Psalm 23:5
Scripture Reading - Psalms 23:5 KJV
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
In today’s lesson we will continue looking at the 23rd Psalm historically known as the psalm of “The Good Shepherd”. Of course the Good Shepherd is no doubt the Lord Jesus Christ because in the New Testament according to St. John 10:14 Jesus boldly proclaims, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” In this particular Psalm we must always acknowledge who is The Lord and who is not. Since we know that The Lord is Jesus Christ Himself, or we could generally say God it is important to note that this psalm is being shared from the perspective of a sheep. We notice in verse 5 that the whole earth is God’s pasture. This is highlighted by the fact that while we are on earth there are enemies in our midst. In Heaven there are no enemies to deal with, Oh Happy Day! Praise You Lord Jesus! However, the Good Shepherd still wants us (His sheep) to know that even though there are enemies in your presence you don’t need to fear them. Remember, 1 John 4:4 KJV which states, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” The Child of God knows that this is a spiritual battle but we should also recognize that in many cases those evil spirits will work through people around you to try to frustrate your peace and well-being. Our Father God and Lord Jesus don’t want you to be afraid or annoyed by the enemy spiritually or people naturally but know that you are well protected. Moreover, while you are on this earth you have authority over every member of the kingdom of darkness through the awesome Name of Jesus Christ. Although you will not be able to stop all the works of the devil concerning all the people around you but you do have authority to keep him (the evil one and any evil spirit) out of your life. Therefore eating a meal prepared by God is just another way of showing yourself, the devil and any witness that when evil is present I AM (God Himself) is there too with you (within you and all around you) so you don’t need to worry or be afraid. Of course this is a truth that is taught by the Word of God teachers and preachers so we can only hope that you personally know this powerful truth and practice it in your life. Yes, we (ihlcc) are talking about a mindset that understands God will never leave us or forsake us. This is true while we are on earth (our home) and it will still be a truth when we are in Heaven (God’s Home). Having a clear understanding that the Almighty God who created the whole universe with all things contained within the universe should be comforting to our minds. Certainly we should have faith to believe and speak that the Creator of Satan definitely has more power than Satan, for the Creator is always more stronger than His creation. Yes, this concept is eternal but it takes the renewing of your mind to establish it firmly in your heart. This is the reason “God anoints your head with oil”. The anointing upon your head is the Holy Spirit Himself. We know according to John 14:26 KJV that we have a Helper to keep us thinking straight to broaden our understanding of God. The exact scripture reading is, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. One beautiful blessing to point out here is that the oil stays upon your head. This means that seven days a week and twenty-four hours a day the Holy Spirit is with you to keep you and to guide you into all truth. We know these things and we are reminded by God of how blessed and graced we are by being one with Christ Jesus. This is such a blessing that it is more than we can handle on our own, therefore “our cup runs over”. We do believe this to be correct for both realms. Yes, spiritually your heart should run over with the fruit of God known as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (self-control). Your heart should run over with a deeper understanding and the knowledge of God’s Word. Your heart should run over with the Presence of God which encompasses all the spiritual gifts, fruit and blessing of God. However, we won’t stop there because we also believe this applies to the natural realm too. Yes, your clothes should run over such that you have more clothes than you actually need, so you can give some away to someone else in need. Likewise, your food for yourself and your family should run over too such that you could feed a hungry soul whenever called upon by a neighbor or love one. Also, your finances should run over so that you can give more than ten percent to your church, you can prosper enough to give offerings to other ministries of God and alms to the poor. Moreover, you are so prosperous that you have extra money in saving and you have the wisdom of God on how to make your money make more money for you and your family. This means that God wants you to live life in an overflow reality that effects your spirit, soul, body, relationships, finances, your family and all things upon this earth. This is the blessing of “The Good Shepherd” and no sheep needs to do without it because think about it, “All sheep are cared for together as a flock (a family)”. No sheep is isolated from the group but rather they are looked after and provided for individually and corporately unto the glory and praise of God. Are we, as Christians, not all the sheep of The Good Shepherd Jesus Christ? Most certainly we are and praise the Name of Jesus for it and thank our Almighty Father God for his brilliant plan of salvation that included us and our family members and our friends and our acquaintances who look unto Jesus in this life carrying on to the life yet to come. Amen!