Psalm 23 v (Day 5)

Reading: Psalm 23 v5

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

 This is the account of an old King assessing his life. As he looks back he sees a God who shepherded him in his weakness, who walked him through the darkest valleys; running from Saul, an affair, murder, the death of 4 children and the rape of his daughter to name just a few.

Suddenly the sheep analogy has gone. We may look at David and be in awe of the king we remember or sad because of his mistakes. David knew his own thoughts and I imagine him standing in the palace thinking ‘How did God get me here? One minute I’m in dark valleys being led blindly and now I am King of Israel.’

Have you ever pondered such a question? How with my failings and imperfections did God bring me to this point; blessed?

I believe David looked over his kingdom and found himself in awe of the goodness of God, seeing fingerprint of God on every scene of His life, either in preparation for what was to come or in redemption to David’s foolishness.

In bible times one would have anointed the head of another to signify honour, usually royalty. David is using this same symbolism in saying God blessed him with richness and so his cup, is now overflowing with blessing. 

Do you look back and see that even in the presence of your enemies you were blessed with the presence of God?

Our enemies cannot be escaped. We will always face someone/thing who is against us. But we can be sure that despite resistance the Lord prepares a table of love and security for us to feast on. No matter how bad the circumstances may seem. We just need to believe God is faithful, and then you will be able to say just like David did ‘my cup overflows’.