The Turn of the Table
Psalm 23:1, 3-6
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23 and Romans 11:9 both speak of the table of the Lord. "David says" make their table a snare, a trap, "a stumbling block, and a retribution for them." He is asking God to make his enemies' table as a pay back if you will. What table was David talking about? I see no cross references in my Scripture; yet, Psalm 23 speaks of the table prepared for me "in the presence of [my] enemies." Psalm 23 is a shepherd psalm. Not only is the Lord my shepherd but "all we like sheep have gone astray" according to Isaiah 53:6. For this, "the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." The good Shepard of John 10:11 "lays down his life for the sheep." This is all David knew having received his ministry training in the sheepfold of 1 Samuel 17:34-37.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Notice the progression of the psalm as the sheep poet follows the Shepherd through the valley of the shadow of death. From there, he is sat in front of his enemies to feast at the table; afterwards, he is going on to the house of the Lord.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
This table is the same, I believe, as the table of the Lord. To prepare a table, one has to offer something. The table of the Lord was prepared through his offering of himself. It was to be applied in all our life circumstances according to Revelation 1:5. This table can either be a blessing to me before my enemies or a curse. For the enemies of Christ, on the other side of the table, it is as Paul describes a curse. Is this not a doctrinal stretch? I see Jesus referred to as the stumbling block laid in Zion, an offense to those who believe him not in 1 Peter 2:8. For example, I can prepare a pot roast and set it out for my grandson. He will look me in the face and tell me that he does not want it; he will do this because he does not believe that what I prepared for him is good. He will not eat anything and will grow hungry. So for him, that table is a trial, a test, and a curse. If I fix the same table for my husband, he will eat and will tell me it is good. For him, this is a blessing. Spiritual discernment makes the difference between their beliefs. If I believe that God is always good, how will that affect my response to the circumstances of this life?
Like the disciples found, I ought to know how much he cares. Here, Paul is describing the Jewish nation who was meant to be blessed; this blessing is the offering of the table which was Christ and the spiritual life in him. But, "he came unto his own and his own received him not" in John 1:11. In another place, he could not do many miracles there for their unbelief as in Matthew 13:58. The people's eyesight and hearing were still intact in the physical realm, yet lacking in the spiritual in Matthew 13:15. They also possessed a spirit of stupor. If your spiritual eyes and ears cannot perceive anything, then you will also lack understanding of the spirit world. Christ has made it clear his teachings are to be "spiritually discerned" in 1 Corinthians 2:14. His spoken words are life and spirit according to John 6:63. For the Jewish people, the Lord's table became for them a curse and an offense. For us who believe in him, it brings life both in eternity and here to be worked out in the natural realm.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
The final thing, Christ has been made our peace as in Colossians 1:20. The doctrine of transubstantiation in the Romish church is poorly understood by most Protestants. Galatians 2:20 speaks of the life lived in the flesh as being identified with Christ. Identification happens through our shared experience of his death, burial, and resurrection. Thus, I have been made one with him. He claims us as in a husband-wife relationship to himself in Ephesians 5:25. This is why I can give the Lord's supper in the authority of Christ to those under my house who claim to be children of God as in Acts 16:33. Even the husband or wife if unbelieving is sanctified through the belief, the testimony, and the witness of the spouse in 1 Corinthians 7:14. The children are brought to Jesus by the parents or guardians as in Mark 10:13. Remember, the sick and demon possessed were brought to Jesus under someone else's authority according to Luke 4:40. They may not have been able to speak for themselves. Yet, someone with authority over them spoke for them and asked Jesus to heal them. They were all healed, saved, and delivered never to be the same again; meanwhile, the caregivers and guardians went without impunity for their boldness.
Thus, the table of the Lord is always to our benefit. Unbelief, an enemy of God, flips it. God punished the Corinthian church for sin towards himself in 1 Corinthians 11:30; the root of this was unbelief. You may be asking yourself how I know. Because if Eve had believed what God said in Genesis 3:1, she would not have eaten an apple. The preparing of the table leads to the partaking of the table. Whosoever eats unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ according to 1 Corinthians 11:37. "This is my body which [was] broken for you" in 1 Corinthians 11:24. It is our body too. His life is ours. In this life we now live by the faith and grace of the Son of God. In him, at 2 Corinthians 2:14, we are always led in a triumphant parade over our circumstances, over the snares of the enemy, and over those who aimed to have our backs. We are triumphant in Christ Jesus. Through him who loves us we are more than conquerors as in Romans 8:37.