The 23rd Psalm

These studies appeared in Today’s Word editions over the last three years.  They are collected here for the first time.

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

The First Declaration of Emotional Theology

Not Want – I can think of no more appropriate place to begin a new year than with the words “not want” (lo’ ekaw-sere). Isn’t that what we all hope for? To live in this world without want. No matter what else we believe, this seems to be the universal plea of our souls. Atheist, agnostic or religious follower of any god, not one of us desires a life of continual want. We may not aspire to riches, but we do desire life without emptiness.

David sees that the only real answer to the gnawing within is the work of the shepherd. He recognizes that I am not able to fill the voids with my own hand. This, of course, is a fundamental tenant of the Way (I could call it a fundamental tenant of Christianity but that might lead us to conclude that God somehow changed His character with the coming of the Messiah. He didn’t. This is good Jewish theology as well. In fact, today it often appears that “Christianity” no longer fully embraces this pivotal idea. As the good bishop from Africa remarked, “I had no idea that the [American] church could accomplish so much without God.”). My kaw-sere (lack) is removed by the shepherd, not by me. He is the one who provides what I need. He feeds. I follow.

But we all knew this, didn’t we? We have known this for ages, ever since we memorized this verse when we were children. If you or your children haven’t memorized this absolutely basic bit about God, then do it now. This is the first step of a real emotional theology. You see, we all intellectually agree with David’s statement, but we rarely make it the inner pillar of life support when our emotions send us down the path of empty desires. We have a God of propositions, a God of shepherd-theory, not a God who picks us up and actually carries us to green pasture. Most of the time, we entertain a God who we believe knows how to help, but seems unwilling to do so. And why should He? We are too quick to take care of ourselves.

This year I will not be seduced by religious theory. This year I want a God who holds me in his arms when I cry, who shelters me when the storms howl, who sets that table before me when my enemies are ready to attack and who loves me even when I fail.

My wants are deep. As I write these words, I feel them tugging at my soul. Loneliness. Discouragement. Disappointment. Failure. Hopelessness. Confusion. Angst. The caverns of human plight are dark, foreboding and cold. I cannot survive them without the real, live, present Shepherd. If God cannot care for my emotions, then I will forever be lacking. Life is more than health and wealth.

Do you have a Shepherd or do you merely acknowledge a God of shepherd-theory while you run off to the therapist or the prayer group?

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“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

What I Lack – Emotional Theology #2

Want – But this isn’t quite right, is it? David is not speaking about my “wants”; he is speaking about what I lack. Even the NIV translation (“I shall not be in want”) still confuses the thought. What David says is this: the Shepherd God provides all that I lack. David’s psalm is not an expression of God’s blessing machine. It is an expression of my essential inability to provide for myself.

Emotional theology must begin here. If my god is simply a god who gives me what I want, then I worship an idol made in my own self-fulfilling image. That kind of god is the god of me, disguised in religious ritual. Any god that we treat as a means to our ends is not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is a God Who invites us to join in His purposes, not ours, and Who provides what we lack in order to accomplish what He desires. So, David can say with a pure heart, “My Shepherd God will take care of everything that I lack.”

Now just wait a minute. With a verse like this, we might think that God only supplements what we don’t already have. He takes care of the gap between what I can do and what I hope to do. But once again we would not be dealing with the God of the Bible. The God David worships is the God Who provides all that I lack, and all that I lack is everything. I come into this world with nothing. I leave with nothing. What I have in between those two events is God’s gift to me. In fact, I even lack the ability to give myself the very next breath I take. God gives. That’s why I do not lack. If my God were not willing to give, I would be finished right now.

What I discover when I contemplate what I lack is that there is a God Who is willing to provide. If I can trust Him for my next breath, am I willing to trust Him for all the other things that I need to accomplish His purposes for the life He gives me? This is not simply intellectual trust. Do I have to think about trusting Him before I can draw the next breath? No. I just breathe and in the process my very breathing is homage to His provision. Do I have “breathing trust” for the other things I lack? When I come to the place where I accept His provision as easily as I accept the breathing He gives, then I will really know Him.

