Mensa Otabil - God Prepares a Table for You
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We’re looking at the 23rd Psalm, one of our favorite Psalms, talking about God’s relationship with us as our Shepherd. Now we look at verse number five: «You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.» This is probably one of the favorite verses of the favorite Psalm. David talks about himself, God’s favor on him, and God’s protection for him. You have to understand that David was anointed as a king when he was very young, and from there, his life went into all kinds of crises. Even though God used him to do great things, he went through a lot of difficulties.
So he talks about a few things that we can pay attention to. First, he says God has prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies. A table prepared before me; what is he talking about when he says God has prepared a table before me? It means God has set a banquet before me. He has furnished me; he has provided for me, and not just provided a meal, but he has set a table. It’s like going for a buffet, and God has put all sorts of delicacies in abundance before me. So David is talking about God’s abundance and God’s supply for his life. God prepares a table before me, and then he says that God is doing all of these things not just in a friendly manner, but also in the presence of my enemies.
What David is saying is God doesn’t really care about my enemies; my enemies don’t face God. You know, many of us are preoccupied with enemies, and we always want enemies eliminated. But here, David is not praying for enemies to be eliminated; he’s actually seeking their presence because it is in their presence that God prepares a table before us. So the enemies may be present, but God will not be stopped from preparing a table before us. Then he goes on and says he anoints my head with oil. He’s talking about his coronation when he was anointed as a young person and then later anointed as king of Israel. It is that anointing that set him apart; it showed God’s favor, how God has favored a young boy from a very remote village and a very ordinary family, the last child, and yet God favored him.
The anointing of the Lord touches people wherever they are and turns ordinary people into extraordinary people. David says, «You’ve anointed my head.» May the Lord anoint your head and set you apart. Then he concludes by saying my cup runs over. A cup basically is what we receive our provision in, and David says God pours into my cup, and it overflows. So you can imagine somebody with a cup receiving water, and the water doesn’t stop; when the cup is full, the cup overflows. The Lord prepares the table before us and gives us an overflow. May he do the same for you in Jesus' name. Amen.
Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, you prepared a table of abundance for me, and you bless me with your overflowing blessing in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. Pastor Mensa Otabil, Shalom, peace, and life to you.