Getting Job-ed
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23:5-6 ESV
This is the last part of our little study on the 23rd Psalm, which is an often-quoted and misunderstood piece of the Bible. It’s a Psalm that touches on all aspects of our life, whether in the mountains or in the valleys.
God is both high above all of His creation and yet intimately involved in His creation…
There is a cultural and historical aspect to verse 5 but rather than getting into all of that, I want us to see that this God that is all-powerful (as in, stands outside of time, manages minute details in the universe, and created the cosmos) still cares for beings like us. God even knows how many hair follicles are on our head (Matthew 10:29-31). That’s attention to detail! God is both high above all of His creation (transcendent) and yet intimately involved in His creation (immanent).
Our God, His People
The ending of the Psalm ends with, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever (vs. 6, ESV).” That sounds good and like a Disney movie, but how can the Psalmist actually say that with the evil and the atrocities in the world? Christians are being martyred all across the globe day in and day out, how can you live in reality and say that?
We live on Planet Death (As Pastor Renaut Van Der Reit from Mosaic Church would say). That’s a fact. Paul tells us that Jesus is more precious than life itself (Philippians 1:20-24). We’re taught by our society that life, health, and prosperity are the most important things to us. The Bible teaches us that there’s something better: God Himself. God will still be with us if our possessions burn up, if we lose our families, if we lose our jobs, after retirement fades, even after we die. The line, “…I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever” means that I will be with God, God will be with me. The concept of ‘temple’ in the Old Testament and in the New Testament has significant meaning: it’s a place where this transcendent God and man meet. More than anything in life, I want something that is more satisfying than anything else. That ‘something’ is God. He is our God, we are His people.
Wrap it up
So let’s land the plane. We’ve worked through this often misunderstood Psalm by seeing that God is our Shepherd, He satisfies our every need. He leads us, whether through good times or rough times, for our benefit in that His rod and His staff comforts us. God cares for us and is intimately involved with His flock of sheep. We dwell with God if we cherish, run to, and desire Him as our Shepherd. Why does He do all of this? For His name’s sake, which is also for our benefit.
-Austin
