Lessons From the Secret Place – Intimacy- Lesson 8: Face to Face in Christ.
Today we will be looking at Psalm 23:5a as we continue our study on intimacy with Christ.
Psalm 23:5a, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
Eating a meal is an exercise in intimacy; it is familial and relational. Perhaps the most relational activity humans participate in-which is likely why Jesus talks about Himself as the bread of life and uses the last supper as a message to His disciples. It is why Jesus tells us that the way to purchase all the gold we want from Him, all the treasure we desire, is to listen to His voice, and invite Him in to dine with Him (Revelation 3:18-20). It is why Christians practice the taking of communion, which is an excerpt from the Passover meal, and a discipline familiar to church history, as is the practice of praying before a meal. There is something very sacred about eating together. The picture here is of God preparing a meal, and sitting down to have an intimate dinner, in the very presence of the dark circumstances, in the very presence of enemies. i.
Prepare a Table
The phrase “prepare a table” is present tense. This means it is happening now, not in the future or in the past but right now, at this moment. It is a continual now!
Believers are never pictured in Scripture as mighty lions, independent and self-sufficient; rather, they are sheep who are dependent on their Shepherd for His provision and protection. The believer is more than a dependent sheep, however; he is also like an honored guest, since the Lord prepares a table for him (v. 5). Connected with this honored position is abundant provision, vindication before one’s enemies, and eternal celebration of God’s goodness. ii.
To accept another as a guest at one’s table was to set aside enmity and to assume responsibility for the safety of the guest while in your dwelling. To sit at Yahweh’s table is to enjoy fellowship and communion with him. iii.
2 Peter 1:3 tells us, For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). (AMPC)
It is our intimacy with/knowledge of Christ that allows us to receive all we need when we sit at the table with him. He daily supplies all our needs (Phillipians 4:19).
The thing I enjoy most about going out to eat is the fact that someone else does the cooking and clean-up. Friend, Jesus is offering to do the “cooking” and the “clean-up” as we come to the table with him. What, you might ask, does this look like in my life?
First, Jesus offers us all of himself at each “meal”. When we sit down in his presence, he holds nothing back. All he is, is at our disposal. His strength is ours; his peace is our, his joy is ours… If he has it (and he has it all), then it is freely offered to us to use, share, spend, etc.
Second, Jesus does the clean-up. When we sit down with Jesus to share sweet fellowship, he picks up the broken pieces, cleans and bandages the wounds, and polished off the tarnish left by sin. He understands our weakness and our brokenness. He not only understands but he is ready, willing, and able to clean it up.
Hebrews 4:15, For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. (AMPC)
Psalm 147:3, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows]. (AMPC)
Hebrews 4:16, Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. (AMPC)
When we are in Christ, we are not expected to clean ourselves up. Jesus has already paid the price and if we allow him, Holy Spirit will come in and dig deeply into all areas of our life, revealing, healing, redeeming, and restoring any broken or damaged areas, making us whole and new. We can boldly draw up to the table knowing that we will find grace and mercy as part of God’s provision for our lives.
Before Me
The Hebrew word “manim” used here for “before” literally means face. It implies looking at the front of another person. God prepares the table right in front of us, looking us in the face. We don’t get his back; he makes eye contact with us as we share intimacy.
Moses talked with God face to face as a man takes to his friend. God has chosen this type of face-to-face communication/relationship with us. As I mentioned a few lessons ago, there is no shadow of turning with God. He always has his face toward us. He has never, nor will he ever turn his back on His children.
According to Psychology Today, eye contact turns up the volume on whatever feelings are inherent in an interaction. iv. Through his eye contact with us God conveys all his deep feelings toward us.
To set out food was a gesture of hospitality (Ge 18:1 – 8; Ex 2:18 – 20). To do so in front of someone (enemies) would publicly establish the right relationship that exists between host (in this case God) and the guest (the psalmist). v.
We belong to Christ, and he wants everyone to know it. He makes a point of sharing fellowship with us in front of our enemy. If you have been a Christian for more than a day, you know that the enemy knows you belong to Christ. Satan and his demons demonstrate that knowledge through their constant attempts to derail our faith and erode our trust of/in God’s ability and willingness to care for us. Thanks be to God; we are more than conquers through Christ, and nothing can separate us from his love!!! (Romans 8:35-39)
In the Presence of My Enemies
It is important to note that David doesn’t only say God prepares a table before him, but David also says that God prepares a table before him in the presence of his enemies.
From this description, we can make the conclusion that even in the presence of his enemies, David feels confident in the Lord and trusts in Him. Though his enemies are present, David has no reason to fear because God is with him. vi.
The enemies are powerless to prevent the enjoyment of God’s generous hospitality. vii.
In the presence of our enemies here might indicate “a victory feast at which David celebrated the defeat of his enemies, who were prisoners without weapons and no longer dangerous.” viii.
Enemies here is defined as those things which threaten to choke the life out of us. In the presence of these forces, God prepares a table postured to give us hope and life even in the midst of the threat of the most dire of circumstances, or the most formidable of opponents. ix.
To sit at Yahweh’s table is to enjoy fellowship and communion with him. To do so “in the presence of my enemies” is to have one’s special relationship to God declared publicly in a context of divine blessing and security. x.
In conclusion, as we sit with him at the table which Christ has prepared before us, we can be certain that, Jesus himself has prepared the food and is doing the cleanup. We can also be confident that we are seated face to face with him. Finally, whether we are seated at the table with enemies who are currently being held at bay by Christ, or enemies who have already been taken captive, we can rest assured that all our enemies are rendered powerless through Christ!!!
I challenge you to pull your chair up to the table and enjoy intimate fellowship with your Savior and Friend today!!
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