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Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Psalm 23:4

Night Stalkers

Shadow of Death – Are you afraid of the dark? Oh, I don’t mean the night. At night there is still light – the stars, perhaps the moon, the glow of the city over the hill, airplanes plowing the red-eye special. Even in David’s time, long before our nights were crowded with man-made neon, there was still light. That’s not the kind of dark described in these two words. If you want to know what real darkness is, then come with me to the Lava River State Park in Bend, Oregon and hike a mile through the ancient lava tunnel under the earth. When you have traveled that mile into the ground, turn off the lantern. Now you know what it means to be in the dark. It is pitch black. Not a single flicker or glimmer. Nothing but strange sounds. Don’t move an inch. You can’t see anything and you have no idea where you are stepping. You are stuck right there until that lantern comes back on.

That’s the “shadow of death.” Sometimes translated as “thick darkness,” two Hebrew words are combined to describe a place that is utterly without sight (tsalmaveth). You are blind in spite of the fact that your eyes work. Once you have experienced that kind of darkness, you will have no trouble connecting it to the emotional darkness of utter despair or the spiritual darkness of terrifying fear.

We need this kind of context to understand what David really says. David did not enjoy our perspective on heaven. In his time, Sheol awaited everyone. The concept of afterlife was not so clear. What was entirely obvious to him was that all men die. The transitory character of life is God’s own work (Psalm 90:3) and no one could oppose it. Hebrew calls those who have departed “shadows.” To walk through the valley where these dead spirits dwell was frightening indeed. It was as close to personal dying as anyone could get.

Now, says David, I walk in precisely that place, the place that is occupied by the dead, the shadows. And yet, I will not fear evil. For a man who spent years living in caves, who knew the realm of total darkness, this is no trivial statement. For a man who knew betrayal, lost love, discouragement, depression, sacrifice, oppression and rejection, this is an incredible claim. David journeyed into the place where men disappear from the earth. He smelled death. He tasted the putrid air. And yet he wills not to be afraid.

When the shadow land is pressing against my neck, David reminds me that I need to know only one thing: God is with me. I cannot see Him in the dark, but He has promised not to leave me, and He doesn’t lie. My blindness doesn’t matter. I do not need to see in order to trust Him. Do I?

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Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Psalm 23:4

Blind Obedience

Fear No Evil – Twelve Steppers offer us David’s worldview in an acronym: FEAR – False Evidence Appearing Real. We need this truth deep in our souls. God’s word is the only permanent reality. All the evidence that pushes us away from His unfailing character is False Evidence Appearing Real. David knows the unfailing God, not as a principle in a book or an icon above the altar. David knows God, and because he knows God, he will not let the false evidence of the shadow take control of his behavior. He will walk through the place where he cannot see anything at all. He will step forward in spite of the smell, the sounds and the shudder running up his back. All because he knows God.

This is very strong language. Yare, Hebrew for “fear,” means deep distress and concern over very unfavorable circumstances. There is nothing trivial about this. The emotional impact is very real, but the fear isn’t. Fear is always projection of what might occur, and David knows that what might occur is entirely in the hands of the God he knows.

David doesn’t tell us that he will only be concerned about the important things (my job, my spouse, my children). He says that he has nothing to fear. No evil frightens him to death as he walks blind in the dark. The Hebrew word ra’ (evil) is often contrasted with tov (good). This is not just what is hideous. It is also what is bad. All those bad things in life that we so desperate wish to avoid and so anxiously plead to have removed. David says, “I will fear none of them.”

Make a list (and check it twice). List every bad thing you can imagine that might happen to you today or even tomorrow. Now close your eyes and put that list in front of your face. You can’t see anything. All those fears are in the blind spot. But every one of them is in God’s hands. Not a single one can become a reality without God’s permission and if any do become real, God is still there, even if you can’t see Him. So, why are you afraid? Did you think that those fears, those projections of what might come to pass, are too much for God to handle? Did you imagine that He left you in the dark or that He just didn’t care about you anymore? Did you forget that He is merciful, compassionate and patient?

