Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 23:5
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
5. in the presence of mine enemies ] Or, adversaries, as in Psa 6:7. The mark of favour is public and unmistakable.
thou anointest ] R.V., thou hast anointed. The reference is to the unguents and perfumes which were the regular accompaniment of an Oriental banquet (Amo 6:6; Psa 45:7; Psa 92:10), not to the regal anointing, for which a different word is used.
my cup &c.] See note on Psa 16:5: and cp. Psa 36:8, Psa 66:12, note.
Jehovah is no niggard host, like the Pharisee (Luk 7:46); He provides for the joys as well as the necessities of life (Joh 2:1-11); His guests shall be of a cheerful countenance and a gladsome heart (Psa 104:15).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
5, 6. The figure is changed. Jehovah is now described as the host who bountifully entertains the Psalmist at his table, and provides him with a lodging in his own house, as Oriental monarchs entertained those to whom they wished to shew special favour. See Gen 43:16 ; 2Sa 9:7 ff; 2Sa 19:33; 1Ki 4:27.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thou preparest a table – The image is now changed, though expressing the general idea which is indicated in the first verse of the psalm, I shall not want. The evidence or proof of this in the previous verses is, that God was a shepherd, and would provide for him as a shepherd does for his flock; the evidence here is that God had provided a table, or a feast, for him in the very presence of his enemies, and had filled his cup with joy. The word table here is synonymous with feast; and the meaning is, thou providest for my wants. There may be an allusion here to some particular period of the life of the psalmist, when he was in want, and when he perhaps felt an apprehension that he would perish, and when God had unexpectedly provided for his wants; but it is impossible now to determine to what occasion he thus refers. There were numerous occasions in the life of David which would be well represented by this language, as if God had provided a meal for him in the very presence of his foes, and in spite of them.
Before me – For me. It is spread in my presence, and for me.
In the presence of mine enemies – That is, in spite of them, or so that they could not prevent it. They were compelled to look on and see how God provided for him. It was manifest that this was from God; it was a proof of the divine favor; it furnished an assurance that he who had done this would never leave him to want. The friends of God are made to triumph in the very presence of their foes. Their enemies are compelled to see how He interposes in their behalf, how He provides for them, and how He defends them. Their final triumph in the day of judgment will be in the very presence of all their assembled enemies, for in their very presence He will pronounce the sentence which will make their eternal happiness sure, Mat 25:31-36.
Thou anointest my head with oil – Margin, as in Hebrew, makest fat. That is, thou dost pour oil on my head so abundantly that it seems to be made fat with it. The expression indicates abundance. The allusion is to the custom of anointing the head on festival occasions, as an indication of prosperity and rejoicing (see Mat 6:17, note; Luk 7:46, note), and the whole is indicative of the divine favor, of prosperity, and of joy.
My cup runneth over – It is not merely full; it runs over. This, too, indicates abundance; and from the abundance of the favors thus bestowed, the psalmist infers that God would always provide for him, and that He would never leave him to want.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 23:5
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
The Lords guests
This is a desert scene. A hot, panting fugitive is fleeing for his life, pursued and hunted by the forces of a fierce revenge. At last he touches the tent rope of a desert man, and now he is a guest, and a guest is safe. Such is the undimmed glory of Arab hospitality. To injure a guest is the mark of the deepest depravity. Such is the desert symbol in the text. What is its spiritual significance? The soul is a fugitive, in flight across the plains of time. The soul is pursued by enemies, which disturb its peace and threaten its destruction. What are these enemies that chase the soul across the ways of time?
1. The sin of yesterday. I cannot get away from it.
2. The temptation of today. Sometimes he approaches me in deceptive deliberateness; sometimes his advance is so stealthy that in a moment I am caught in his snare.
3. The death that awaits me tomorrow. Man seeks to banish that presence from his conscience, but he pathetically fails. Whither can we turn? On the whole vast plain is there one tabernacle whose tent ropes we may touch, and in whose circle of hospitality we may find food, refuge, and rest? In the Lord our God is the fugitives refuge. In the Lord our God we are secured against the destructiveness of our yesterdays, the menaces of today, and the darkening fears of the morrow. We are the Lords guests, and our sanctuary is inviolable. And what shall I find in the tent? The enemies frown at the open door, while the Psalmist calmly sits down to a feast with his Lord. We shall find a sure defence, refreshing repose, and abundant provision. (J. H. Jowett, M. A.)
Feasting amidst enemies
1. That the malicious envy of evil men hath not been able to hinder blessings from descending upon the godly.
2. That it hath not been able to tear off the blessings which have descended.
3. That upon their greater fretting and contriving God yet hath added more blessings upon His servants. God doth not at all depend up, on wicked men in the benediction of His servants. (O. Sedgwick, B. D.)
Gods hospitality
1. He provides for His guests a feast in the midst of their enemies. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
(1) The life of the true is a feast. The figure implies three things. A variety in the pleasant. Variety is ever the characteristic and the charm of banquets. How boundlessly varied the blessings which heaven has spread out for the enjoyment of the good on this earth. There are the sensuous, the intellectual, the social, and the religious. The figure implies an abundance in the pleasant. It is almost essential to a feast that the provision should be ample. Meagreness and scarcity are carefully avoided at banquets. How immeasurable are the blessings provided for the good. The figure implies a social participation in the pleasant. A feast is not for one but for many, and generally for those of such kindred sentiment as will heighten the enjoyment. Life is social.
(2) The life of the tree is a feast prepared by God. Thou preparest. Not only does He prepare the feast for His guests, but He prepares His guests for the feast. The banquet, however sumptuous and varied in its provisions, is worthless to all but those who are inclined to participate, and who have the necessary appetite. But the point here is that the feast is spread out in the presence of enemies. A good man has ever had enemies, and ever will. David had them.
They now surrounded him as he was feasting at the table of Gods providence. There is something gratifying to a man in feasting before enemies.
(1) There is a gratification of the feeling of independence. Enjoying a banquet with the eye of an enemy on you, you seem to dare him to do his worst. You have the happy feeling that unrighteous malice cannot injure you.
(2) There is a gratification of the feeling of benevolence. Sitting down, enjoying a banquet sufficient for all your enemies, and to which they were invited but would not enter, you feel that as they look on there is a splendid opportunity for them to learn their folly, relent, and attend the entertainment.
(3) There is a gratification of our religious feeling. You feel, as you enjoy the rich banquet provided for you, that you have an opportunity of showing your enemies the wonderful bountihood of the Master of the feast. You give Him the praise. As a Host.
2. He follows His guests constantly with His goodness. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
3. He entertains His guests forever in His house. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. What a house is His. How vast, how grand, how infinitely numerous and elegant its apartments! The universe is His house. In my Fathers house are many mansions, etc. To dwell in this house forever, no longer a prodigal in a far country, no longer a wearied pilgrim in the desert, but a son settled down for ever in the mansions of the Father. (Homilist.)
The conflict of life
That life is a conflict is an assertion made so frequently that it has become one of the common places of moralists. But the common place assertion contains, nevertheless, a deep truth to which we have all at some time or other to bear undisguised and heartfelt witness. We have enemies; we are liable to commit grievous mistakes. We find, in ways innumerable, that our very strength is weakness, that we are sadly imperfect and fallible. Our enemies take advantage of our weaknesses, and use them as weapons for our destruction. It is no vague and meaningless metaphor which describes as our enemies the world, the flesh, and the devil. Whether we will or not, life is a conflict, as God doubtless designed it to be. The hostile influences awaken and invigorate the noblest elements of our nature, supply them with a field of action, and by means of risks and dangers train them to hardihood and endurance. God is educating us for higher things, that we may be resigned amid trial, pure in the midst of temptation, trustful though surrounded by darkness, and thankful even when our will is crossed. The servants of God are to be heroes. How can they triumph if they do not strive? There is deep truth enshrined in that old Oriental legend, according to which no one can sing a song to the immortals who cannot be the hero of his tale or live the song he sings. He must in this way vindicate his right to speak of deeds of high and holy daring, and therefore does God place him under such forms of life as his own imagination has portrayed, that He may try him whether he be a hero indeed. (James Stuart.)
The lyric of perfect trust
The nightingale of Psalms, somebody has called it–filling the night; flooding it with its song when every other song is hushed. The pearl of Psalms, another has called it pure, beautiful, and beyond price. The Pleiades, says a third, among the constellations into which these ancient singers have mapped the heaven of love and hope and peace which bent over them. Hero is a man who believed in God, believed in Him in no fictitious sense. David had in his mind a personal Being of infinite love, wisdom, and beneficence whom he had made his own–my Shepherd. What has such a man to say of life? Four things.
I. The wealth, completeness, fulness of it. It is something worth possessing. A new science has been developed of late–the science of being miserable. Side by side with this there is a mistaken and exaggerated pietism, which, in the name of religion, takes hold of everything by the wrong end. Things are what you make them to be. Life is what you make it. Take the man who has a personal hold of God. See in him the wealth, completeness, fulness of life. Full provision is made for all the necessities of mans nature. Life is a feast: Thou preparest a table for me. I will tell you how life looks to me.
1. I am–personal existence is mine. I have a being, the integrity, the sanctity of which even God respects, the boundaries of which even my Maker does not trench upon.
2. The world is mine. The heavens and the earth are mine.
3. Then there is the world of ideas, which come greeting you like troops of angels, from the books of gifted souls, from the mystic recesses of your own heart.
4. Friendship has been yours. The joy of serving, the joy of charity, the joy of dispensing sympathy, of bearing burdens which are not your own.
5. The happiness and ennoblement of benefiting the world.
II. Here is the sense of perfect security, of absolute freedom from all anxiety. Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. What a load would be lifted off some minds if they could only say that, and be sure of it. Many are spoiling their life through the dread of what may be somewhere in the future.
III. You have the record here of deliverances, restorations. He restoreth my soul. The Psalm does not give an altogether rose-coloured view of life. Perils, fears are implied, if not plainly stated. They are the background of the Psalm, but that only brings out the Psalm into brighter relief Take the dark side first. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. That is not the valley of death. It is the valley of doubt. It is the sorrow into which you can put no meaning. It is the agony of remorse. But from these things God restores us. Very graphic is this language. Engulfed, overwhelmed in these things, He giveth back my soul to me. Shall I speak of forgiveness, or of sorrow, or of doubt?
IV. A determination arising from this experience of God. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. It means, I will live in free intercourse, in frank fellowship, in unbroken friendship with God. That is the first meaning; but it does mean the material house also,–the temple of the Lord, where we meet to renew our vows, and to remind ourselves in concert of the God who is the inspiration of our life. (J. Morlais Jones.)
The table prepared in presence of foes
These words are generally supposed to allude to the seasonable hospitality which Barzillai and his friends gave to David during his flight before Absalom. Then the hospitality of strangers upon whom he had no claim revived the heart that had been sorely stricken by the ingratitude of his own flesh and blood. Such was the table to which David refers; and such were the enemies in whose presence it was prepared. It was so remarkable, so well-timed, and so suitable in every respect that the Psalmist could not fail to recognise in it the direct interposition of Gods own hand. It was a miracle of Divine providence. There are three points of resemblance between the provision made for David and the provision made for us. These are its Divine preparation, its abundance and suitableness, and its being made in the presence of our enemies.
