It Starts Small

We are going to look at this part of the verse in two days. Today I want us to think about the table before we dig deeper into the enemy.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies   Psalm 23:5

Table – What kind of table does God prepare for those who walk uprightly?

For the Lord God is a sun and shield.
The Lord grants favor and honor;
he does not withhold the good
from those who live with integrity.

Psalm 84:11

It is not a trivial or construction question. It does not matter what the table is made of, rather the the rank of the table.

I ran across this silly video clip about the Oxford “High Table.” Have you heard of it? High Table is the place in the dining hall where the professors and dignitaries sit.  It is a place higher than the rest of the tables in the hall and only the finest foods and wines are reserved for the guests at high table.  High Table dining is a recognition of privilege and status. 

I also saw a show about cruises that if you take a cruise on an ocean liner, you might be invited to sit at the Captain’s Table.  The same rules apply.  Captain’s Table is not for everyone.  Only special, invited people sit at the Captain’s Table.

David uses the Hebrew word shulchan.  This word can mean an ordinary table, but that is not what David has in mind.  David has a specific table in view. This table is ranked higher than High Table at Oxford or the Captain’s Table on the ship.  This shulchan is the table of the Lord. This is the very special place where God’s meal is arranged in the Tabernacle.

²³ “You are to construct a table of acacia wood, thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.²⁴ Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding all around it. ²⁵ Make a three-inch frame all around it and make a gold molding for it all around its frame. ²⁶ Make four gold rings for it, and attach the rings to the four corners at its four legs. ²⁷ The rings should be next to the frame as holders for the poles to carry the table. ²⁸ Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and the table can be carried by them. ²⁹ You are also to make its plates and cups, as well as its pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold. 

Exodus 25:23

David himself once ate from this table.  Now, in the presence of enemies, David sees that God invites us to dine with Him at His special table.  It is not just a table fit for an Oxford professor or a ship’s captain of even a king.  It is a table fit for the Lord of the universe and you are invited.

The meal is miraculous and good thing is withheld, but it is not the meal that makes this table so incredibly special.  It’s the company at the table.  You are dining in the company of God.

When Jesus invited his guests to join Him at High Table, he displayed this psalm.  He served the bread and the wine in the presence of the Enemy and the Enemy was held at bay until the most important meal in the world was finished.  Yes, it’s true that the meal was not ribeye, garlic mashed potatoes and the wine was not Chateaux Margaux.  It was simply the Passover meal.  This meal, eaten in the presence of the Lamb, was truly the Psalm 23 meal. 

God has invited you to the highest table in the universe, to share a meal with the King of kings.  Sit.  Eat.  Enjoy His company.  That is the good life.