Fear wants me to stop until the lantern is turned on. But that is not faith. Faith is blind obedience, walking through the pitch black when I cannot see, knowing that every fear is folded into His hand. Seeing is not essential. In fact, it is often detrimental. Don’t let your eyes fool you. Be blind. Walk through the dark.

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You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies Psalm 23:5

Microwave Mentality

Prepare – Important guests are coming for dinner. In my house, that means tablecloths and napkins, the best silverware, dishes arranged, glasses placed, silver polished. Of course, cooking the food is not like ordering pizza. Sometimes preparation begins days beforehand. Everything is designed to be elegant and appealing. That raises the question behind this verse: How long does it take for God to prepare a table like this? Is this a hurried meal, snatched between battle engagements, swallowed in haste for fear that circumstances will suddenly change? Absolutely not! David chose a word that implies “taking my time.” It is ‘erek, a word found over and over in the precise and careful arrangement of the sacrifices on the altar. It is the slow, deliberate, attentive organization of all the details. This is the unhurried meal.

Why is this picture so important? Because when God is in charge, enemies are held at bay. David paints the picture of a sumptuous banquet with all the attending splendor in the middle of a battlefield. There is no need to hurry. There is no need to worry. God has all the time He needs to arrange and provide the meal.

Have you had dinner with God? Has He invited you over for a leisurely banquet? God does not do fast-food. He won’t take you to McDonalds. God is not in a hurry even when we think circumstances warrant haste. We look at the enemy poised to do us harm and we say, “But Lord, I don’t have time for this. It’s taking too long. Please hurry before all these bad things happen.” God just chuckles. He stirs the sauce on the stove, tasting a bit to make sure it is just right. He places the salad forks in the right position. “Don’t worry. I’m in charge here. We have plenty of time. Why don’t you try this delightful hors d’oeuvre I made just for this occasion? It has a special blend of herbs and spices from my private garden west of the Euphrates. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Are you letting God prepare the table or are you living a microwave life? The meal God has in mind can’t be cooked in 30 seconds. Sometimes it takes 30 years to get the banquet just right. Resist the enemy’s fast-food solutions. God does not prepare meals on the run. Who would He need to run from?

Satan is happy to serve us microwave meals. He wants us to rush through life, cramming as much as possible into fleeting moments while we look over our shoulders at impending doom. Microwave living is the perfect strategy for spiritual ulcers. If you want to sit at God’s table, you will have to slow way down. Let God do the arranging. And enjoy His company. You’ve got time.

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You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies Psalm 23:5

High Table

Table – What kind of table does God prepare for those who walk uprightly (take a peek at Psalm 84:11)? It’s not a trivial question. And it’s not about the table construction. Wood, glass, steel – it doesn’t matter. The word David chooses is not about the kind of table but rather about the rank of the table.

If you visited an Oxford University college, you might be invited to dine at High Table. High Table is the place in the dining hall where the professors and dignitaries sit. It is usually higher than the rest of the tables in the hall. The finest foods and wines are reserved for the guests at high table. High Table dining is a recognition of privilege and status.

If you take a cruise on an ocean liner, you might be invited to sit at the Captain’s Table. The same rules apply. Captain’s Table is not for everyone. Only special, invited people sit at the Captain’s Table.

David uses the Hebrew word shulchan. Of course, the word can mean just an ordinary table. But that is not what David has in mind. David has a specific table in view, a table that ranked higher than High Table at Oxford or the Captain’s Table on the ship. This shulchan is the table of the Lord, the very special place where God’s meal is arranged in the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:23). David himself once ate from this table. Now, in the presence of enemies, David sees that God invites us to dine with Him at His special table. It is not just a table fit for an Oxford professor or a ship’s captain of even a king. It is a table fit for the Lord of the universe. And you are invited.

The meal is miraculous. No good thing is withheld. But it is not the meal that makes this table so incredibly special. It’s the company at the table. You are dining in the company of God.

When Jesus invited his guests to join Him at High Table, he displayed this psalm. He served the bread and the wine in the presence of the Enemy and the Enemy was held at bay until the most important meal in the world was finished. Yes, it’s true that the meal was not Beef Wellington and the wine was not Chateaux Margaux. It was simply the Passover meal. But that meal, eaten in the presence of the Lamb, was truly the Psalm 23 meal. God has invited you to the highest table in the universe, to share a meal with the King of kings. Sit. Eat. Enjoy His company. That is the good life.