I. The enemies in whose presence our table is prepared. In ancient Greek fable we are told about the Harpies, monstrous creatures with the bodies and wings and long claws of birds, and the faces of maidens pale with hunger. They were sent by the gods to torment the blind prophet Phineus, who had offended then by his misdeeds. Whenever a meal was placed before the unfortunate man the Harpies darted down from the air and carried it off, and either devoured the food themselves or rendered it unfit to be eaten. It was with the utmost difficulty that he was delivered from these frightful enemies, by the prowess of two of the Argonauts who had come thither in search of the golden fleece. Like all classic fables, this one has a profound moral. Here man is represented as a tiller of the ground, upon whom the Divine curse has been pronounced because of his sins, that in the sweat of his face he should eat bread; wise by insight and experience in regard to the common operations of agriculture, but blind as to the issues and results of these operations, and ignorant of what may be the increase of his sowing and the harvest of his toil, if any. In the Harpies we see represented the various enemies that are connected with the growth and supply of our food that are constantly on the watch to prevent us reaping the fruit of our labours, and rendering it unprofitable and unpalatable when it is reaped. Since sin came into the world God has ordained that man should encounter in full force the unkindly elements of nature. Nothing is more precarious than the growth of the corn upon which we depend for our daily bread. It is surrounded continually by innumerable enemies. There is–
1. Unsuitable soil and climate. It is within a comparatively small area of the earths surface that we can grow our corn. Beyond that area it is too cold or too hot.
2. The growth of our corn has many enemies of the animal and vegetable world to encounter. It has to contend with its own kind. Weeds, thorns, and thistles cumber the ground, and in their growth endeavour to choke and starve the corn and gain sole possession of the soil for themselves. There are birds that eat the seed as soon as it is sown in the field. There are caterpillars and insects that prey upon the tender blade. And worst of all, there are rusts and mildews that grow with its growth, and appear only when the full corn is in the ear, and turn the nutritious grain into black dust and ashes. And there are human enemies as well as natural. Competitions and rights restrict the cultivation of the soil; and commercial interests cause unequal distribution of its produce. The farmer has to encounter the difficulties of the market. Man, in having thus to grow his food amid a continual struggle with hostile forces, is taught in the most impressive way the solemn lesson of his dependence on God.
II. The table which is thus prepared for us. It is wisely adapted to our necessities as human beings. What a table is thus spread every year. On the table of the wilderness is spread spontaneously a plentiful feast of grass, wild fruits, and herbs for the sustenance of the dumb, helpless creatures that can neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns. On the table of the cultivated haunts of men are spread, year after year, the golden cornfields which witness to human industry, prudence, and foresight. What sacred memories gather round the table thus so richly furnished!
III. Who it is that has prepared this table for us. The harvest is the subject of a Divine covenant engagement. Our table is prepared by Gods own hand. The common event hides from us the Divine hand. In reality, in every human operation mans part is utterly trifling compared with Gods. When we ask God to give us day by day our daily bread we simply ask that God would enable us to live from hand to mouth during all our life. To the use of one days supply the laws of providence restrict the rich and the poor alike. (H. Macmillan, D. D.)
Feasting before enemies
In the former part of the Psalm the writer represents himself as a sheep enjoying the sure protection of a Divine Shepherd; but here he represents himself as a guest, receiving all the attentions of a kind and generous host.
I. That David considered himself as provided for and distinguished by God. All in prosperous circumstances should adopt the language of the text. Would that they did. Then they would recognise in all the good things they enjoy so many provisions of a feast prepared by His abounding love. But not alone will this thought reveal your privileges, it will impress your obligations. It was accounted, of old, an awful thing to violate the understood obligations of hospitality. The eating together bound together. He who did eat of my bread hath lifted up the heel against me was the pathetic complaint of the Psalmist. Does not this show, in a striking light, the conduct of those who receive good at the hand of God, to return evil? They are guests, entertained with bountiful kindness, and breaking all the laws of such entertainment; they dishonour the author of their weal and their welcome, and add treachery to transgression. But if the description of the text applies to the blessing of our outward and temporal estate, much more does it apply to the state of grace in which believers in Christ Jesus stand. The provisions and enjoyments of the Gospel excel all others. What table, however richly spread, is to be compared to that to which Christ unites us?
II. And all this was and is in the presence of mine enemies. David reached the throne of Israel through such opposition that it made him a type of Him who, before He sat down at the right hand of God, endured the Cross and despised the shame. The associations of things wonderfully augment and diminish their importance; and the association of witnesses is one of the most potent of all. Disgrace and punishment would lose the greatest part of their evil if they lost all their publicity; and honour and reward are rendered infinitely more sweet by being conferred before our fellows. It was not the confinement so much as the exposure of the pillory that made it terrible as a mode of chastisement; and where would be the heroes of this world if there were no despatches and no histories? The best of us live far more in other men than we are willing to acknowledge; we are the meek servants of social opinion. And as social opinion is a motive, so is it a recompense. The censure of the world may be a great chastisement, when there are no other pains and penalties; and its praise a sufficient guerdon, without riches and honours. In Davids case there was everything that could make the presence of spectators significant and important. He rose to dignity and plenty in spite of fierce opponents. Many beheld him thus exalted who would fain have kept him down; and the elevation was more delightful on this account. If we may so say, it cost God more to put him there than it would have done otherwise. To be on the throne, then, in spite of opposition, enemies numerous and strong, after many toils and tears, not only as a dignity but a triumph–this was a far greater and more blessed thing than if there had been little or no difficulty at all. Men do delight, and ever have delighted, in the overthrow of the wicked. There is no man, however good, who is not pleased that thieves and liars and murderers are found out and punished. Whatever commiseration we may have for their sufferings as men, we feel complacency in the fact that they do suffer. It is possible to cherish revenge, which is wrong; but it is also possible to rejoice without cherishing it, which is right. The sentiment is natural, whether the object on which it feeds be present or prospective. Let us not take a narrow view of this feeling. It is not rejoicing in suffering as such, but as suffering on particular accounts. Suffering in defence of right we honour. But suffering and shame brought on those who have trampled on all righteousness and goodness we rejoice in, and are right to do so. It is not a pitiful vengeance, but a right healthy moral sentiment. Davids feast in the presence of his enemies is a type of many feasts. But things worth having involve trouble and expense in the getting. You can attain to honour and joy only in the presence of enemies. Faith is a good fight and Christian enterprise is a wrestling with spiritual wickedness. Wherefore anoint the shield, take the sword of the Spirit, that ye may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. (A. J. Morris.)
Feasting in presence of enemies
Thou preparedest a table for me. I notice that all our commentators teach that there is a break here. A sheep at a table; that will not do, although the idea of feeding will do. Well, the kaleidoscope seems to have taken a turn. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. What does that mean? I somewhere met with an idea which has always stuck to me. I do not know what commentator it was in, for I cannot find it now; perhaps it was somebody whom I heard. In old warfare they had rather savage ways of retaliating upon their enemies. After the battle the victors had a feast, and, in order to enjoy the feast, they took their leading captives–the leading men of the opposing army whom they had vanquished, and bound them to pillars in the banqueting hall, and compelled them to look on while those whom they had meant to destroy sat and feasted royally and uproariously an their presence. It was a savage way of acting–to prepare a table and sit down and drink to the confusion of their enemies, and their princes and their captains chained to the pillars. It gave zest to the feast, did it not? Ah, there is a true idea in that. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. (John MNeill.)
A table among enemies
I. First, there are temptations, commonly so called, which can be a trouble even when they have ceased to be a dread. Just when all is peace and glory there comes the ribald murmur of an evil thought, the haunting disquiet of some evil imagination. Or doubts, again, rise up at the most solemn moments, at some turning point in our path. This steep road cannot be right. The higher path of duty is a mistake. The view of uninterrupted splendour which I have promised myself will never come! The path leads nowhither; it is but a sheep track, beaten by the tramp of unenquiring generations. I am the slave of an imposture, the victim of a cunningly devised fable. Doubts are certainly among those that trouble us. And then there is the constant weakness, the weariness of the road, the faintness which makes us stumble, the distaste for prayer, the distractions which perplex us. He does not concern Himself with them; He is busying Himself about me. The way lies through obstacles more and even greater than these. It is not His care to remove temptation, but to strengthen the tempted. He never promised to remove trouble; but He has promised to make anxiety out of the question. He never promised to remove pain; but He has promised to elevate it into a bearing, supporting cross. He prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
II. And what is this table, so strange, so unexpected, prepared in the presence of enemies thirsting for my life? Preeminently it speaks to a Christian of the blessed Sacrament of the Lords Body and Blood. In a wider meaning it is our Holy Religion. It represents all those different ways and means of grace in which God strengthens us against temptation. If, then, we are to push our way through these obstacles, He would seem to say that above all things it is necessary that religion should preoccupy the soul; it is the empty soul that is so mercilessly tormented. A man that has no principle, no settled religious beliefs, no settled religious obligations, who depends on his surroundings and companions, it is he who is so mercilessly tormented. And no less in the table do we trace a provision of strength. Over and over again Holy Scripture appeals to us with warning voice, Be strong. God knows the strain which we have to undergo, the unhealthy atmosphere, the miasmatic plain, the poisonous swamps and jungles through which the path winds, and therefore He prepares a table of strength. What strength we might have if we made use of this table of religion! We should find ourselves a source of strength to all around us. And yet again, the table is a feast of good things. There is the intense interest of religious life and religions work. Worldly men cannot understand it, simply because they have not thrown themselves into it. It would seem to be a fact that our enjoyment of everything is in direct proportion to the interest which we bestow upon it, and to the extent in which we devote ourselves to it. Even the very games and recreations of life are insipid when we cannot play them, or neglect to enter into them. The joy of the Lord is your strength. See how joyful, how bright God is all around us in His marvellous works. Do not let us despise enthusiasms; they carry us on. They are a table of delight prepared in the presence of our enemies.
III. And as the angels came and ministered to Christ after His temptation, so the anointed head and the replenished cup speak of the joy and gladness which wait on those who overcome. There is the oil of joy and grace poured over our heads, which makes us prophets, priests, and kings of God to all those with whom we are brought into contact. And at the end there comes the full cup. Everything contributes to the store of wealth, and all things work together for good, because we love God. Life in all its changes, health, prosperity, affliction, all add to the great store of blessing, and Gods mercy fills the cup of happiness to overflowing. (W. C. E. Newbolt, M. A.)
Thou anointest my head with oil.—
The anointing
I. David had been anointed to kingship. All Christians are kings, even as all Christians are priests; but kings only anointed not crowned, as they are priests ordained, not yet admitted to celestial ministries; and though the ordination to priestly service be now the more prominent honour, it is not such as to distrust or overshadow the kingly name and destiny.
II. David had been anointed from on high. Davids crown was a sure one, and surer than that already worn by Saul; and so is every Christians. Gods purposes in providence and grace are sure as the seasons and the sun. The kingship of every believer rests not on his own might or wisdom, not on the counsels and plans of his fellow men, but on the irreversible and sovereign grace of God.
III. David had been anointed to present rule, as well as future honour. He had forthwith to rule himself as a preparation for ruling others.
IV. David was anointed of the Spirit. With the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
V. David was anointed in secret. The anointing of David was not a public act.
VI. David was anointed with the oil of joy. Oil was a symbol of joy. And oil to make his face to shine. Of Messiah it is said, Thy God hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows. (John Stoughton, D. D.)
My cup runneth over.—
The wealth of life
The overflowing idea is everywhere.
I. Our cup of natural blessing is not simply sufficing but redundant. We see this–
1. In the beauty of creation as opposed to mere utility. The sad philosopher of antiquity confessed, He hath made everything beautiful in his, time: and the poet of today rejoices, All things have more than barren use. Some modern cynics have roundly abused nature, and tried hard to show the seamy side of the rainbow; but the loveliness and grandeur of things are too much for them, and the poets vocation is not yet gone.
2. In the abundance of creation as opposed to mere sufficiency. Thou preparest a table before me. And how richly is that table furnished. We have a school of political economists tormented by the dread of population outstripping the means of subsistence, and which is ever warning society against the awful peril. But how foolish are such fears, seeing we dwell in a world so rich and elastic. Let man be wise and good, and however thronged the habitable part of the earth, there shall be no complaining. The legend tells us that in olden times the ear of wheat extended the whole length of the straw, and it was through the sin of man that the ears of corn spring as we see them now. Truly this legend reflects the truth at all times, that the exuberance of God has been marred by the folly of man.
