The Hospitable God
Psalm 23 is so well-loved and so familiar. We might think we know what it means. But then someone might come along and bring something new from it that we didn’t see before.
In 1970, Phillip Keller published his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. This book has been quite popular – my copy says that over 1 million copies are in print and that was a 1996 edition. I’m sure more have been printed since. It’s been popular because it claims to give new insights into Psalm 23 based on the experiences of the author as a shepherd.
Psalm 23:5 says that God prepares a table for David in the presence of his enemies. Phillip Keller says that the idea of the shepherd with his sheep continues through the psalm right to the end. He claims that the “table” in verse 5 is referring to the high country, the table-lands. The “table” is the summer range for the sheep.
The problem is that the Hebrew word for table never refers to an area in the high country for sheep to graze. In fact, the word literally refers to an animal skin that you’d spread on the ground to sit on and eat. Later it came to mean a low piece of furniture usually made out of wood on which you would place your food. Sometimes a table is just a table.
Psalm 23 is best understood as having two parts. Each part uses a certain picture to describe God’s relationship with the believer. In the first part, God is the Shepherd and the believer is the sheep. In the second part, God is the host at a banquet and the believer is the guest. That’s what verse 5 is all about. Let’s look closer at it.
In the ancient world, if you were giving a feast or a banquet, you’d have special procedures in place for your most honoured guest. One of them would involve oil. Olive oil would be enhanced with perfumes. Then that perfumed olive oil would be poured out on the head of your most honoured guest before he came into the banquet hall. According to David, this is what God has done for him.
As he comes into the banquet hall, he sees a table prepared for a fine feast. The table has been set and prepared carefully. The items on the table are not the left-overs from last night, but the best foods the host has. Moreover, there’s an abundance, not only of food, but also of drink. The cup for the guest is filled right up to the top. The host has spared no expense to lavish hospitality on his guest.
What’s more, all of this is done in the presence of David’s enemies. They look on as David takes his seat at God’s table and enjoys the food and drink. That points to two things. One is vindication. Vindication means that God is showing that David is the one who is right with him, while the enemies are in the wrong. And the other thing it points to is peace. If you were in the army and you were in the field in combat conditions, you’d be given a Combat Ration Pack for your food. It’s usually nothing special, but it’s nutrition. And you’d usually eat it quickly and get back to fighting. In the presence of enemies, you don’t sit at a table and enjoy a banquet with the best food and drink. But that’s what’s happening here in Psalm 23. Even though his enemies are present, David can peacefully enjoy this feast with no hurry, no worry, just joy.
Now the amazing thing to remember is the vast difference between the Host of this banquet and the guest. The Host is the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, majestic in glory, exalted in splendour. The guest is a mere creature, tiny in the scheme of things. Relative to the expanse of the universe, the guest is just a speck of dust. But there’s more. The Host is also the infinitely Holy God. His character is impeccable and his righteousness unsurpassed. His very character defines what is good. The guest is a sinful human being. He is a rebel and a traitor. He doesn’t deserve a place at the lavish table of this Holy God. Yet God grants it. We call that grace. It’s receiving the opposite of what you deserve. A rebel deserves punishment. If you rebel against infinite majesty, you deserve infinite punishment. You deserve to be cast out into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
But, amazingly, God gives the opposite of what we deserve. He gives us a place at his table. Through his grace shown in Christ, he takes away our dishonour and he bestows honour upon us instead. He anoints us with the perfumed oil and he grants the best food and drink in the gospel. He vindicates us before our enemies and allows us to eat and drink with peace and joy. It’s such a beautiful picture of who our God is and how kind and gracious he is to undeserving sinners.
Dear reader, God has prepared a table for you in the presence of your enemies. Through his grace, he has anointed you and called you his honoured guest. Through his Son, he promises to feed you and make your heart rejoice. Your cup truly overflows with gospel grace. The Good Shepherd is also the Good Host and you’re blessed to feast with him.
