Read: Psalm 23:5
THEME: Psalm 23 carries a weight of maturity. It is more than a song of a shepherd boy; it is the testimony of one who has been shepherded through a lifetime of pain, challenges and correctives.
As we turn to verse 5 of Psalm 23, we can think of how much of God’s goodness David experienced in his lifetime. ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.’
David was exceptional in terms of his kingship as he was anointed three times: firstly by Samuel when he was a young man; secondly by the people of Judah following the death of Saul; and thirdly, as a thirty year old, when the whole nation of Israel came together at Hebron to make him king. And yet the anointing David speaks of, goes beyond this; he is talking of a current and ongoing anointing from the Lord Himself.
Then there is this feast that the Lord spreads before him in the face of his enemies. Few men would be bold enough to turn their backs on their enemies to give their attention to such a feast. But even in the midst of his greatest battles, David was always focussed on God and His unfailing generosity and goodness.
In David’s early days, Saul’s insecurities and fears could have been his preoccupation. In later years, it could have been the threats of surrounding nations and the pain of internal discord. But, come what may, David stayed focused on God’s table spread before Him and the constant access he had to God’s ongoing anointing. It was the reality of this daily relationship with God that made his cup of joy overflow.
Let us have a focus on God’s goodness that causes us to know His overflowing joy.