II. The superabundance of our cup of social blessing. Think of home, and all that means; and friendship; and philanthropy. And art, science, literature. Commerce is a whole vine in itself, and we gaze at its embarrassing lavishment with amazed delight. Surely, when the nations return to wisdom and virtue they shall no more be an hungered, but find the world their Fathers house, with bread enough and to spare. And in those days, too, it shall no more be felt that the individual is impoverished by society. Now, we too often feel that the multitude is the enemy of the individual; that the increase of the number makes the struggle all the more bitter for each member. But really, society is the instrument of God for multiplying the worlds riches and joy, and in the day when the human brotherhood shall dwell together in knowledge and love each shall serve all, and all each, until in the sublime reciprocity the land overflows with milk and honey.
III. The munificence of God is revealed to the uttermost in the cup of spiritual blessing. The cup of salvation runs over. It was not the study of God just to save us, but to save us fully, overflowingly. We see this–
1. In the pardoning of sin. God does not forgive sin with measure and constraint, but graciously multiplies pardons. The overflowing cup is the sign of a grand welcome, of a cordial friendship, of a most hearty love.
2. In the sanctification of the soul. We are not merely saved by Christ from ruin, but into a surpassing perfection of life. The Psalmist prayed, Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. What is whiter than snow? We have white clouds, flowers, foam, shells; but in the whole realm of nature know nothing whiter than snow. But the human spirit aspires to a truthfulness, purity, and beauty beyond that of the physical universe, it pants to be whiter than snow; and this sublimest aspiration of our being is destined to attainment in Jesus Christ. They are without fault before the throne of God. Here, at least, the actual reaches the ideal. How full and rich the Almighty grace! Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.
3. Our last illustration of the boundless love is the provision for the souls satisfaction in Christ Jesus. History tells that an ancient king granted pardon to some criminals under sentence of death, but when these discharged malefactors applied for relief at the palace gates the king refused them, protesting, I granted you life, but did not promise you bread. This is not the theory of the Gospel; Christ not only saves from destruction, but opens to the soul sources of rich strengthening and endless satisfaction. Annually when the ice breaks up in Russia the Czar goes in state to drink of the River Neva, and having drunk, it was long the custom for the Czar to return the cup to his attendants full of gold, but year by year the cup became so much larger that at length a stipulated sum was paid instead of the old largesse. But however large the vessel we bring to God, and however much it increases in capacity with the discipline of years, God shall still make it to overflow with that peace and love and joy which is better than rubies and much fine gold. (W. L. Watkinson.)
The overflowing cup
Every few years we have people critical of the thanksgiving proclamation. They say, We have nothing to be thankful for. Commerce down; manufactures dull; commercial prospects blasted. Better have a day for fasting than a day for feasting. Indeed, have you nothing to be thankful for? Does your heart beat? Do your eyes see? Do your ears hear? Did you sleep last night? Are the glorious heavens above your head? Is the solid earth beneath your feet? Have you a Bible, a Christ, a proffered heaven? Ay, those of us who are the worst off have more blessings than we appreciate, and our cup runneth over.
I. Thanksgiving in the house. I just want to look around and see what God has been doing for you in your home. Oh, you say, our house is not so large now as the one we used to have. I answer, what of that? It is a great deal of trouble to keep a large house clean. Besides that, a small house is so cosy. Besides that, it is a bad thing for children to have a luxuriant starting. But I step into your parlour, and I find there the evidences of refinement, and culture, and friendship. I go on to the next room and step into your nursery, and I am greeted with the shout and laughter of your children. They romp; they hide; they clap their hands. Busy all day, without fatigues, they fall asleep chattering and wake up singing. And the little baby has its realm, waving its sceptre over the parental heart, and you look down in its wondering eyes and see whole worlds of promise there, and think to yourself, those little hands will smooth my locks when they get grey, and those little feet will run for me when I am sick, and those eyes will weep for me when I am gone. Thank God today that upon your home has come the brightness of childhood, and drop a tear of grief for those who weep over a despoiled cradle and toys that never will be caught up again by little hands now still, alas! forever. And I go into the dining room, and I find you have bread enough and to spare; and into your library, and you have books to read, many of them, and of the best sort. Thank God for books–plenty of them–books to make you study, books to waft you into reverie, books to make you weep, books to make you laugh; books of travel, of anecdote, of memoir, of legend; books about insects, about birds, about shells, about everything. Books for the young, books for the old. Oh, says someone, I have not all these luxuries; I have not all these comforts of the parlour, of the nursery, of the dining hall, of the library. But certainly you know something of the height, and depth, and length, and breadth of that sweet, tender, joyous, triumphant word home! Oh, give thanks unto the. Lord; for He is good; for. His mercy endureth forever; and let each one clap his hands, and say for himself, My cup runneth over.
II. I pass on now to look at thanksgiving in the hovels of the poor. No banquet smoking on their table. Oh, it is hard to be hungry in a world with ripe orchards and luxuriant harvests and herds of cattle driven to the slaughter. You rich, remember these poor today, and help them to join in the thanksgiving of us all.
III. Thanksgiving in the Church. I know there are those who think the Church is a museum of antediluvian fossils. They think it did very well once, but it is behind the times. That is not your opinion. You love, first, your home, and next, your church. O ye descendants of the men who were hounded amid the Highlands of Scotland, and who fell at Bothwell Bridge; O ye sons and daughters of the men who came across wintry seas to build their log churches in the American wilderness; O ye sons and daughters of those who stood in the awful siege of Leyden, and shouted the martyrs triumph in the horrors of the Brussels marketplace; O ye descendants of the men whose garments were dyed in the wine press of Saint Bartholomew Massacre; ye sons and daughters of the fire, what do you think today of a quiet Church, and a free pulpit, and a Gospel winged with mercy and salvation? What imperial edict forbids our convocation? What sword thirsts for our blood? What fires are kindled for our torture? None. Defended by the law, invited by the Gospel, baptized by the Spirit, we are here today free men of the state, free men of God. Let us give thanks. And let there be–
IV. Thanksgiving in the city–for good laws, just judges, quiet Sabbaths, noble churches, etc.
V. Thanksgiving in the nation–for peace and prosperity, etc. (T. De Witt Talmage.)
The overflowing cup
The Psalm culminates in this expression. It could only have been in reference to spiritual things that David could thus speak.
I. Some mens cups never run over. Because taken to the wrong source. Such are the cups held beneath the drippings of the worlds leaky cisterns. Some cups are never filled, because the bearers of them suffer from the grievous disease of natural discontent. The heart is like the slough of despond, into which thousands of waggon loads of material were cast, and yet the slough did swallow up all, and was none the better. Some cups never run over, because their owners are envious. The green dragon is a very dangerous guest in any mans home. And unbelief is sure to prevent a mans cup running over.
II. Why does the cup run over? Because, being believers in Christ, we have in Him all things. Between here and heaven there is nothing we shall want but what God has supplied. Because the infinite God is ours. When do we feel this? In the answer of our prayers and expectations. The Lord has given you more than imagination pictured. When Henry the Eighth was proposing to marry Anne of Cleves, Holbein was sent to paint her picture, with which Henry was charmed. But when he saw the original his judgment was very different, and he expressed disgust instead of affection. The painter had deceived him. No such flatteries can ever be paid to the Lord Jesus Christ. So beyond all conception of mind and heart is He. Sometimes the text is true of the Christians joy. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Bounty should lead to charity
If God makes our cup to run over in His bounty we should make it to run over in our charity. And indeed, wherefore doth the Lord make our cup run over but that others should be refreshed by the droppings of the same. (O. Sedgwick, B. D.)
Outward blessings abused
The ways by which Gods outward blessings are abused, are principally two.
1. Iniquity.
2. Vanity. They are abused when they are made serviceable and occasional unto any iniquity. I will give you some special instances for this–
(1) When we make our plenty the ground of an idle and unprofitable life; to live without any calling and employment, as if Divine goodness in any kind were a discharge from all industry.
(2) When we consecrate, nay, that word is not fit, when we embezzle, Gods bounty and mercies to luxury and drunkenness.
3. A third sin is loftiness.
4. A fourth sin unto which Gods plenty may be and is abused is carnal confidence.
5. A fifth sin is covetousness and love of the world. But I proceed to the second way wherein men do abuse the plenty of Gods goodness to them, namely, to vanity; and that is two fold, either of–
1. Feasting.
2. Apparelling. (O. Sedgwick, B. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 5. Thou preparest a table before me] Here the second allegory begins. A magnificent banquet is provided by a most liberal and benevolent host; who has not only the bounty to feed me, but power to protect me; and, though surrounded by enemies, I sit down to this table with confidence, knowing that I shall feast in perfect security. This may refer to the favour God gave the poor captive Israelites in the sight of the Chaldeans who had grievously treated them for seventy years; and whose king, Cyrus, had not only permitted them now to return to their own land, but had also furnished them with every thing requisite for their passage, and for repairing the walls of Jerusalem, and rebuilding the temple of the Lord, where the sacrifices were offered as usual, and the people of God feasted on them.
Thou anointest my head with oil] Perfumed oil was poured on the heads of distinguished guests, when at the feasts of great personages. The woman in the Gospel, who poured the box of ointment of spikenard on the head of our Lord (see Mt 26:6-7; Mr 14:8; Lu 7:46,) only acted according to the custom of her own country, which the host, who invited our Lord, had shamefully neglected.
My cup runneth over.] Thou hast not only given me abundance of food, but hast filled my cup with the best wine.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thou furnishest me with plenty and variety of provisions and comforts,
mine enemies seeing, and envying, and fretting at it, but not being able to hinder it.
With oil; or, ointment, as the Syriac and Arabic interpreters render it; with aromatical ointments, which were then used at great feasts, Psa 92:10; Amo 6:6; Mat 6:17; Luk 7:38. The sense is, Thy comforts delight my soul: compare Psa 45:7.
My cup runneth over; thou hast given me a very plentiful portion, signified by the cup given to the guests by the master of the feast.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5, 6. Another figure expressesGod’s provided care.
a tableor, “food,”anointing
oilthe symbol ofgladness, and the overflowing
cupwhich representsabundanceare prepared for the child of God, who may feast in spiteof his enemies, confident that this favor will ever attend him. Thisbeautiful Psalm most admirably sets before us, in its chief figure,that of a shepherd, the gentle, kind, and sure care extended to God’speople, who, as a shepherd, both rules and feeds them. Theclosing verse shows that the blessings mentioned are spiritual.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thou preparest a table before me,…. In a providential way granting a sufficiency, and even an affluence of temporal good things; the providence of God lays and spreads a table for his people in the wilderness, and sets them down at it, and bids them welcome to it; see
Ps 78:19; and in a way of grace, the Lord making large provisions in his house for them, called the goodness and fatness of his house, and a feast of fat things; and under the Gospel dispensation, the table of the Lord, on which are set his flesh and blood for faith to feed upon; see Pr 9:2; and also in heaven, the joys of which are compared to a feast, and the enjoyment of them to sitting at a table, and which are prepared by the Lord for his people, from the foundation of the world; and of which they have some foresight and foretaste in this world; see
Lu 22:30; and all this
in the presence of my enemies; they seeing and envying the outward prosperity of the saints, whenever they enjoy it, and their liberty of worshipping God, hearing his word, and attending on his ordinances, none making them afraid; as they will see, and envy, and be distressed at a more glorious state of the church yet to come, Re 11:12; and even, as it should seem from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the glory and happiness of the saints in the other world will be seen, or by some way or other known, by wicked men; which will be an affliction to them, and an aggravation of their misery; though here it seems chiefly to regard the present life. Some have thought there is an allusion to princes, who, having conquered others, eat and feast at a well spread table in the presence of the conquered, and they being under it; see Jud 1:7;
thou anointest my head with oil; giving him an abundance of good things, not only for necessity, but for pleasure and delight; especially pouring out largely upon him the oil of gladness, the Spirit of God and his graces, the anointing which teaches all things, and filling him with spiritual joy and comfort; for this refers not to the anointing of David with material oil for the kingdom, by Samuel, while Saul was living, or by the men of Judah, and afterwards by all the tribes of Israel, when Saul was dead. The allusion is to the custom of the eastern countries, at feasts, to anoint the heads of the guests with oil; see Ec 9:7. It was usual to anoint the head, as well as other parts of the body, on certain occasions; hence that of Propertius y: and in the times before Homer z it was usual both to wash and anoint before meals, and not the head only, but the feet also; which, though Pliny a represents as luxurious, was in use in Christ’s time, Lu 7:38; and spoken of as an ancient custom by Aristophanes b his Scholiast for daughters to anoint the feet of their parents after they had washed them; which may serve to illustrate the passage in the Gospel; see Ec 9:8;
my cup runneth over; denoting an affluence of temporal good things, and especially of spiritual ones, which was David’s case. Such who are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, to whom the grace of the Lord has been exceeding abundant, and the Lord himself is the portion of their cup, their cup may be said to run over indeed.
