“1 The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul. He guides 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...”
(Only the introduction and first point of this sermon were preached. This explains the substantial reworking in the next sermon).
In mid-May, Bethany and I will be going to the Washington Pavilion to see Andrew Edlin portray Winston Churchill. I’ve long been an admirer of Churchill. I’ve read any number of biographies about him as well as some of his own writings. He is a fascinating man.
He did not have an easy childhood. We saw a bit of that this morning. He grew up idolizing his father Lord Randolf who wanted next to nothing to do with him. Winston went to boarding school, as was the custom in the high culture of that day. While there, he regularly wrote his father begging him to visit. Those letters were largely ignored.
Boarding school was difficult for Winston. He went at age 12. Many children had already been attending for years and so there was already a pecking order in place. He was often teased. A visit from his father, who was a fairly prominent politician, would go a long way to winning him acceptance in the eyes of his peers. Perhaps you know what it is like to find yourself not only outside the inner circle but a victim of the cruelty of the inner circle. If so, you know that you would give almost anything for a hero to come and show your bullies that you are worthy of love. You know that you would give almost anything for a hero to come and show you that you are worthy of love. Churchill’s father could have done that, but he never took the time.
Churchill’s mother wasn’t much better. She wanted as little to do with her son as her husband did. She was devoted to herself and in many ways was quite undeserving of the devotion her son gave her throughout her life. A glamorous woman like Jennie Churchill coming to dote on her son would at least have showed the bullies that Winston was lovable in someone’s eyes. She didn’t see fit to do so.
Churchill did receive one visit during his time at boarding school. He wrote his nanny, Mrs. Everest, and she came to visit. She was the one who, in many ways, raised Winston. He called her Woom. Sigmund Freud would have had a heyday with that name. “So, you’ve been ignored your whole life by the woman who carried you in her womb and you call your nanny womb?” Actually, given his lisp “Woom” was little Winston’s best pronunciation of the word “woman.”
Winston invited Woom to visit him at boarding school. His dad wouldn’t come. His mom wouldn’t come. Woom came. When Woom came, Winston proudly displayed her for all to see. He treated her as if she were the most honored guest to ever visit that school because, of course, to him she was.
She showed him love in the midst of his enemies. She made clear, if one for a day, that he was worthy of affection.
If you have ever wanted that sort of love, you will welcome tonight’s study because it is all about God’s grand displays of love in the midst of bullies. God makes it a point to show that His children are worthy of affection. They are not worthy of being teased or persecuted. They are lovable and God wants everyone to know it just like Woom wanted everyone to know it about Winston. The Lord loves His children lavishly and He does it for everyone to see. That is the claim of this sermon: The Lord loves His children lavishly and He does it for everyone to see.
We will study this in three points. First: lavish hospitality. Second: images of abundance. Third: the watching enemies. First, we will study this verse in terms of lavish hospitality. Second, we will study this verse by way of three images of abundance. Third, we will consider this abundant hospitality amidst watching enemies.
First: lavish hospitality. This is our seventh study in Psalm 23. To this point we’ve seen that the Lord is the shepherd and that we are His sheep. We’ve seen that He guides us along the right paths which are the right paths because they lead to abundance. These right paths are still the right paths when they wind through dark valleys. In these dark valleys the Lord makes His presence and power clear.
Now that we come to verse 5 it seems that the shepherd/sheep metaphor recedes into the background. While some, such as Philip Keller, believe that the metaphor continues—he explains the table of verse 5 in terms of a plateau and the anointing oil of verse 5 in terms of a dip to protect the sheep from parasites—most commentators think that the imagery changes in this verse. Such a sharp transition wouldn’t be unusual in Hebrew poetry.
What we have now is the imagery of hospitality. The prepared table, anointing oil, and overflowing cup are images of hospitality. We’ve seen images of green pastures and quiet waters. Those were shepherding images of abundance. The prepared table, anointing oil, and overflowing cup are hospitality images of abundance. David has thought about the Lord’s abundant generosity by way of a shepherd and sheep and now he does so by way of hospitality; “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
It is hard for us in a different time and culture to understand the importance of hospitality in David’s time and place. We would find it exceptional in our culture if one family opened their home to another for months or even years. We would probably find it startling if a family spent more each year on inviting others over than they did on their own home renovations. The culture in which David lived wouldn’t have found any of that odd. They would find our culture quite odd.
