use the Word to open the mind with its warnings and promises. The Holy Spirit may whisper within: “This is the way, walk ye in it.” We need to be kept continually broken so that we are willing to be led with our wills subdued by His grace and so He keeps us as faithful followers. The Holy Spirit disposes us to enter His path and enables us to walk in it and then to persevere to the end.

Following the leader begins with the love of God in Christ; the love of Christ dwells with the believer but cannot dwell with the love of sin. We do sin daily and we get off the path; we repent regularly and get back on the path. Life is lived with fits and starts; the goal is that every thought and imagination of the heart would be brought into subjection to Christ; we will not reach the goal, but we will press on toward the goal always. God’s Love puts the sinner on the path and keeps him there; of that promise we may be sure, while we press on to the goal.

When we see our own insignificance and even corruption, it is a great comfort to know God will put us right and put all things to rights. He will overrule events for good, come to pick us up, restore us and lead us to glory. Along the way the sheep have the great privilege of using His Name for every prayer and need. Be willing to be freely and unreservedly loved. Love His paths and love His righteousness.

44. Restores Soul

Psalm 23.3

He restoreth my soul.

 Restore = replenish, resupply, fill up again, refresh, renew, put back what has been lost, repair what has been damaged. Restore usually means putting back to an original operative state something that has been lost, damaged, or stolen from the soul. The diminishment of the soul by sin and death happens constantly; therefore, restoration of the soul to full life and working order is also something that must happen constantly.

It should be that once we have been restored (saved) we should stay restored, but it doesn’t work that way. Once we have been restored, which should happen daily, we begin leaking energy and sustenance once again, leeching it out through sin, unbelief, pride, unclean thoughts, harsh words, etc., etc. We don’t usually feel it happening, but just walking through the world drains spiritual energy, and we need constant restoring. That’s what the promise of the Shepherd is for: constant restoring.

“Restoreth” = 24/7, ongoing, always working, never ceasing, present and active.

Sinners are prone to wander; David is a wanderer and God is a Restorer. Nothing but trouble results when the sheep gets lost: in time he exhausts himself, loses strength, is defenseless against enemy attack, and would be about to die at the hands of his enemies. That is when the friendly arm picks him up, carries him and brings him back to the fold. He loves his sheep, follows them with interest, extricates them from danger and restores the soul.

The Shepherd deals providentially and waits to be gracious. Afflictions meet wandering sheep, and the Shepherd may allow some time for him to consider the folly of his ways. He may delay his rescue, but it will come. The loving Shepherd may delay rescue to allow the conscience to go to work; he becomes conscious of misery; this conviction leads to confession; he pleads mercy and forgiveness. Then the Spirit rouses him to contrition and he comes back again to a relationship with the Lord. This process may have ebbs and flows, but it doesn’t take many breaks. Most sheep are in a continual restorative mode, and it always works. The Lord is a perpetual restorer.

43. Still Waters

Psalm 23.2

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

 The Holy Spirit leads me with cords of love and by establishing a trusting relationship. I can be absolutely sure HS will always lead me aright. Now the promise is that He will lead me beside the still waters. Still means calming or soothing, not necessarily like “still waters run deep.” Still waters may be a gently babbling brook or the peaceful ripple of a slow moving stream, but it is not a raging torrent or fierce wind and waves. The effect of the image is to bring peacefulness and tranquility to mind. The sheep can drink merrily from the waters and find refreshment and rest. A stream of water is also a picture of Paradise: Revelation 22:1 “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Paradise is also in the center of our hearts where the Holy Spirit dwells. We are very often in need of a Shepherd who will lead us to that peaceful paradise center, the very one we carry with us, but so often we cannot find it. It’s because we lose it that we have a Shepherd who finds. He finds us and gently carries us to that peaceful paradise place, beside still waters.

Water is one symbol of the Holy Spirit. Heavenly peace and sweet refreshments come to the soul through the Spirit of God. The Spirit flows from the Father and the Son as a silent brook of gently flowing noiseless current pure water of life proceeding from the throne. What the HS does by the gospel cleanses, softens, and refreshes. Isaiah 8:6: “The waters of Shiloah that go softly.” The waters of Shiloah remove faintness and restore strength. The HS is strengthening and comforting at all times, near, with, and within the believer. He enjoys a secret still intercourse with God. The inward teachings of HS control the heart with His quiet and peculiar influence. It is inward, deep, purifying and progressive. “The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17.

The Holy Spirit makes intercession with unutterable sighing, bringing our unworthy prayers before the throne of grace. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts; a blessed peace pervades; it is well of water springing up.

42. Green Pastures

Psalm 23.2

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.

 The promise here includes some coercion on God’s part, although we believe God never coerces. What do we do with “makes?” Sheep are so dumb that often their head needs to be pushed down to start them grazing; then the other dumb sheep follow the leader. The Holy Spirit prompts, leads, nudges, guides, and in that gentle sense He makes me lie down. But I am willingly following the guidance and wisdom of the Good Shepherd anyway, so with any leading I gladly follow. If He has to make me lie down I am more than happy to go along. Then I am rewarded with luxurious verdant pastures for peaceful rest and happy grazing. He supplies in a most abundant manner, a fresh, rich, good and tender meadow.

The lying down represents rest and satisfaction, safety and peace. The Word is the lush nourishment of the spiritual pastures. Truth from the Word is satisfying. The Bible is a spiritual paradise. Hidden treasure lies in this field: mercy and grace, pardon and peace, love and joy.