y “Terque lavet nostras spica cilissa comas”, l. 4. eleg. 6. v. 74. z Iliad. 10. v. 577, 578. Odyss. l. 3. v. 466. & l. 8. v. 454. & l. 10. v. 450. a Nat. Hist. l. 13. c. 3. b Vespes, p. 473, 516, 517.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
5. Thou wilt prepare. These words, which are put in the future tense, here denote a continued act. David, therefore, now repeats, without a figure, what he has hitherto declared, concerning the beneficence of God, under the similitude of a shepherd. He tells us that by his liberality he is supplied with all that is necessary for the maintenance of this life. When he says, Thou preparest a table before me, he means that God furnished him with sustenance without trouble or difficulty on his part, just as if a father should stretch forth his hand to give food to his child. He enhances this benefit from the additional consideration, that although many malicious persons envy his happiness, and desire his ruin, yea, endeavor to defraud him of the blessing of God; yet God does not desist from showing himself liberal towards him, and from doing him good. What he subjoins concerning oil, has a reference to a custom which then prevailed. We know that in old time, ointments were used at the more magnificent feasts, and no man thought he had honourably received his guests if he had not perfumed them therewith. Now, this exuberant store of oil, and also this overflowing cup, ought to be explained as denoting the abundance which goes beyond the mere supply of the common necessaries of life; for it is spoken in commendation of the royal wealth with which, as the sacred historian records, David had been amply furnished. All men, it is true, are not treated with the same liberality with which David was treated; but there is not an individual who is not under obligation to God by the benefits which God has conferred upon him, so that we are constrained to acknowledge that he is a kind and liberal Father to all his people. In the meantime, let each of us stir up himself to gratitude to God for his benefits, and the more abundantly these have been bestowed upon us, our gratitude ought to be the greater. If he is ungrateful who, having only a coarse loaf, does not acknowledge in that the fatherly providence of God, how much less can the stupidity of those be tolerated, who glut themselves with the great abundance of the good things of God which they possess, without having any sense or taste of his goodness towards them? David, therefore, by his own example, admonishes the rich of their duty, that they may be the more ardent in the expression of their gratitude to God, the more delicately he feeds them. Farther, let us remember, that those who have greater abundance than others are bound to observe moderation not less than if they had only as much of the good things of this life as would serve for their limited and temperate enjoyment. We are too much inclined by nature to excess; and, therefore, when God is, in respect of worldly things, bountiful to his people, it is not to stir up and nourish in them this disease. All men ought to attend to the rule of Paul, which is laid down in Phi 4:12, that they “may know both how to be abased, and how to abound.” That want may not sink us into despondency, we need to be sustained by patient endurance; and, on the other hand, that too great abundance may not elate us above measure, we need to be restrained by the bridle of temperance. Accordingly, the Lord, when he enriches his own people, restrains, at the same time, the licentious desires of the flesh by the spirit of confidence, so that, of their own accord, they prescribe to themselves rules of temperance. Not that it is unlawful for rich men to enjoy more freely the abundance which they possess than if God had given them a smaller portion; but all men ought to beware, (and much more kings,) lest they should be dissolved in voluptuous pleasures. David, no doubt, as was perfectly lawful, allowed himself larger scope than if he had been only one of the common people, or than if he had still dwelt in his father’s cottage, but he so regulated himself in the midst of his delicacies, as not at all to take pleasure in stuffing and fattening the body. He knew well how to distinguish between the table which God had prepared for him and a trough for swine. It is also worthy of particular notice, that although David lived upon his own lands, the tribute money and other revenues of the kingdom, he gave thanks to God just as if God had daily given him his food with his own hand. From this we conclude that he was not blinded with his riches, but always looked upon God as his householder, who brought forth meat and drink from his own store, and distributed it to him at the proper season.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) Such a sudden transition from the figure of the flock to that of a banquet is characteristic of Hebrew poetry.
Preparesti.e., spreadest or furnishest, the usual phrase (Pro. 9:2; Isa. 21:5). (For the same figure of the hospitable host applied to God, see Job. 36:16; Isa. 25:6; and the well-known parables in the New Testament.)
In the presence of mine enemies.We must imagine the banquet spread on some secure mountain height, in sight of the baffled foe, who look on in harmless spite.
My cup runneth over.Literally, My cup is abundant drink. Cup, in the sense of portion, has already occurred (Psa. 11:6; Psa. 16:5). The LXX. has, Thine intoxicating cup, how excellent it is; Vulg. the same, but with my instead of thy.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Thou preparest a table The figure changes. To prepare a table for one, is, in oriental custom, a mark of favour and friendship. Here the psalmist describes the ceremony observed in the entertainment of a distinguished guest, in the bountiful provisions of the table, the overflowing cup, and the anointing the head with oil. God had prepared this banquet for David as a mark of special honour and favour, and this in the presence of his enemies, who looked on but were not invited to partake. This was David’s answer to those who, in his affliction, had said, “There is no help for him in God;” “God hath forsaken him.” Psa 3:2; Psa 71:11
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil. My cup runs over.’
This idea of His full provision now turns the Psalmist’s thoughts to a great feast. Jesus regularly depicted what He had come to offer in terms of a great feast. Here the table was prepared, like the good pasturage for the sheep, and it was laden with good things. Even when surrounded by their enemies His people can feast at His table. For the Shepherd watches over them to protect them. There are already echoes here of the coming Messianic feast.
And they eat in comfort and luxuriously, the sweat of the hills forgotten, for He anoints their heads with oils and perfumes, and He ensures that their cups are full and overflowing. The perfumes are the perfumes of Arabia (1Ki 10:15), and there is no stinting when it is He Who pours out the wine (compare Psa 36:8). ‘I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly’ (Joh 10:10). Thus do they feast at the King’s table (2Sa 9:7). And this is not just some future hope, although it is that, but is intended to be enjoyed in the present. For He has provided us with His word and the means of entry into His presence (Heb 10:19-20), as He had David (Deu 17:18-19), and we can constantly feast at His table, even in the darkest circumstances.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Psa 23:5. Thou preparest a table, &c. This alludes to the plentiful support which he found in the wilderness, notwithstanding the efforts of his enemies to distress him. Thou anointest my head with oil, means, “thou treatest me like a well-accepted guest at this table which thou hast prepared for me;” alluding to a custom of the eastern nations who anointed the heads of their guests with fragrant oils. See Amo 6:6. Luk 7:46. The next expression, my cup runneth over, alludes in the same manner to the abundance of good things which God had so graciously given him.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Ver. 5. Thou preparest a table before ] Here he makes use of another metaphor from a liberal feast maker, or (as some will have it) from a most kind father, making provision for his dearly beloved child: so did God for David, both in regard to temporals and spirituals. God had given him (as he doth all his people) all things richly to enjoy, all things needful for life and godliness, the upper and nether springs, the blessings of the right hand and of the left, bona throni, et bona scabelli, as Austin phraseth it. Now, outward prosperity, when it followeth close walking with God, is very sweet; as the cipher when it followeth the figure addeth to the number, though it be nothing in itself. David’s table was laden with God’s creatures, and did even sweat with variety of them. God had let down to him, as afterwards he did to Peter, a vessel with all manner of beasts of the earth and fowls of the air in it, Act 10:12 . This he is very sensible of and thankful for, as a singular favour.
In the presence of mine enemies
Thou anointest my head with oil
My cup runneth over
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
preparest = settest in order.
table. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), App-6, for what is on it. So that I may feast while He fights. JEHOVAH-NISSI. App-4. The figure of the sheep is continued: for the “table” of Psa 23:5 answers to the “pastures” of Psa 23:2.
enemies = adversaries.
anointest. JEHOVAH-MEKADDISHKEM. App-4. Still referring to the sheep and the Shepherd’s care: for the figure of the “sheep” is carried right through the Psalm.
cup: i.e. the Shepherd’s cup of water for the sheep.
runneth over. See note on Psa 73:10.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 23:5-6
Psa 23:5-6
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou has anointed my head with oil;
My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
See the chapter introduction for a comment on the change of metaphor. Here we have a gracious and generous host who provides a banquet for his guest. The table is a prepared one, presumably loaded with bountiful abundance of the most choice foods. It is a banquet of the “brimming cup” and the anointed head. Furthermore, the enemies witness all this.
Inasmuch as Christ himself claimed to be the “Good Shepherd” of this passage, we do not hesitate to find overtones of the Christian religion in it. We do not claim that this psalm is Messianic in the usual sense, but that it is impossible to portray the Good Shepherd without definite suggestions of Christ and his kingdom.
Gaebelein noted this and stated that:
“Here we can think of the Lord’s table (I appoint unto you a kingdom, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom – Luk 22:30), where the bread and the wine are symbols of his love. As we worship at that table, we remember him the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep. We show forth the Lord’s death till he come. The Lord himself is with us in the assembly; and there are onlookers. Our enemies are also looking on! The table spread telling forth his conquering love is the Table of Victory.
No, we cannot claim that any of this is foretold here; but the description of the Good Shepherd fits the Lord perfectly.
The marvelous assurance of this psalm is the Old Testament equivalent of Rom 8:31-39.
McCaw pointed out that the imagery of the great banquet here is an integral part of the whole Biblical panorama that includes: “Joseph’s feeding Israel (Gen 43:34), Jesus’ feeding the five thousand (Mat 14:19), the parable of the Great Supper (Luk 14:15-24), and that of the marriage feast of the Bridegroom (Mat 22:1-14; Rev 19:9).
“Forever and ever” (Psa 23:6). We feel somewhat annoyed at those writers who seem determined to challenge any ancient meaning of the sacred text. There are absolutely no scholars today who have any more learning or any more intelligence than the translators of the KJV, which rendition is here followed by the ASV. Some point out that, the literal Hebrew from which these words are translated actually has, “`For length of days,’ referring to prolonged earthly life rather that to life after death. So what? As Dahood, writing in the Anchor Bible, stated it, “The Hebrew words here are actually a synonym for `eternal life.'” In accordance with this fact, The Anchor Bible renders Psa 23:6 here as follows:
“Surely goodness and kindness will attend me, all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of Yahweh for days without end.”
Furthermore, as Kidner noted, “The Christian understanding of these words (as in the KJV) does no violence to them.” Did not an apostle say, that, “Neither death nor life … will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38)?
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 23:5. In the verse David drops the illustration of the shepherd to some extent. Instead of likening himself to a sheep he thinks of being a man. As a man he thinks of his troublesome enemies who have been opposing him in every way possible. It would be something of a triumph to have provisions of life made for him even under favorable circumstances. It would be a greater one to have it done in the presence of his enemies. Such a fact not only would tend to arouse the envy of the enemies, but would actually prove God’s power by making the provision in spite of the enemies. All of this would have special significance with a man whose chief secular business of life was to be a “man of war,” and to “shed blood abundantly.” Victory over his enemies would be one of his most cherished desires. In ancient times when a man was to be given an important position of power and satisfaction, he was anointed by having oil poured over his head (1Sa 10:1; 1Sa 16:13; 1Ki 1:39; 2Ki 9:3; 2Ki 9:6). The practice was afterward used as a figure in cases where some person was given any great favor. Cup is from an original that means “lot.” Runneth over. The 2nd word is not in the original. The 1st is from a Hebrew word that means “satisfaction.” The clause means that his lot was wholly satisfactory.