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You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies Psalm 23:5

Face Time

Before – God knows that the best part of a meal is cooking, not eating. Of course, it’s wonderful to enjoy the fruits of the chef’s labor. But it’s far more engaging to be in the kitchen while the meal is being prepared. Then you get to witness the gathering of the fresh foods, the expertise of the chef, the secrets of his recipes. You are part of the smells, the tastes and the ambiance. In fact, in some of the world’s great restaurants, the best table is literally in the kitchen, reserved for those very few, special guests of the chef.

David wants us to see that God is not a chef behind the scenes. He doesn’t make the meal hidden from our sight and then invite us to the banquet table. He prepares the meal in our faces. That’s the root of this Hebrew word, liphnay. It comes from panim, the word for “face.” God’s culinary work in our lives is accomplished right in front of us. The miracle of God’s kitchen is revelation, not mystery. Wolfgang Puck might have secret recipes, but God does not (and God’s meals are far more satisfying). God’s cooking is plainly revealed to all who come to His table because God invites us to watch Him work.

David saw God’s handiwork. So can you and I. Everyday, God is busy arranging the meal for us. Right in front of our faces, and in the presence of our enemies, God cooks up the best life has to offer. And more than that, He invites us into His presence to enjoy this wonderful feast. The best meal with the best company – that’s God’s idea of gourmet dining!

Are you watching the work at God’s table? Do you see that His culinary skill is educating your palette? Have you noticed that being in His kitchen makes you hungry for food only He can prepare? It’s all happening right in front of your face, if you take the time to look. God is not secretly off behind the kitchen door, concocting mysterious morsels that He plans to present without explanation. He is changing the ordinary into the extraordinary before your face. He is creating the chef’s delight – something as old as Eden and as new as tomorrow. He is delivering the only meal that will satisfy your soul.

Come to the table and watch.

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You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies Psalm 23:5

Displaying the Obvious

In the presence of – If you are going to enjoy the feast God is arranging, you will have to give up your microwave mentality. God is a gourmet chef. He takes His time. And when everything is ready, He presents the meal. Every great chef knows that the food is only part of a successful meal. The other part is the presentation. That’s the difference between McDonald’s Big Mac in a cardboard box and Spago’s almond-crusted salmon on a fine china plate with swirls of vodka cream sauce in an artistic display. When God prepares His invitation-only banquet, He delivers it with the finest presentation in the universe.

David uses the Hebrew word neged. This is not just any preposition. This word means ”to place conspicuously or set high on display.” The table before me can be seen by everyone. God’s banquet is not hidden from my enemies. It is deliberately presented so that they cannot miss the sight. It is a testimony to the glory of the chef, held right in front of them.

Is God egotistical? Does He flaunt His talent? Of course not! God conspicuously presents His meal because I need to learn a great kitchen lesson. My invitation-only banquet with the Father is entirely His affair. He determines the time, the place, the decoration, the arrangements and the food. No enemy has any effect on this occasion. And neither do I. I am invited to enjoy it, not to make it. This is God’s craftsmanship on display.

We have forgotten the gourmet God. In a culture of speed demons, we want God’s instant oatmeal provisions. The problem we face is not the lack of God’s provision but rather our lack of patience with the preparation. We get up and go back to the battle before the meal is served because we think that the goal of life is to win the war. Not so. God is quite capable of handling all the enemies without me. The goal of life is to experience the banquet in unhurried fellowship. It has always been about feasting with God, not about fighting His foes. The first order of business given to Man was to eat (see Genesis 2:16 – literally, “in feasting you may feast”). God is the Great Shepherd King. He protects (the enemies are powerless) and provides (the meal is prepared).

A microwave life is a life of stupidity and insult. Did you think you could leave the table at the end of the first course, just because you heard the enemy’s taunt? Who made you the knight in shining armor? Relax and enjoy God forever. Unplug the microwave. The real meal is on display. Where are you going in such a hurry?