Hospitality was extremely important in the ancient near east. “In the East,” writes George Lamsa, “a man’s fame is spread by means of his table and lavish hospitality rather than by his possessions. Strangers and neighbors alike discuss tables where they have been guests. Such tales spread from one town to another and are handed down from one generation to another.”
People rightly admire hometown boys and girls who have made a name for themselves. We rightly celebrate those who have gone on to play professional sports, written books, or become involved in state and national politics. The men and women of David’s culture would have similarly celebrated those who prepared a good table and kept cups overflowing.
Now what is strange about our culture is that although everyone enjoys experiencing hospitality, hospitality has fallen by the wayside. We are too busy, or at least we make ourselves too busy to enjoy extending and enjoying good tables and overflowing cups. We rightly enjoy all of this at proper celebrations like weddings, anniversaries, and holidays but we don’t do it “just because.” I don’t know all the reasons for that and I’m sure there are powerful trends within our culture that push against the sort of hospitality David extended and enjoyed. I personally wish it were different. I wish I were as into this lavish hospitality as the Lord is because it is properly honoring. You honor people when you extend hospitality. When you feed a person well, you show them that you value them. When you keep their cup overflowing, you show them that they matter to you.
This transition from sheep to human in verse 5 might be a display of such honor. The metaphor of the sheep was useful, but you have far more honor than a sheep. You are created in the image of God. The hospitality of this verse underlines this honor. You weren’t created as a sheep. You were created as a human and a human is honored by a prepared table, anointing oil, and an overflowing up. If God playing host for you doesn’t leave you feeling honored, I think you would be wise to remember who God is and who you are.
The Lord loves to play host. David pictures the abundance of God’s hospitality in three images and it is to these images that we now turn in our second point: images of abundance.
The abundance God gives is hard to grasp. Each child of God tries to grasp it in their own way. Phillip Yancey tried to come to terms with it by writing a book called What’s So Amazing About Grace? Charles Wesley tried to come to terms with it by writing hymns. A group of believers down in Mississippi tried to come to terms with this abundance by naming their church “Lagniappe”. Lagniappe is a Creole word for an undeserved extra, like a thirteenth donut given to you by a baker when you buy a dozen. Every child of God tries to come to terms with the abundance He gives in different ways. David tried to come to terms with the abundance God gave by way of the images of a prepared table, anointing oil, and an overflowing cup.
First, the prepared table. “You prepare a table before me,” as David put it. In the ancient near east, dining at the king’s table was a sign of friendship with the king. Dining at anyone’s table was a sign of friendship. This is why it was so radical when Jesus ate with prostitutes and tax collectors. Giving and receiving hospitality was a way of recognizing kinship, which is to say it was a way of recognizing that someone had become part of the family. You see David himself treat Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth as part of the family by inviting him to eat at his table.
This is part of what God does by inviting you to His table. He says that you are part of His family. This is what He did on Mount Sinai when he invited Moses, Aaron, and the elders to feast before Him. He wasn’t simply giving them food. He was saying that were all family. This is one of the reasons that the church is referred to as the family of God. This is the metaphor that is on display when we share the Lord’s Supper. You are welcomed to the table because you are part of God’s family.
David tried to come to terms with God’s generosity by way of the table. He also tried to come to terms with God’s generosity by way of anointing oil. “You anoint my head with oil,” as he puts it in verse 5.
Such oil was refreshing in the dry and dusty climate of Palestine. My guess is that you find it refreshing to wash your hands and face after working in dust. This oil served that same purpose. You provided it as a way to welcome a guest. Anointing a guest with oil at a banquet was also a way of acknowledging him as the guest of honor. This tradition continues today in the Middle East.
God wants you to feel welcomed in His presence. He considers you an honored guest. If you have thrown yourself on God for mercy, picture Him picking you up and anointing you with oil as a sign that you are an honored guest, or, if you like, picture Jesus washing your feet. If you want to know who you are, you are God’s honored guest. Remember that when you wake up tomorrow.
David tried to come to terms with God’s generosity by way of the table. He tried to come to terms with God’s generosity by way of anointing oil. He also tried to come to terms with God’s generosity by way of an overflowing cup; “my cup overflows,” as verse 5 puts it.