Psa 23:6. Goodness is from an original that means “good things,” and mercy is from one that is defined “kindness.” Follow me is properly rendered and indicates that the favors will come after David has gone forward in serving the Lord. To be a permanent occupant of the house of the Lord would be a greater favor than merely entering it for a short time. Such a blessing would be the lot of the man complying with the conditions set forth in this psalm. Before leaving this interesting psalm I will make a few more general remarks. The second but more important application of the prophecy is to Christ. It will be well for the student to go through the entire chapter again with Christ specifically in mind. It will then be possible to see and hear him on the cross as he quotes the 1st verse of the preceding chapter. Then coming directly to the present one again, hear Christ as he speaks of his Father in the relationship of his shepherd who was at the very instance of his crucifixion preparing (through it) a table or spiritual feast (salvation) for me, meaning his church. Then he can be heard saying, death, I will fear no evil, in the language of the psalm. Or, if we listen for his own words in the fulfillment we will hear him saying, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” And, true to the prophecy, he afterward entered his Father’s heavenly mansion above, there to abide forever.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Entertainment, Enjoyment, Enrichment
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psa 23:5.
1. We all love to look at pictures of happiness and content. We linger over the pages which describe the peaceful Garden of Eden. We love to read about the courtship of Isaac and Jacob. We take up the Book of Ruth with the same emotion. We gaze with pleasure upon the picture of little Samuel, waking up and answering the call of God. We underscore such verses in the Bible as Ho! every one that thirsteth and Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden. We print the Beatitudes in large type. With much reading we soil those pages where words of comfort lie. The sacred page opens of itself at the fourteenth chapter of John, where these words meet us, Let not your heart be troubled. Often do we turn to the joy-producing miracles. Well acquainted are we with the road to Bethany, with the resurrection morning, and with the picture painted in the 23rd Psalm.
Those poems in which the cup runs over are read the most and will live the longest. The Deserted Village cannot die, nor the Cottars Saturday Night, nor the Village Blacksmith. The bright lines of happiness in the Greek and Latin poets draw us back to them again and again. We listen to men who lift us up with hopeful words. When a David sings My cup runneth over, travellers stop to listen. The song of happiness will make some chord tremble in every human breast.
2. This Psalm seems to belong to the later years of Davids life. There is a ripeness and maturity of experience in it, also a fulness in its tone of trust, and thankfulness, and hope. Youth could hardly write in so rich and full and immortal a strain of the goodness and all-encompassing care of God. This sweet, serene, poetic strain of the man who had been taken from the sheepfolds, from following the ewes great with young, to be king over Israel, seems to have been sung when the sun in his lifes day was beginning to descend, and the shadows were beginning to lengthen. There are some things which youth has that age has not. Youth has its energy, its buoyancy of spirit, its fervid impulses, its hopeful outlook, arising partly from inexperience of life, its fresh susceptibility to impressions from the scenes of nature and events of human life. It has these things which age has not, or has only in a feeble degree. But, on the other hand, age has something which youth has not. Where the life has been devout, thoughtful, righteous, godly, there is with the passing years growth of the soul in moral qualities and in the knowledge of the unfailing care and providence of God. A man then has a wider outlook upon the events and experiences of human life, and a richer store of inward peace and faith and hopeful assurance, and can sing a sweeter, loftier song of loyal, filial praise. As we pass from youth to old age, we lose something out of our life, but with the loss there may also be gain in those things which make life real and blessed. It was so with the shepherd king of Israel, when he sang of the Lord as his Shepherd and Helper.
3. It would seem at first sight as though this Psalm had been sung amid happy surroundings, so peaceful and calm and even joyous is its strain; but it is probable that it belongs to a dark and troublous period in his lifethe period, indeed, when Absalom was in revolt. We are to picture the king as an exile, having fled from Jerusalem for refuge. Absalom, in his unfilial ambition, has won the hearts of the people, and now seeks to overthrow his father, and to ascend the throne and place the crown on his own brow. It is a shameful revolt. Upon the son who now plots against him the king has lavished all the affection of his noble and intense heart. The weight of this new trouble lies heavy upon him. The pain that is smiting his heart is sharp and cruel. His life is suddenly darkened, and black tempestscharged clouds of sorrowfill his sky. And yet, while so much trouble was in his life, he could still calmly see and realize God and the goodness of God. You do not find any weak repining, fretful crying out against God, morbid dwelling upon the gloomy events that darken his life. Anything but that. His trouble did not blind him to the Almighty guidance and love around him. His hands could still sweep the strings of his harp and draw forth tones of gratitude and hope. Faith, trust, and love, with their beautiful offspring, peace, joy, and serenity, were still strong in his soul. He could look out over the whole range of his lifeback upon the past, around him upon the present, onward into the futureand behold, throughout it all, the hand of one who was as a shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
David was far more a victor than when he had slain Goliath and received the triumphant shouts of a rejoicing people. It is in times of trouble that a man is tested. That we see the goodness of God when there is no trouble to darken our way is very well, but the difficult thing is to see God in His fatherly love when sorrow, like a mountain mist, envelops us and intercepts our view. How many fail in this! They cannot recall how they have been led in green pastures and beside still streams. They cannot feel that they are guarded as sheep by a tender Shepherd. They cannot hope that when they walk through the narrow, sunless ravine, where dangers lurk, they will feel a Divine rod and staff comforting them. Trial conquers them, and drives them before it as a dismasted, rudderless ship is driven before the gale. It is a great victory for the soul to rise above trial and pray, but it is a greater victory still for the soul to rise above trial and sing.1 [Note: T. Hammond.]
4. There are three acts in one drama: (1) EntertainmentThou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; (2) EnjoymentThou anointest my head with oil; (3) EnrichmentMy cup runneth over.
I.
Entertainment
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
i. The Table
1. What a picture of peace it makes, this supper on the darkening wold, when the sheep feed richly on the guarded green! For now the dew is again upon the earth. The grass is moist. The air is incense-laden from the flowers which all day long have been breathing forth their fragrance. And the fold is near.
The analogy holds true in the experience of Christs followers. The Shepherd and Bishop of our souls reserves His choicest swards for the delectation of our later days. Beulah Land lies near the bounds of life. It comes after the long march on the roads and the adventures in the glen. Let those who face the sunset of life lay this comfort on their hearts! The gospel is a great supper, as well as a satisfying breakfast, for the soul. It opens into the richest enclosures toward the days end. Our Shepherd surpasses Himself in the banquet which He spreads for His followers on the evening tablelands of life.1 [Note: J. D. Freeman, Life on the Uplands, 92.]
2. Beyond question, the prepared table is an emblem of the provision divinely made and secured for the wants of our spiritual and immortal nature. The idea is expanded in those numerous passages, both in the Old Testament and in the New, which speak of the blessings of grace as a feast which the Lord of Hosts has prepared, and to which are invited even the poor and maimed and halt and blind from the streets and lanes of the city, and the homeless wanderers from the highways and hedges. The meek shall eat and be satisfied; they shall praise the Lord that seek him. Just as the body is nourished by appropriate food, so the spiritual being is up-built by those blessings which Gods free grace provides and bestows, and which we include under the name of salvation. There is enlarging knowledge of truth and enlarging capacity of apprehending it, the blossoming of all beautiful and holy affections, growing force and greatness of nature, deepening and expanding power.
3. There is fellowship at this table. You talk with a stranger on the highway, walking side by side in the same direction; you shake hands with an acquaintance in the street; you invite a friend to your table. The very eating of an ordinary meal together at the same table, even in our own country, is so far a seal of friendliness, and makes us feel nearer to one another; and so it was to a much greater extent in old days in the East, and, indeed, is still. There was something almost sacred in the common meal; and the guest felt that he could trust his entertainers faithfulness to the utmost, as Sisera, after partaking of the hospitality of Jael, resigned himself to sleep in her tent with a feeling of perfect security. It was counted perfidy of the worst kind when one who had eaten anothers bread proved unfaithful to him; and so David says in another Psalm, Mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.1 [Note: J. Culross, Gods Shepherd Care, 128.]
4. This idea of fellowship is prominent in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. We sit down together at the table of our heavenly Father; we take the bread as from the hand of the unseen Christ; we acknowledge our brotherhood, with all its high and sacred obligations, in the Divine family; we feel ourselves united, by closer ties than those of blood relationship, to all the children of God, some of whom are before the throne, and some struggling, and praying, and rejoicing here on earth.
By fellowship is meant one-mindedness, sympathy, agreement. It is not the submission of a servant to a command because it is a command. It is more, much more, than this. It is the sympathy of the friend with the friend, seeing and appreciating his character and plans, and entering into them with real heart satisfaction. It is the amen, the so let it be, of the spirit. I have not called you servants, but friends. To have this fellowship two things are needed: first, knowing our Masters will, and secondly, having that mind and spirit in us which necessarily sympathizes with it. It is delightful to stand in spirit beside Christ, and look outwards from that central point, and see things as He sees them. This is having His light and life, and therefore so living and seeing as He does; and while we do so, He has fellowship with us! There is something very grand I think in this high calling, to be made partakers of Christs mind and joy! It is such godlike treatment of creatures! It shows the immense benevolence of Christ, to create us so as to lift us up to this sublime position, to make us joint heirs with Himself in all this intellectual and moral greatness and blessedness.1 [Note: Norman Macleod, in Memoir, by his brother, i. 328.]
5. There is even more than this to be taken into account, in order to enter into the full significance of Davids words here. If you sit down to eat at the table of an Eastern chief, if you should even taste his salt accidentally, you come thereby under his defence; and obligations of kindness and faithfulness are created which he would count it foulest dishonour not to own.
I sit down at Jehovahs table, which He has prepared before me in the presence of mine enemies. It is not merely that I find supply for all the wants of my spiritual and immortal nature, but I am Jehovahs guest; He has received me into His pavilion His tabernacle, His palace; He has set me at His table; thus He binds Himself to protect me; He covers me with His defence, and takes me into relations of friendship with Him; my enemies look on, and know that my cause is His cause, and that in reaching me for harm they must first pierce through His defence. Thus we perceive how the words are much more than a repetition, with change of figure, of the opening idea of the Psalm; and how they lay a foundation for the great confidence, If God be for us, who can be against us?2 [Note: J. Culross, Gods Shepherd Care, 130.]
Chalmers came to know afterwards, from one of the chiefs, that again and again the murder of the whole missionary party had been determined, and that those appointed to do the deed had come once and again to the low fence which surrounded the rough mission home. They had only to step over it and rush in upon and murder the unarmed man and his wife. Had they done this they would have been hailed as heroes by local Suau opinion. But the same chief told Chalmers that at the low fence they were restrained by some mysterious thing which held them back. What was it? To the devout mind there can be no doubt. It was the restraining Hand of that God and Father in whom both His servants so firmly trusted, at whose call they had come to Suau, and for whose sake they were willing to lay down their lives.1 [Note: R. Lovett, James Chalmers, 168.]
ii. The Enemies
1. In the presence of mine enemiesit is the one note which has a suspicion of jar in this Psalms music of content. Were it not for the sudden intrusion of this phrase, one might suppose that for the Psalmist the whole world had been so absolutely transformed that no element of ugliness or hostility remained: here alone does his eye, as it roams over the field, alight upon something which reminds him that opposition is not quite done with yet. With all this deep peace within himwith all these marvellous mercies of God around himthe enemies still keep their hostile watch and await their chance to attack and slay. Notwithstanding the sweetness and sufficiency of the feast, it is in the presence of foes that the feast is spread. The Psalmists joy is not a joy that blinds him to the harder realities of life, not a joy that prevents him from feeling their presence or recognizing the danger they hold; and he beholds still the unlit spots upon his world where possibilities of tragedy and harm are gathered.