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You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies Psalm 23:5

What Binds Me

Enemies – Who is my enemy? Is he the one who stands against me with sword in hand? Is he the one with a bomb concealed in a bag? Is he the one with a finger on the trigger? Or the one who threatens my job or my family? When Jesus prepared His table, was the enemy a man named Judas? Or does this word point us in another direction?

The Hebrew tsarar is a root word that means “to show hostility toward.” In one form, it is certainly about an adversary or oppressor. But it has another form where it takes on the nuance of being bound, distressed, hemmed in, confined and troubled. In other words, there are enemies outside and there are enemies inside. Freedom from outside oppressors does not guarantee liberty. Liberty is freedom from a distressed and bound heart. Liberty is first a inside job.

When God prepares a table that satisfies, He does it in the presence of those things that prevent my enjoyment of His nourishment. God does not ask me to help in the preparation because He knows that I am bound, confined and constrained. I can’t help. I am tied up by my enemies. But that doesn’t stop God from inviting me to watch Him work, making a meal fit for a king. And when it is ready, He invites me to sit and eat with Him, to display His liberating power right where it matters most, in the presence of those enemies that have swallowed me up.

God’s meal is liberty. God serves up redemption. His finest wine is the blood of forgiveness. His greatest entrée is the body of restoration. Nothing else satisfies like the meal that brings me peace. When God serves, He unties me and sends my enemies away.

At God’s table, I discover freedom. At God’s table, I experience grace. At God’s table, my tongue learns the taste of praise. I drink favor and eat the fruit of obedience. I learn to be poured-out wine and broken bread, and in the process I am fed. All in the presence of my enemies.

There is no other table in the world that satisfies like God’s table.

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You prepare a table for me before my enemies. Psalm 23:5

The Organized Life

Prepare – Preparing a table has special meaning in the ancient culture of Israel. It was a sign of hospitality and a precursor to relationship commitments. That’s why you will often find meals associated with legal and political agreements. But in this psalm, the situation is uncharacteristically shocking. No one would think of preparing a meal in the presence of enemies. Meals are for friends and allies, not those who seek to harm.

Of course, the meal that God prepares is not for the enemies. It is for the one who is in relationship with the host, God Himself. This meal is a sign that, in spite of the threat of enemies, the covenant commitment between God and the guest at the table guarantees safety – and more. The extras matter.

The Hebrew verb is ‘arach. It describes arranging, ordering and preparing. It can even be extended to the process of valuing, like setting a temple tax. It’s used to picture preparation for battle, laying out something in order, preparing a legal argument and presenting a prayer. But the picture that we want to look at is found in Proverbs 9:2, where Wisdom also prepares a table for those who seek her. This verse in Psalms and the verse in Proverbs tell us something very important. When we seek God and His ways, He engineers our lives so that they display the order He wishes, even in the presence of those who stand against us. Wisdom calls us to “forsake folly and live.” God invites us to the same table. Let Him do the organizing, and the meal you will be served will bring you life.

It seems so reasonable, doesn’t it? Of course we know that God is able to arrange all of our lives so that we are well-fed (we experience shalom) and we rest in His provision. We may even believe that He is willing to do this. But we still have to let Him! We still have to take our hands off the stove, stop trying to season the recipe, get out of the kitchen and wait until the meal is ready. When God prepares, He does not share the culinary art with us. He does it His way, in His time. It is a meal fit for a king so you won’t find it served at a fast-food restaurant. In an age when we expect God to get moving, we have forgotten the art of dining. He has not!

Are you hungry for a banquet, or are you going to be satisfied with a quick snack? Life takes time. That’s why the community of believers relies on the experienced wisdom of elders, not young men. If you’re going to have the patience to allow God to prepare the table, then you will have had to live long enough to know the difference between chateaubriand and hamburger. Either one may diffuse the hunger pangs, but only one will be delightful. And God only serves delightful meals.

Letting God prepare is one of the most difficult things to do in a world that encourages immediacy. But immediacy has a price – disorganization. If you want shalom, you must wait for it.

Topical Index: Shalom