This is an image of celebration. God invites you into His presence to celebrate. Now I understand that there are concerns about abusing alcohol and there is wisdom in such concerns. Scripture warns against the dangers of alcohol, but Scripture also makes clear that God gave wine to gladden human hearts. This overflowing cup is a picture of celebration just as Jesus’ first miracle was a picture of celebration. God invites you into His presence to celebrate.
Perhaps you have a hard time putting the word “God” and the word “celebrate” together in the same sentence. Please know that, that has more to do with your own hang ups than with the Father of Jesus Christ. Listen to His picture of the new creation, “On this mountain, the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines.” That is the imagery that John picks up on when he describes the new creation as a wedding reception. It is celebration. David included the overflowing cup in verse 5 to make clear that God gives abundantly.
God loves to give to abundantly. You see that in the table. You see that in the anointing oil. You see that in the cup. You see that in His Son. The Father gives His best in His Son. Since He gives the best, He will give the rest. As Paul put it, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
Now what is strange about us humans is that we are afraid to believe that God is generous. Arguably the most terrifying statement that could be made about humanity is that God sent His best to us in His Son and we put him to death. Humanity saw the best that God could offer and killed the best that God could offer. We don’t seem all that comfortable with true abundance. We don’t seem all that comfortable leaving our sin-made cages to enjoy the spacious freedom that God offers. It takes a work of the Holy Spirit for any of us to recognize God’s Son as the best that God has to offer. It takes a work of the Holy Spirit for any of us to believe that God is generous.
If you have recognized the generosity of God, be thankful that your heart has been born again to enjoy what is best. It is a gift. God wants you to enjoy knowing His Son. He wants you to enjoy all sorts of abundance. He wants you to enjoy this abundance that David explained by way of this table, oil, and cup. He offers it for the world to enjoy.
God offers this abundance in the midst of enemies. David knew a good deal about abundance. David knew a good deal about enemies. He is worth listening to on this particular topic, in addition to the fact that this is Scripture. We see this in our third and final point: the watching enemies.
To this point we have only focused on the abundance. Now we focus on abundance in the midst of enemies. To this point we have only focused on how very good Woom was to Churchill. Now we focus on what it means for the bullies to see Woom’s love for Churchill. Now we focus on what it would have meant for his glamorous mother or powerful father to come and show love to Churchill. Now we will focus on what it means for God to show love to us in the midst of our enemies. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
David had enemies. Saul tried to kill him. The Philistines tried to kill him. His own son tried to kill him. Friends betrayed him. David wanted these enemies to know, like Churchill wanted his bullies to know, that he was worthy of love. More importantly, God wanted to show David’s enemies that David was worthy of love.
Your enemies will tell you that you aren’t worthy of love. In a thousand ways, they say what the enemy of your soul says. Satan tells you, as Deon taught last week, that, “you don’t have what it takes. You need to be more—fill in the blank. No one is going to really love you. You are only worthwhile if you—and you know how your brain fills in that blank.” He tells you that, “you are on your own in this world.”
The Lord shows the abundance of verse 5 to silence these enemies. He doesn’t just invite you into His family, treat you as an honored guest, and invite you to celebrate. He does so in the presence of your enemies because He wants them to see Him honor you. He will never see you as they see you. He wants them to see you as He sees you.
I want you to consider one of your enemies. You might not think that you have enemies and, if so, consider someone who doesn’t treat you with the 1 Corinthians 13 love that we’ve been studying this morning. What would it mean for you, that person, and Jesus to sit down in a room together and for Jesus to wash your feet in front of that person? Would it mean for Jesus to explain his love for you to the person who doesn’t treat you with love? How might that even change the way you treat yourself?
If you are sitting at God’s table, remember that you have received, are receiving, and will receive the public favor of the One who matters most. In the midst of your enemies, you are favored in a way that Churchill never was by his parents. He found, and rightly found, much dignity when even his nanny visited him. You have the dignity of being cherished by God. If you are not yet sitting at that table, know that there is a chair available.
You will be welcomed. You will be welcomed into the family. The book of Hebrews makes clear that Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters. He suffered for sin so that we might be adopted in his family. God clearly wants you to know that you are loved. So sit down at the prepared table. You’re an honored guest. He will keep filling your cup. For a reason that can only be described as grace, God wants to play host to you, and nobody throws a better party than the Father of Jesus. If you’ve been in the shoes of the prodigal son, you know that. Amen.