2. David sees himself in his tent on the plains of Bethlehem. There it rises covered with black skins, a rough-made dwelling-place, a shelter from the scorching heat of noon or the drenching dews of night; a place where he turns aside to eat his meals, and where he keeps his supply of food. Some day he sits in the door of the tent, the sheep moving quietly about him or lying down in the green pasture, when afar off in the distance he sees one flying for very life. David starts, and, shading his eyes, stands fixed, watching eagerly. For a moment the fugitive appears on the height of the limestone cliff, then leaps down the steep path and rushes on his way. Now on the height appears the enemy that pursues himthe avenger of blood. Instantly is hurled the spear that rattles on the rocks beside the hunted man. On comes the fugitive madly; a moments hesitation, a falter, a slip will mean certain death. He has caught sight of the shepherds tent, and makes for it. Now he has reached the plains, and the sheep scatter as the runner comes near. The avenger sees his last chance, and puts forth all his strength in pursuit. David stands lifting the folds of the tent. Another minute, and the man rushes within its folds, and falls fainting on the ground. Now he is safe. Here he is the guest of God, as it is called to this day. The avenger has reached the tent door, and stands with eyes flashing in furious hatred, the hand grasping the hilt of the dagger. But no foot of an enemy dare come within the tent. Its folds are as buttressed walls. Within its kindly shade David kneels, and lifts the fainting man, and holds to his lips the cup of milkthe cup that runneth over. Now the languid eyes open. The man feels the arm that supports him; he hears the voice that comforts him. He sips the proffered cup. He starts as he catches sight of the avenger, then turns and blesses the kindly shelter and the friendly succour: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.1 [Note: M. G. Pearse, In the Banqueting House, 160.]
There was another sacrament no less reverend in Oriental eyes and no less potent for the ratification of a covenant than the blood of sacrifice. It was the sacrament of food. Let men once eat in company, sharing table and salt, and they were forthwith bound one to the other by an inviolable bond, yea, though they had aforetime been enemies and had eaten together only by accident or inadvertence. It is told of a Bedouin sheikh whose son had been slain by an unknown hand, that, while his sorrow was yet green, a stranger came to his tent craving food and rest, and was welcomed with the generous hospitality which obtains among the sons of the desert. As they communed, the sheikh discovered that the stranger was none other than the slayer of his son. His impulse was to rise and smite him; but the stranger had eaten from his dish and drunk from his cup, and the bond of hospitality restrained him. He sat in silence, his soul burning within him; and, when the meal was ended, he led him to his sons grave and told him who lay under the mound of sand; and he bade him haste away lest the lust for vengeance should prevail and drive him to sin against the sacred covenant of hospitality.2 [Note: D. Smith, The Pilgrims Hospice, 73.]
Dear Jesus! Thou camest, Thy glory forsaking,
In quest of Thy sheep that had wandered away.
Sweet Jesus! true Shepherd! on me pity taking,
O draw me unto Thee no longer to stray.
I am the lost sheep in misery lying;
From Hells mouth devouring, Jesus, me free.
If Thou cleanse me from sin in the blood of Thy dying,
O Jesus, my souls love Thy guerdon shall be.
Thou comfort of sadness, Thou heart of all gladness,
Love, Fountain of grace, Delight of all lands,
Good Saviour, true Shepherd! from th Enemys madness
Protect me, and pluck me at death from his hands.
Jesus, how fair Thou art, Spouse of my ravished heart,
Than honey more sweet, more serene than the sun!
May Thy free grace relieve me, Thy mercy forgive me,
Thy glory receive me when lifes course is run.
3. The Psalmist did not close with the fourth verse, otherwise so natural a climax. For he knew that weariness and death are not the last enemies of man. He knew that the future is never the true mans only fear. He remembered the inexorableness of the past; he remembered that blood-guiltiness, which sheep never feel, is worse to men than death. As perchance one day he lifted his eyes from his sheep and saw a fugitive from the avenger of blood crossing the plain, while his sheep scattered right and left before this wild intruder into their quiet world,so he felt his fair and gentle thoughts within him scattered by the visitation of his past; so he felt how rudely law breaks through our pious fancies, and must be dealt with before their peace can be secure; so he felt, as every true man has felt with him, that the religion, however bright and brave, which takes no account of sin, is the religion which has not a last nor a highest word for life.
(1) Here then is an enemythe sin of yesterday. We cannot get away from it. When we have half forgotten it, and leave it slumbering in the rear, it is suddenly awake again, and, like a hound, it is baying at our heels. Some days are days of peculiar intensity, and the far-off experience draws near and assumes the vividness of an immediate act. Yesterday pursues to-day, and threatens it!
O! I have passed a miserable night,
So full of ugly sights, of ghastly dreams,
That, as I am a Christian faithful man,
I would not spend another such a night,
Though twere to buy a world of happy days,
So full of dismal terror was the time.
And what were the ugly sights which filled the time with dismal terror? They were the threatening presences of old sins, pursuing in full cry across the years! The affrighted experience is all foreshadowed by the Word of God. Whether we turn to the Old Testament or to the New Testament the awful succession is proclaimed as a primary law of the spiritual life. Evil pursueth sinners. That sounds significant of desert-flight and hot pursuit!
So it is that David thinks of himself, but it is no more as the sheep that lie in the morning, calm by the green pasture. He sees himself not as one led, but as one pursued. The broken law has its avenger. Every sin tracks a man until it runs him downnothing can turn it aside, nothing can stay it. That is the deepest need of the human heartdeliverance from sin. No help can avail us anything unless it can save us from our sins. The foe that destroys us is not in our circumstances, or misfortunes, or pains, or povertyout of the heart comes the murderer that seeks to slay us. This is the strength and glory of our holy religion, that it never hides or lessens the black fact that we have sinned; and yet it provides for every man a Saviour. The figure fails us here, for lo, there comes forth One to greet us who gave Himself for us, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. With a new and fuller meaning we may say indeed: This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
There is a resemblance in structure, if perhaps only superficial, between this Psalm and the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. That chapter opens with the picture of a good shepherd, and closes with a view of the festal joy when the lost son is received back into his fathers house. Let us eat, and be merry, the father says; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. In like manner, this Psalm begins by speaking of the Lord as our Shepherd, and ends by telling of the joy with which we are received at His table and made to dwell in His house. The verses already considered set forth the relation of God to His people as that of a shepherd to his flock, and bring into view His careful, thoughtful, patient, mighty, sheltering love on the one side, and their trusting helplessness on the other.1 [Note: J. Culross, Gods Shepherd Care, 121.]
Wherever He may guide me,
No want shall turn me back;
My Shepherd is beside me,
And nothing can I lack.
His wisdom ever waketh,
His sight is never dim,
He knows the way He taketh,
And I will walk with Him.
Green pastures are before me,
Which yet I have not seen;
Bright skies will soon be oer me,
Where the dark clouds have been.
My hope I cannot measure,
My path to life is free,
My Saviour has my treasure,
And He will walk with me.2 [Note: A. L. Waring.]
(2) Here is another enemythe temptation of to-day. Yesterday is not the only menacing presence; there is the insidious seducer who stands by the wayside to-day. Sometimes he approaches in deceptive deliberateness; sometimes his advance is so stealthy that in a moment we are caught in his snare! At one time he comes near us like a fox; at other times he leaps upon us like a lion out of the thicket. At one time the menace is in our passions, and again it crouches very near our prayers! Now the enemy draws near in the heavy guise of carnality, the lust of the flesh; and now in the lighter robe of covetousness, the lust of the eyes; and now in the delicate garb of vanity, the pride of life! But in all the many guises it is the one foe. In the manifold suggestions there is one threat. The enemy that sowed them is the devil. If I am awake I fear! If I move he follows! When I would do good evil is present with me. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The soul is in the desert chased by the enemy of ever-present temptation.
When you say, Lead us not into temptation, you must in good earnest mean to avoid in your daily conduct those temptations which you have already suffered from. When you say, Deliver us from evil, you must mean to struggle against that evil in your hearts, which you are conscious of, and which you pray to be forgiven.1 [Note: Cardinal Newman.]
There are temptations, commonly so called, which can be a trouble, even when they have ceased to be a dread, just at the moment when we are enjoying the beauty of the scene.
It is a beauteous evening, calm and free;
The holy time is quiet as a nun
Breathless with adoration; the broad sun
Is sinking down in its tranquillity;
The gentleness of heaven is on the sea.
Just when all is peace and glory, there comes the ribald murmur of an evil thought, the haunting disquiet of some evil imagination. In a moment the vast unprotected surface of the mind is ruffled and clouded as with a storm-gust, and pitted with stinging suggestions of falling evil. Most certainly those that trouble us take the shape of evil thoughts.
Now it is not Gods care to remove temptation, but to strengthen the tempted. He never promised to remove trouble; but He has promised to make anxiety out of the question. He never promised to remove pain; but He has promised to elevate it into a bearing, supporting cross. He prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, as they stand, like a lion greedy of his prey, casting their eyes down to the ground.2 [Note: W. C. E. Newbolt, Penitence and Peace, 133.]
You must recollect all places have their temptationsnay, even the cloisters. Our very work here is to overcome ourselves and to be sensible of our hourly infirmities; to feel them keenly is but the necessary step towards overcoming them. Never expect to be without such while life lasts; if these were overcome, you would discover others, and that both because your eyes would see your real state of imperfection more clearly than now, and also because they are in a great measure a temptation of the Enemy, and he has temptations for all states, all occasions. He can turn whatever we do, whatever we do not do, into a temptation, as a skilful rhetorician turns anything into an argument.3 [Note: Letters of J. H. Newman, ii. 428.]
(3) Here is a third enemythe death that awaits us to-morrow. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. Man seeks to banish that presence from his conscience, but he pathetically fails. The pale horse with his rider walks into our feasts! He forces himself into the wedding-day! To love and to cherish until death us do part! We have almost agreed to exile his name from our vocabulary. If we are obliged to refer to him we hide the slaughter-house under rose-trees, we conceal the reality under more pleasing euphemisms. I have become insured. What for? Because to-morrow I may No, I do not speak in that wise. I banish the word at the threshold. I do not mention death or dying. How then? I have become insured, because if anything should happen to me? In such circumlocution do I seek to evade the rider upon the pale horse. Yet the rider is coming nearer! To-morrow he will dismount at the door, and his hand will be upon the latch! Shall we fear his pursuit? The terrors of death compassed me, cries the Psalmist. Through fear of death they were all their lifetime subject to bondage, cries the Apostle of the New Covenant. It is an enemy we must all meet. The last enemy is death.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. In the Lord our God is the fugitives refuge. In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me. In the Lord our God we are secure against the destructiveness of our yesterdays, the menaces of to-day, and the darkening fears of the morrow. Our enemies are stayed at the door! We are the Lords guests, and our sanctuary is inviolable!1 [Note: J. H. Jowett, The Silver Lining, 88.]
Goodness and mercy
Ever attend,
Guidance and keeping
On to the end;
Solace in sorrow,
Brightness in gloom,
Light everlasting
Over the tomb.
Counsel and comfort
Whateer befall
Thou wilt afford us,
Saviour, in all.
Let Thy glad presence
Still with us dwell:
Nothing shall harm us,
All shall be well.
Faint yet pursuing,
Upwards we rise;
See the bright city,
Yonder the prize!
On to the haven,
To the calm shore,
In the fair city
Safe evermore.1 [Note: Horatius Bonar.]
II.
Enjoyment
Thou hast anointed my head with oil.