The hidden pastures are plural, not confined to only one place of spiritual refreshment, but will be found any place the presence of the Lord resides. The lying down of the soul means meditation, ruminating on heavenly food: recall, re-feel, re-intake, refresh. Meditation may attend every reading of the Word; green pastures invite that relaxed rumination and reflection. Live this wonderful promise.

Try it: meditate 30 seconds on each of these four words: “Yahweh is my Shepherd.”

41. No Lack 

Psalm 23.1

I shall not want.

 “Want” is a quaint and beautiful Old English meaning, which is interestingly related to the present day meaning. We may translate, “I have everything I need,” or “I lack nothing.” We can also say, “I really don’t want anything more than my Shepherd has already provided. I am so content with all the blessings He has granted for my care and well being, I can honestly say, ‘I am rich and full; I do not want a thing.’” It would admittedly take some kind of saint to actually believe and say that, but if we really believed the Shepherd and His promises we could say it boldly and proudly.

“Not want” means I have everything needed for the support and wants of the body and soul, that I am not lacking anything needful. But, even more, I am happy about that: “I am content, completely satisfied with everything that I currently have; I don’t want a thing.” Jesus and I may argue about what my wants and needs really are, but He always wins the argument; and so I learn to be content with what I have until He decides in mercy to grant me more.

This unconditional promise stands on the surest of grounds, for it is legitimate deduction from the first sentence (the Lord is my shepherd). I may not know what my earthly lot shall be, but I know what it shall not be: no matter what, no needful blessing for body or soul shall be wanting, neither poverty nor riches. The true riches of godly peace and contentment far surpass pride and ambition. He who is content with everything allotted feels no want.

The Lord, as our Shepherd, elicits confidence. Unbelief deprives us of His blessings. A contented mind is a continual feast. We are enabled to leave everything to God’s judgment and not become our own gods, thinking I know what I need. All is regulated by His unerring wisdom, even the hairs of your head. Leave it all up to Him. You can be master over yourself, even if you cannot be master over your circumstances. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33.

40. Reward

Psalm 19.11

In keeping of them there is great reward.

 This is a classic expression of the conditional promise of blessings and good consequences resulting from keeping the commandments. The reward is bountifully spelled out in several parts of the Torah. Every Jew knew and no Israelite doubted the blessings from obeying and the curses from disobeying. Taken as a whole the blessings come not only from keeping the commandments in the narrow sense, but also the rewards that come from believing the promises of the Lord and receiving with thankfulness all that God gives. Great reward is the consequence of well doing, bringing peace of conscience, elevation of soul, and like-mindedness with God. The Law of Commandments is a part of the wonderful things God gives for which the believer gives thanks. The Torah also grants unconditional promises and blessings of mercy and forgiveness. Believing God and His promises is just as important as doing His commandments.

Internalizing and externalizing the entire Torah embedding it into our faith and life is meant by “keeping of them.” If you keep the Law, then there is great reward. Reward is not related to merit, as in a child getting gold stars for doing the chores and then getting a reward for the number of stars earned. As a reward of merit a “reward” is given for doing something, just for doing it. The reward in this promise is related to grace, not merit. The reward does not come from “doing the chores,” but the reward is the good things that result from the work, like a clean room, washed dishes, dogs fed, etc., in addition to the strength of character that is built into the obedient person. Rewards are intrinsically related to believing and keeping the Torah: just two small examples: a stable and happy family results from honoring parents and not committing adultery; a safe community results from not killing and not stealing and not lying. These kinds of rewards are intrinsically connected to attitude and behavior, even if it is hard to connect the dots. Faith is necessary, for it alone sees. The Faith Chapter of Hebrews 11:6: “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

These intrinsic rewards are directly related to conditions, but they are not easily seen; therefore, the connections must be believed. Why do I have to…? Because I said so! Trust me; your great reward will come in time.

Remember: the Ten Commandments themselves were given as a blessing and grace from a loving God for the purpose of giving us a happy and blessed life. The Gospel is given as a blessing to forgive our failure to keep the commandments, and to give the power of the indwelling Spirit to actually keep the commandments better. Repent and believe the Gospel: that’s how we claim the reward.

39. Enlightening

Psalm 19.8

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The Word of God brings light to hearts darkened by misunderstanding, doubt, unbelief, pride, and fear. The eyes that are enlightened by God’s pure commandment are the eyes of the heart, “the mind’s eye,” the eyes of faith. Faith sees; faith enables the heart to see, to comprehend, to take hold of, to possess, and to internalize the truth and make it my own.

Once the promise is fulfilled in me, once the eyes of faith are enlightened by the pure Word of God, once I can see clearly the grace and truth of Jesus Christ, then I can live life to the full and walk into the glories of heaven on earth that the Lord has prepared for me by His Cross and Empty Tomb. Faith enjoys the promises of God and the blessings He has reserved for us in this life and the next. Psalm 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, an a light unto my path.”

Faith is the eye that sees; “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). The Word enlightens the eyes, or opens them so that we see, hear, understand, believe, and live accordingly.

In a more physical sense, enlightened eyes are not only able to see better, they also look better.  Enlightening the eyes to receive outside information coming in from the Lord through the Word also brightens the eyes so that they shine. The eyes of the believer, purified by the Word, shine brighter and more sharply than the normal “dead eyes” of unbelievers. Enlightened eyes shine with the love of God for other people as genuine care and concern shines forth from the heart that has been transformed. What a blessing to have not only enlightened eyes of the heart, but enlightening eyes through which the love of God in the heart passes out into the world of people around us.

This is quite a promise: Enlightened and enlightening eyes.