THE TABLE OF THE LORD

THE TABLE OF THE LORD

Psa. 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.

David’s Psalm 23 is one of the best loved passages in the entire Bible. In it, we see the the tender love of Our Savior as He gently leads His sheep. One of the pictures David paints in this Psalm is The Lord graciously preparing a table for us in the presence of our enemies. David never sugar coated the message. How could he? His faith was forged in the fires of affliction. His God was the God who met him in the pit of despair. His songs were often written as prophetic words from The Lord to himself to comfort himself in the worst of times. That brings us back to the table of The Lord. This table is not in king’s palaces, this is a table found in the presence of enemies. David had learned to encourage himself in The Lord in the evil day. How did he do it? He comforted himself by coming to the table of The Lord. Here is what Charles Spurgeon says about this table.

“Behold the superlative liberality of the Lord Jesus, for he hath given us his all. Although a tithe of his possessions would have made a universe of angels rich beyond all thought, yet was he not content until he had given us all that he had. It would have been surprising grace if he had allowed us to eat the crumbs of his bounty beneath the table of his mercy; but he will do nothing by halves, he makes us sit with him and share the feast. Had he given us some small pension from his royal coffers, we should have had cause to love him eternally; but no, he will have his bride as rich as himself, and he will not have a glory or a grace in which she shall not share. He has not been content with less than making us joint-heirs with himself, so that we might have equal possessions.”

What exactly is on the menu at this table in the wilderness? First, we are feasting on the word of God. This word is soul food, it feeds and nourishes our soul on His words of faith. As David said “How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” As we delight ourselves in the goodness of God’s word, not only is it sweet to our taste, it also nourishes and feeds our souls. “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” This bread that Jesus is speaking of is the word of God, the true bread that comes from heaven and gives life to the world.
The second fare on the menu is the new wine of the Holy Spirit. This new wine fills us with joy unspeakable and power to live and work for God in this world. Push up to the table, ignore your enemies, and delight yourself at the table of The Lord.