Psalms 23:5 NKJV
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.”
Another translation says,
Psalms 23:5 NLT
“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.”
Another even says banquet
The first thing we must understand is that we cannot get to verse 5 without going through verse 4 which is that you must walk through the valley or the shadow of death, then God prepares a feast for you in the presence of those same enemies you’ve just walked through.
It says to me God celebrates the courageous, the mighty, the confident, the unwavering and the overcomers by preparing a table to display us and our identity in Him in front of those who want to destroy us.
My main focus today is verse 5 and the significance of it towards us.
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Part 1
THE TABLE
The God of the universe and beyond not only knows me by name and intimately knows every aspect of my being, every cell, every detail also promises me that when I go through evil places He comes and serves me by preparing a table for me to sit at to remind the enemy, you will not win and as a matter of fact I am setting you up for even more blessings and He does this with the specific intentions of showing you off to the devil.
Every evil plan formed against you, every demonic tactic, every false word of accusation brought against you is crushed and destroyed right in front of the very one that intended harm on you!
But I love that the God over all things prepares a table.
That means He has gone out of His way to get a table, wipe it down, place the table cloth, set the table with silverware and then cooks the food, plates the food all for me and not to mention He is doing all of this while my enemies watch!!!
It shows the enemy that not only does God love me and has saved me from hell but He cares for me and goes out of His way to bless me!
First of all what is a the significance of a dining table?
II Samuel 9:1-11 NKJV
“Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “At your service!” Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.” So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.” Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my Lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.” “As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.”
The issue here is that most of the time most believers can’t take their eyes off the enemies attacking them and they define their circumstances up against the enemies they see instead of looking who is across the table.
What’s going on here is this, all of the situations and circumstances that the enemy brings still are there. The thing God is saying is this. Dwell in His presence and none of that other stuff doesn’t matter anymore.
The majority of the time we don’t have problems like financial issues, relationship issues, trust issues, faith issues, what we have is a Lordship problem.
So basically the Lord is saying this,
“I have set you up for victory ahead of time and just to prove it I’m going to set a table up right in front of all those things that want to destroy you and show them that you are with Me!”
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Part 2
THE OIL
Anointing my head with oil
What is the significance?
It is to protect the sheep from
Mental illness 👇👇👇
During the summer, flies are a nuisance for sheep. It is the nose flies that are the most problematic, as they hover around a sheep's head trying to lay their eggs in the nose. A flock of sheep can become panicked and run wildly if hovering flies are present. In addition to damaging their meat and milk, this type of activity may cause injury or death.
Upon successful attachment, larvae of the fly will hatch within a few days and burrow into the soft flesh of the sheep's nasal passages. The result is irritation, inflammation, and infection.
In an attempt to escape the intruders, a sheep may rub its head on the ground, thrash through the underbrush, or even bang its head on the trunk of a tree.
The sheep may even attempt to kill themselves in severe cases in order to escape the pain. In the event that the sheep survives, the infection caused by the larvae can lead to blindness. It is imperative for shepherds to pay close attention to nose flies due to the severity of the problems they cause.
Traditionally in biblical times, shepherds applied anointing oil containing olive oil and strongly scented, medicinal essential oils at the first signs of nose flies.
Another condition that is very troublesome in the summertime is a contagious disease known as scab. This is actually a parasitic condition caused by a mite called Psoroptes ovis that is spread from sheep to sheep through friendly head-butting and rubbing.
Applying a thick coat of anointing oil to the sheeps’ heads was believed to kill the parasites and prevent their spread.
So in review.
Anoint my head with oil
"Sheep can get their heads tangled in briers and die trying to untangle them. It is common for small flies to torment sheep by laying eggs in their nostrils which turn into worms and cause the sheep to beat their head against a rock and eventually to die.
Additionally, their ears and eyes are susceptible to tormenting insects. Therefore, the shepherd anoints their heads with oil.
This oil guards them against the evil that seeks to destroy them.
Do you sometimes suffer from mental torment, anxiety? Do the worrying thoughts enter your mind over and over again? Do you beat your head against a wall in an attempt to derail them?
What I think is pretty awesome as well is when someone is pouring anything really on your head especially when it’s intentional, your mind is completely focused on that. Nothing else but that oil running over your head onto your face.
It’s renewing, refreshing and cleansing your mind!
I love that at the table in front of your enemies God is pouring out blessing on you that are overflowing onto others then He anoints your head In front of those enemies to symbolize your kingship, your authority, your calling, your sanctification by God Himself, and your recognition by God as a priest which allows you to minister to God. As well as I have poured this on my child’s head and you cannot harm them anymore.
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Part 3
THE CUP
My cup runs over is a metaphor that when our dependency is in God, He will pour out upon us so much of Himself that we don’t have room enough for it and it spills out everywhere spilling out to those around you.
-Scientifically proven facts-
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
When say water is poured into a cup the water spills, it overflows from the cup due to the force of gravity.
The spilled water is essentially the excess water that the cup cannot hold.
The water in the cup remains constant until the spilled water is cleared or evaporates.
So, in this scenario, the spilled water comes from the water you continue pouring into the cup, not from the water already in the cup
God’s blessings go far beyond us. We become the vessel of honor in which His blessings have already filled me up and keep me full yet He doesn’t stop pour when I am full, He keeps pouring so that the run over flows to those around me!!!
We are NEVER! (We are restricted from) hoarding our blessings! We are told in Matthew 10:8 that God has freely given us these blessings, they were free from a loving Father now we must freely give them away.
God has designed it this way to flood you with blessings so it will spill over to others!
There is a fountain of flowing resources continually flowing.
Look at what Jesus says👇
John 10:10-11 NKJV
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”
Ephesians 3:20 NKJV
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,”
Pessimists see the cup half-empty. Optimists see the cup half-full.
Children of God see the cup running over.
Unbelief only sees an empty cup. Doubt debates whether the cup is half-full or half-empty. Worry fears the cup will be lost, broken, or stolen.
Faith sings of an overflowing cup. “My cup” is tied to “my shepherd.”
COVENANT
The cup was used at times as a symbolic of a covenant.
You would state the covenant and if it was agreed upon by both parties then they drank together from the cup.
Hebrews 10:16-17 NKJV
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
The cup is also used for us as believers to remember that when we drink the cup of Jesus we remember the beautiful gift of Jesus’s redemptive blood that He shed for our sins.
Matthew 26:27-28 NKJV
“Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Jewish Seder Meal has 4 cups they drink from.
a. Sanctification
a. Reminder to remember what
God has done
a. A list of 4 blessings
1. Praising God for sustainment in life.
2. Thanking God for His mercy
3. Is a prayer for the blessing of Israel
4. Thanking God He will never leave or forsake us
a. It’s a time of praise and thanksgiving
The Seder Meal was a gathering to fellowship, eat, drink and worship God for their freedom from slavery and protection as the angle of death passed over them.
Pastor Jerry Siler Jr.