A word fitly spoken is like APPLES OF GOLD in a setting of silver – Proverbs 25v11
Psalm 23 is well known to most of us, but at first glance verse 5 seems strange – You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Why does the Lord prepare a table in the presence of my enemies instead of amongst my friends ? That would be much more enjoyable. However we only grow in our faith if it is tested and God uses enemies to do this. So who or what are these enemies? Mine are not the same as yours and the enemies I had when I was younger are not the same as those I have today. A few enemies are greed, selfishness, anger, discontent, excessive worry, betrayal, immorality, violence, alcohol and substance abuse. Unfortunately our enemies love to gate crash our table, but the good news is that once they see that the Holy Spirit is sitting with us and we are engrossed in reading God’s Word they generally move on. But our enemies don’t give up so they invite us to their table and if we join them, naively thinking that we will not be negatively influenced, we fool ourselves as we will be outnumbered, alone and vulnerable. The outcome is our enemies overcome us and we lose our peace, joy and love for the Lord and His people. Book of Jude tells us in verse 2 “keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life”
What is there to eat at our table? Depending on our spiritual age we might only be having a milkshake “as new born babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby”-1 Peter 2v2.
If we are more mature the waiter brings us the speciality of the day – “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil”-Hebrews 5v14
Friends what seems attractive at the enemies table will give you indigestion at best and life-long negative consequences at worst. Let us stay feasting at the Lord’s Table and stay spiritually and emotionally healthy
God Bless Graeme Greenwood