1. If the figure of the shepherd and his sheep is still retained, as some hold, then the anointing refers to a singularly beautiful custom which the Eastern shepherd has. It is the last scene of the day. At the door of the sheepfold the shepherd stands, and the rodding of the sheep takes place. The shepherd stands turning his body to let the sheep pass: he is the door, as Christ said of Himself. With his rod he holds back the sheep while he inspects them one by one as they pass into the fold. He has the horn filled with olive oil, and he has cedar-tar, and he anoints a knee bruised on the rocks, or a side scratched by thorns. And here comes one that is not bruised, but is simply worn and exhausted; he bathes its face and head with the refreshing olive oil, and he takes the large two-handled cup and dips it brimming full from the vessel of water provided for that purpose, and he lets the weary sheep drink. There is nothing finer in the Psalm than this. Gods care is not for the wounded only, but for the worn and weary also. He anointeth my head with oil, my cup runneth over.2 [Note: W. A. Knight, The Song of Our Syrian Guest, 19.]
It is an exquisite picture of Christs tender grace as He stands to anoint and refresh the souls of believers when, weary and worn, they look up to Him in the gloaming of lifes little day. No office which our Saviour performs is more precious and beautiful than this in which He touches His weary ones with balm, that they may retire with cool, clean souls to rest.
On August 18, 1887, Dr. Ullathorne writes to a friend as follows: I have been visiting Cardinal Newman to-day. He is much wasted, but very cheerful. We had a long talk, but as I was rising to leave an action of his caused a scene I shall never forget. He said in low and humble accents, My dear lord, will you do me a great favour? What is it? I asked. He glided down on his knees, bent down his venerable head, and said, Give me your blessing. What could I do with him before me in such a posture? I could not refuse without giving him great embarrassment. So I laid my hand on his head and said: My dear Lord Cardinal, notwithstanding all laws to the contrary, I pray God to bless you, and that His Holy Spirit may be full in your heart. As I walked to the door, refusing to put on his biretta as he went with me, he said: I have been indoors all my life, whilst you have battled for the Church in the world.1 [Note: W. Ward, Life of Cardinal Newman, ii. 531.]
There comes to mind a great educationist. In the realms both of secondary and of higher education, he was a master. He wrought out for and established in two Canadian provinces their splendid system of free schools. In a third province he gave great impetus to the thought that resulted in the creation of a vigorous Christian university. For a brief period he stood at its head. Then, realizing that his strength was broken, he suddenly stepped aside. With a single step he passed from noon to twilight. Those of us who knew him intimately knew that the pain of the twilight was acute in his heart. But the compensations were sweet and satisfying. The Master held out to him the brimming cup of joy.
Then purged with euphrasy and rue
The visual nerve, for he had much to see.
And he told us what he saw in kindling speech. The fountain of song was unsealed within his heart. For the few years that were left to him he moved among us like a winged spirit. He was our nightingale singing in the twilight. He was our inspirationist, our prophet, our guide, philosopher, and friend. The beauty, the richness, the literary fruitfulness of those years were the marvel and delight of all who saw. In the twilight of his day God crowned him with loving-kindness and tender mercies; He satisfied his mouth with good things, so that his youth was renewed like the eagles.2 [Note: J. D. Freeman, Life on the Uplands, 106.]
2. But the thought is not less beautiful if we adopt the usual view of the structure of the 23rd Psalm, that at the fifth verse the figure of a shepherd tending his sheep is replaced by that of a host welcoming and entertaining a guest. Now, at their feasts, when they wished to express joyous welcome of a guest, they would anoint his head with a fragrant oil. When Jesus sat at meat in the house of Simon the Pharisee, He took note of the omission of this observance: My head with oil thou didst not anoint, as men do to bidden and welcome guests. In ordinary cases, it was done by a servant, as the guest took his place at table; in special cases, it was done by the master of the house himself. So it is here. Jehovah, as it were, pours oil on the head of him whom He has invited to His table, in token of His joyous welcome. I am received, not as with reluctant and half-compelled consent, but with all the joy of His gracious heart.
Compared with us in the more sunless West and North, the old Hebrews had a much keener appreciation of everything fragrant, as we see in their plentiful use of incense and perfumed oils in their religious rites and services, and in all that we know of their social life. Even we can know the delightful charm of a clover field, or of a hillside covered with furze and heather, or of a garden in which a thousand flowers mingle and blend their perfume; but still greater is the charm to the children of the sun, who live in regions where
Eternal summer dwells,
And west winds, with musky wing,
About the cedarn alleys fling
Nard and cassias balmy smells.
We have only to turn over the leaves of the Bible, and we find a thousand illustrations of this love of fragrant substances among the Hebrews;in the sweet savour that rose from Noahs sacrifice; in the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed; in the scent of waters; in the perpetual incense offered every morning and evening in the tabernacle or temple; in the oil of gladness with which God has anointed the king; in the holy oil poured upon one that is mighty; in the precious ointment to which brotherly love is likened; in the prayer set forth before God as incense; in the oil of joy given for mourning; in the name as ointment poured forth; in the incense and a pure offering that shall be offered to Gods name in every place; in the golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.1 [Note: J. Culross, Gods Shepherd Care, 131.]
3. In Scripture anointing with oil is employed as an emblem of the gracious influences of the Holy Spirit. Ye have an unction from the Holy One. The anointing which ye have received from him abideth in you. It is not only that there is the hope of a future salvation possessed by the believer, but the joy of a present salvation begun even nownot only the earnest of the Spirit, as the evidence that the inheritance is purchased, but the purifying presence of the Spirit consciously preparing him for its sacred delights and occupations. Christ is said to have been anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, but all His fellows, every man in His own order, are partakers of it.
III.
Enrichment
My cup runneth over.
When seated at His table, He puts a cup into my handthe cup of blessing, the cup of salvation; and it is not merely full but overflowing. He can afford to fill it; for the Fountain of Jacob, the source of blessing, is inexhaustible. This overflowing cup represents His abundant goodness. The year is crowned with the goodness of God; the earth is full of it; but this is the goodness of his house, the goodness which He has laid up for them that fear Him; and wrought for them that trust in Him before the sons of men. It comprehends blessings of all sorts, all gifts of His holy and loving heart, fitted to contribute to our well-being and joy.
If God were recognized at all times as the Giver and the Gift, every natural meal would be truly sacramental in all degrees, being recognized as the expression of Divine love in visible form, the natural clothing and continent of spirit and life. All truth would be realized as Divine truth, all labour as Gods working through His children, all needful rest and recreation as Gods Sabbath; every day the Lords Day; every dwelling a Bethel, and every man the Temple of the Lord in whom Christ dwells.2 [Note: J. W. Farquhar.]
1. Our cup of natural blessings is overflowing. We see this
(1) In the beauty of creation as opposed to mere utility. The sad philosopher of antiquity confessed: He hath made everything beautiful in his time; and the poet of to-day rejoices: All things have more than barren use. Some modern cynics have roundly abused nature and tried hard to show the seamy side of the rainbow, but the loveliness and grandeur of things are too much for them, and the poets vocation is not yet gone. Our natural belief also in the spirituality and transcendence of the beautiful and sublime is too profound to be uprooted by the utilitarian, however ingeniously he may argue on the material and physiological. Everywhere we see nature passing beyond utility into that delightful something we call beauty, glory, grandeur. Sounds harmonize into music; colours glow until the round world seems a broad, unwasting iris; cries blend into songs; the earth breaks into blossoms; the sky kindles into stars.
Nature never did betray
The heart that loved her; tis her privilege,
Through all the years of this our life, to lead
From joy to joy: for she can so inform
The mind that is within us, so impress
With quietness and beauty, and so feed
With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues,
Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men,
Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all
The dreary intercourse of daily life,
Shall eer prevail against us, or disturb
Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold
Is full of blessings.1 [Note: Wordsworth.]
(2) In the abundance of creation as opposed to mere sufficiency. Thou preparest a table before me. And how richly is that table furnished! We have a school of political economists which is tormented by the dread of population outstripping the means of subsistence, and is ever warning society against the awful peril. What confusions of heart and understanding do all these ominous vaticinations betray, seeing we dwell in a world so rich and elastic!
However the utilitarian may urge his sordid story, we cannot look at the superb dome of many-coloured glass above us, or ponder the vast panorama of earth and sea, full of pictures, poems, and symphonies which human art at best only darkly mirrors, without feeling that life inherits riches far beyond all material uses. The gorgeous garniture of the universe, at which the mere physicist stumbles, and which generations of metaphysicians fail to explain, is simply the overflow of our royal cup.1 [Note: W. L. Watkinson, Mistaken Signs, 156.]
At one period of his life John Stuart mill was distressed by the apprehension of the exhaustibility of musical combinations, but he came to see that the possibilities of original harmony are practically infinite. It would be a blessing if that school of economists with which mill is identified could be brought to perceive that the possibilities of the world on every side are practically infinite.2 [Note: Ibid.]
2. Our cup of social blessings is overflowing. God setteth the solitary in families. He has constituted society that the joy of life might be full. See the precious clusters which through this gracious arrangement are pressed into our cup!
First, perhaps, to strike the eye amongst the clusters of our Canaan is Homethe fathers reason made silken by affection; the mothers voice sweeter than any music; the kindly strength of the brother; the fondness of the sister; the comeliness and sparkle of little children. Friendship is a kindred cluster englobing rich wine. Another fruition is Philanthropy, delicious as a fruit of Paradise plucked from some branch running over the wall. Then the eye longs to drink as well as the lip, and the ear to drink as well as the eye, so Art displays creations refreshing as the vineyards purple wealth; the artist with marble and canvas unsealing fountains of beauty, the musician with pipe and string pouring streams of melody. Science shows the earth a great emerald cup whose fulness flashes over the jewelled lip. Literature is a polished staff bearing grapes beyond those of Eshcol. Commerce is a whole vine in itself, and we gaze at its embarrassing lavishment with amazed delight. Fir trees, cedars and oaks; silver, iron, tin, lead, and vessels of brass; horns of ivory and ebony; wheat, honey, oil, and balm; horses and horsemen, lambs, rams, and goats; wine and white wool; chests of rich apparel, bound with cords; emeralds, purple and broidered work, and fine linen, coral and agate; cassia and calamus, with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones and gold. By our ships we are replenished and made very glorious in the midst of the seas. Patriotism is a first-rate grape whose generous blood gives to the spirit that unselfish glow which surpasses all sensual pleasure; and the best wine runs last in that sentiment of Humanity which gives the crowning joy to the festival of life.
3. The munificence of God is revealed to the uttermost in the cup of spiritual blessing. The cup of salvation runs over. It was not the study of God just to save us, but to save us fully, overflowingly.
May 28, 1892. If spared till to-morrow I shall have finished the eighty-second year of my pilgrimage. When I read the other day that verse in Deu 2:7, The Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand; these forty years he hath been with thee, thou hast lacked nothing, I said to myself, These eighty-and-two years He has been with me, twice the time mentioned there, and I can truly say I have lacked nothing. More than that, He has given me that blessed hope, the prospect of being for ever in the kingdom with Him who has redeemed me by His blood. It was in the year 1830 that I found the Saviour, or rather that He found me, and laid me on His shoulders rejoicing, and I have never parted company with Him all these sixty-two years.1 [Note: A. A. Bonar, Heavenly Springs, 206.]
I praise Thee, while Thy providence
In childhood frail I trace,
For blessings given, ere dawning sense
Could seek or scan Thy grace;
Blessings in boyhoods marvelling hour,
Bright dreams and fancyings strange;
Blessings, when reasons awful power
Gave thought a bolder range;
Blessings of friends, which to my door
Unaskd, unhoped, have come;
And, choicer still, a countless store
Of eager smiles at home.
Yet, Lord, in memorys fondest place
I shrine those seasons sad,
When, looking up, I saw Thy face
In kind austereness clad.
I would not miss one sigh or tear,
Heart-pang, or throbbing brow;
Sweet was the chastisement severe,
And sweet its memory now.
Yes! let the fragrant scars abide,
Love-tokens in Thy stead,
Faint shadows of the spear-pierced side,
And thorn-encompassd head.
