Thoughts on the Lord's Table (Part 5 of 5)

A Table in the Presence of Enemies

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies...” (Psalm 23.5)

Most people tend to seek comfort and ease in life. We avoid pain and adversity, unless we see some kind of immediate payoff. Religion is typically thought of as an escape from trouble and a way of dealing with pain. The idea that religious faith might result in some kind of trouble is not an attractive proposition to most people in our society. And Churches know this to be the case. The Church advertises the Faith as an antidote to the problems of life. No Church today who wants to attract new members would advertise that the Faith might bring opposition and hardship into people’s lives. Who would join a religion or a religious group that is constantly harassed by hardship and trouble? But this line of reasoning completely ignores the Word of God, the nature of faith in Christ, and the true character of the world in which we live. The believer in Christ is in a world of hostility and opposition. The world is hostile and in rebellion against God and His Christ. Every follower of Christ must expect that the world will not be a friendly place. This is not our homeland.

Believers are on a pilgrimage through enemy-held territory. The road from earth to glory is dangerous, being full of difficulty and potential snares. We should not expect an easy passage. Everything in this world opposes faith. And not all those who begin this pilgrimage will finish it. There must be some Divine provision and protection for us to be able to maintain our faith. The journey through this world to Glory is simply too difficult for us to handle apart from the Lord. We cannot make it on our own. We must come to terms with our own weakness and inadequacies. Then we must look to God to provide what we need while in this present, evil world.

David speaks of God’s provision in his famous and comforting Psalm. The twenty-third Psalm has been a source of encouragement and comfort for many of God’s people during their most difficult times of trial. The comfort of this Psalm comes from the images of God’s faithful provision for His people. David was a shepherd who knew how to take care of sheep. This is a picture of God’s care for His people. The Psalm does not promise the absence of adversity, but it does promise the presence, protection, and provision of God in the midst of the troubles of life. The Lord is with His people, even in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. David is confident of God’s presence and provision when in the presence of his enemies. God will prepare a Table, or a place of provision and sustenance, for His people even when they are surrounded by opposition and hostility.

David himself was no stranger to enemies and conflict. David began his career by facing Goliath and defeating him with the Lord’s help. David then had to endure the constant persecution of King Saul, even though God had directed Samuel to anoint David as King. David waited and trusted in God to deliver him from Saul. After he became king, David had to flee from the city of Jerusalem because his own son Absalom tried to take the kingdom by force. Though David was blessed by God and was a man after God’s own heart, his life was far from peaceful. David was a man of war who fought many battles. Some of David’s trouble was the result of his own sin, which is often the case for God’s people. But David’s life is a picture of the believer’s fight of faith. His famous and comforting words in the twenty-third Psalm come from the knowledge of experience.  David knew how to fight and he knew where to go for strength.

God is the source of all the resources a believer needs to make it through the world. That is the theme of David’s comforting Psalm. God Himself is the source of the believer’s comfort and strength. God was not just an idea or a theory to David. God was a very real presence to David, as He is to all true believers. Living by faith is having a personal connection to God and actually  depending on Him. When believers are in trouble and in need, they go directly to God and would not even consider going to any other source. In fact, it would be an offense to God if we were to seek help elsewhere. God expects His people to come to Him for what they need. There is no question about God’s ability or His willingness to provide for His children. The only question that needs answered is: are we accessing what is available to us?

The Divine resources that David writes about in the twenty-third Psalm must be accessed by faith. In other words, we must believe that God is and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11.6). The key is diligence, or seeking the Lord regularly. The Lord Jesus taught us to pray without giving up. We must constantly seek the Lord in the pages of Scripture, for we live by every Word of God. And the Lord’s Table is another way that Divine resources are accessed. The fact that we eat and drink here at this Table depicts the spiritual nourishment that is available to us. The physical table points us to a greater, spiritual Table. This spiritual food comes from Jesus Himself and is necessary for sustaining spiritual life. Christ Himself is our spiritual bread for the journey, which we imbibe by faith in His atoning death on the Cross. It is our faith in His sacrificial death, depicted at this Table, that is eating His flesh and drinking His blood (John 6.51, 53-58). This Table is prepared for us in the midst of a hostile world.

Jesus laid down His life to overcome the world and all the enemies of God. We must embrace and appropriate the victory of Christ. He prepares a Table for us in the presence of our enemies. Surely we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.