And such Thy tender force be still,
When self would swerve or stray,
Shaping to truth the froward will
Along Thy narrow way.
Deny me wealth; far, far remove
The lure of power or name;
Hope thrives in straits, in weakness love,
And faith in this worlds shame.1 [Note: Cardinal Newman.]
(1) We see it in the pardon of sin.God does not forgive sin with measure and constraint, but graciously multiplies pardons. The overflowing cup is the sign of a grand welcome, of a cordial friendship, of a most hearty love. The forgiveness of God is not official, arithmetical, hesitating, but free and full beyond all compare. He will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
If God had not told a man that his sins are forgiven, it would be presumption in him to believe that they are forgiven; but if God has told him that they are forgiven, then the presumption consists in disbelieving it or doubting it.2 [Note: Thomas Erskine of Linlathen.]
During the visit to Caon City, Colo., in 1899, the Governor of the State, hearing that Mr. Moody was to speak at the penitentiary on Thanksgiving Day, wrote him, enclosing a pardon for a woman who had already served about three years. Seven years more were before her. Mr. Moody was greatly pleased to be the bearer of the message. The woman was quite unaware of the prospective good fortune. At the close of the address, Mr. Moody produced a document, saying, I have a pardon in my hands for one of the prisoners before me. He had intended to make some further remarks, but immediately he saw the strain caused by the announcement was so severe that he dared not go on. Calling the name, he said, Will the party come forward and accept the Governors Thanksgiving gift?
The woman hesitated a moment, then arose, uttered a shriek, and, crossing her arms over her breast, fell sobbing and laughing across the lap of the woman next her. Again she arose, staggered a short distance, and again fell at the feet of the matron of the prison, burying her head in the matrons lap. The excitement was so intense that Mr. Moody would not do more than make a very brief application of the scene to illustrate Gods offer of pardon and peace.
Afterward he said that should such interest or excitement be manifest in connection with any of his meetingswhen men and women accepted the pardon offered for all sinhe would be accused of extreme fanaticism and undue working on the emotions. Strange that men prize more highly the pardon of a fellow-man than the forgiveness of their God!1 [Note: W. R. Moody, The Life of Dwight L. Moody, 281.]
(2) We see it also in the sanctification of the soul.We are saved by Christ not merely from ruin, but into a surpassing perfection of life. The Psalmist prayed: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. What is whiter than snow? We have white clouds, flowers, foam, shells; but in the whole realm of nature we know nothing whiter than snow. Are we then to dismiss the Psalmists aspiration as so much Oriental rhetoric? The highest poetry contains the deepest truth, and we must seek lovingly for great meanings in expressions which are really a Divine rhetoric. Is not the truth here, that grace gives our spirit a perfection beyond all perfection found in nature? Science declares that in things most perfect there is some imperfection, that there is an ideal perfection which nature rarely or never reaches, that the most exquisite organs lack theoretical harmony and finish. Rude matter does not attain all the delicacy of the Divine thought, and the naturalist with the Psalmist complains: I have seen an end of all perfection. But the human spirit aspires to a truthfulness, purity, and beauty beyond that of the physical universe, it pants to be whiter than snow; and this sublimest aspiration of our being is destined to attainment in Jesus Christ.
(3) There is, last of all, boundless provision in Christ Jesus.History tells that an ancient king granted pardon to some criminals under sentence of death, but when these discharged malefactors applied for relief at the palace gates the king refused them, protesting: I granted you life, but did not promise you bread. This is not the theory of the Gospel; Christ not only saves from destruction, but opens to the soul sources of rich strengthening and endless satisfaction. In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. This prediction is grandly accomplished in Him in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. The Gospel of Christ is not a scheme meeting a certain dreadful exigency and then of no further significance; it is the fullest revelation of the Divine truth and love and holiness, on which the spirits of the just shall feed and feast for ever.
Heart of Christ, O cup most golden,
Taking of thy cordial blest,
Soon the sorrowful are folden
In a gentle healthful rest:
Thou anxieties art easing,
Pains implacable appeasing:
Grief is comforted by love;
O, what wine is there like love?
Heart of Christ, O cup most golden,
Liberty from thee we win;
We who drink, no more are holden
By the shameful cords of sin;
Pledge of mercys sure forgiving,
Powers for a holy living,
These, thou cup of love, are thine;
Love, thou art the mightiest wine.1 [Note: T. T. Lynch, The Rivulet, 87.]
It passeth knowledge. It overflows the heart. The saint sometimes cries with Fletcher: Lord, stay Thine hand, or the vessel will break. As in certain parts of Australia the abundance of flowers fills the air with sweetness until it becomes painful to the senses, so does the saint sometimes so vividly realize the grand all-encompassing love of God that the soul is overwhelmed with the mingled pain and bliss, and only finds vent in adoring tears.
Joy through our swimming eyes doth break,
And mean the thanks we cannot speak.1 [Note: W. L. Watkinson, Mistaken Signs, 165.]
Annually when the ice breaks up in Russia the Czar goes in state to drink of the River Neva; and, having drunk, it was long the custom for the Czar to return the cup to his attendants full of gold, but year by year the cup became so much larger that at length a stipulated sum was paid instead of the old largesse. But however large the vessel we bring to God, and however much it increases in capacity with the discipline of years, God shall still make it to overflow with that peace and love and joy which is better than rubies and much fine gold. Let us pray
Open the fountain from above,
And let it our full souls oerflow.2 [Note: Ibid. 168.]
4. How is our cup to be kept overflowing?
(1) By keeping it always under the spring.The cup stands under the spring, and the spring keeps running into it, and so the cup runs over, but it will not run over long if you take it from where the springs pours into it. It is our unwisdom that we forsake the fountain of living waters and apply to the worlds broken cisterns. We say in the old proverb, Let well alone, but we forget this practical maxim with regard to the highest good. If your cup runs over, hear Christ say, Abide in me. David had a mind to keep his cup where it was, and he said, I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
(2) By drinking fully.My cup runs over, then let me, at any rate, drink all I can. If I cannot drink it all as it flows away, let me get all I can. Drink, said the spouse, yea, drink abundantly, O my beloved. The Masters message at the communion table always is, Take, eat! and again, Drink ye, drink ye all of it. Oftentimes, when the Lord saith to us, Seek ye my face, we answer, But, Lord, I am unworthy to do so. The proper answer is, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
(3) By communicating to others.If your cup runs over, call in your friends to get the overflow. Let others participate in that which you do not wish to monopolize or intercept. Christian people ought to be like the cascades seen in brooks and rivers, always running over and so causing other falls, which again by their joyful excess cause fresh cascades, and beauty is joyfully multiplied. Are not those fountains fair to look upon where the overflow of an upper basin causes the next to fall in a silver shower, and that again produces another glassy sheet of water? If God fills one of us, it is that we may bless others; if He gives His ministering servants sweet fellowship with Him, it is that their words may encourage others to seek the same fellowship; and if their hearers get a portion of meat, it is that they may carry a portion home.
O look, my soul, and see
How thy cup doth overflow!
Think of the love so free
Which fills it for thee so!
Let fall no tears therein
Of self-will or of doubt;
There may be tears for sin,
But sinful tears keep out.
What lies within? Life, health,
Friendshere, or gone before;
Promise of heavenly wealth,
Of earthly, some small store;
Power to act thy part
In earths great labour-field;
Grace which should make thy heart
An hundred-fold to yield.
The drops that overflow
Shine in the morning sun,
And catch the evening glow,
When each days work is done.
And if there mingle there
Some drops of darker hue,
What colour would all bear
If all were but thy due?
What Gods own wisdom planned,
Is it not right and meet?
Shall aught come from His hand,
And not to thee seem sweet?
Literature
Burns (J. D.), Memoir and Remains, 305.
Clark (H. W.), Laws of the Inner Kingdom, 72.
Culross (J.), Gods Shepherd Care, 121.
Duff (R. S.), The Song of the Shepherd, 111, 129, 143.
Freeman (J. D.), Life on the Uplands, 91.
Howard (H.), The Shepherd Psalms , 84.
Jowett (J. H.), The Silver Lining, 83.
Knight (W. A.), The Song of Our Syrian Guest, 16.
Newbolt (W. C. E.), Penitence and Peace, 131.
Pearse (M. G.), In the Banqueting House, 155.
Price (A. C), Fifty Sermons, ii. 41.
Smith (D.), The Pilgrims Hospice, 73.
Spurgeon (C. H.), Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, xv. (1869) No. 874; xxi. (1875) No. 1222.
Stalker (J.), The Psalm of Psalms , 91.
Vaughan (J.), Sermons (Brighton Pulpit), x. (1873) No. 815.
Watkinson (W. L.), Mistaken Signs, 155.
Wynne (G. R.), In Quietness and Confidence, 123.
Christian World Pulpit, xx. 123 (Hammond).
Church Pulpit Year Book, viii. (1911) 78.
Churchmans Pulpit, Harvest Thanksgiving: xcvii. 61 (Hammond).
Homiletic Review, xlviii. 465 (Norris).
Fuente: The Great Texts of the Bible
preparest: Psa 22:26, Psa 22:29, Psa 31:19, Psa 31:20, Psa 104:15, Job 36:16, Isa 25:6, Joh 6:53-56, Joh 10:9, Joh 10:10, Joh 16:22
thou anointest: Heb. makest fat, Psa 45:7, Psa 92:10, Amo 6:6, Mat 6:17, 2Co 1:21, 1Jo 2:20, 1Jo 2:27
my cup: Psa 16:5, Psa 116:13, 1Co 10:16, Eph 3:20
Reciprocal: Exo 27:20 – pure oil olive beaten Exo 37:29 – he made Deu 28:40 – anoint thyself Rth 2:14 – was sufficed Psa 103:5 – satisfieth Psa 119:65 – dealt well Pro 21:20 – oil Isa 61:3 – the oil Eze 16:9 – anointed Eze 34:10 – for I will Luk 7:46 – General Luk 22:17 – took Heb 1:9 – oil Rev 7:17 – feed
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 23:5. Thou preparest a table before me Thou furnishest me with plenty and variety of provisions and comforts. In the presence of mine enemies Who seeing, envying, and fretting at it, are not able to hinder it. Thou anointest my head with oil Or ointment, as the Syriac and Arabic interpreters render it, namely, with aromatic ointments, which were then used in great feasts. The sense is, Thy comforts delight my soul. See Psa 45:7. My cup runneth over Thou hast given me a very plentiful portion, signified by the cup given to the guests by the master of the feast. Thus another set of images, borrowed from a feast, is introduced to give us ideas of those cordials and comforts prepared to cheer and invigorate the fainting soul; while, surrounded by enemies, it is accomplishing its pilgrimage through life; during which time its sorrows and afflictions are alleviated and sweetened by the joys and consolations of the Holy One; by the feast of a good conscience; by the bread of life; the oil of gladness, and the cup of salvation still full and running over. Horne.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
23:5 Thou preparest a {e} table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou {f} anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
(e) Even though his enemies sought to destroy him, yet God delivers him, and deals most liberally with him in spite of them.
(f) As was the manner of great feasts.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
2. God as provider 23:5
In this verse, David described God as a host rather than as a shepherd. As a gracious host, God provides hospitality for His people. He supplies us with what we need and desire lavishly, and He does so, not by removing us from the presence of our spiritual enemies, but in their presence. In the ancient East, a thoughtful host would welcome an honored guest into the protection of his home by pouring some oil on his head (cf. Psa 45:7; Psa 92:10; Psa 133:2; Amo 6:6; Luk 7:46). This refreshed and soothed a weary traveler. Anointing with oil in Scripture pictured God’s bestowal of His Holy Spirit on the believer (Exo 40:9-16; Lev 8:10-12; 1Sa 10:1; 1Sa 16:13; 1Ki 1:39; et al.). [Note: John F. Walvoord, The Holy Spirit, pp. 21-22.] David’s cup symbolized his lot in life that overflowed with abundant blessings.