God Prepares a Lavish Table

You provide delicious food for me in the presence of my enemies. You have welcomed me as your guest; blessings overflow! (Psalm 23:5 The Book).

I love entertaining. My husband, Glenn, and I used to have get-togethers, with upwards of thirty people in our yard and on our deck, sitting at tables under trees overlooking the river. It was wonderful. It was such fun preparing everything so that every guest would enjoy themselves.

Glenn would make sure the yard was lovely and the deck clean. He would also help me strategically organize the tables so that guests who wanted to have private conversations could do so. Other tables we arranged close enough together so that there was great fellowship among the guests.

It was fun making sure there were a variety of things to drink, salty snacks and sweet snacks. Sour dough French bread prepared in a variety of ways, and an assortment of cheeses and crackers were always delightful.

Dinner came later after everyone had plenty of time for catching up. We always prepared a varied assortment of foods to satisfy even the guest who might be a bit picky. . . .

Of course, we always made a couple of flavors of homemade ice cream. And just in case someone didn’t care for ice cream, we had a couple of other luscious desserts.

I must confess, I never gave one thought to whether a guest needed all of what I was preparing. My objective was always that there was an array of foods and that every guest had a wonderful time. When departure time came they left replete—lavished with good and sumptuous things.

Ah, those times were so enjoyable. . . . But you know, just as I enjoyed those times of entertaining, God enjoys entertaining us.

He provides delicious food for us and welcomes us as His guest! (Psalm 23:5)

Think about it . . . the Sovereign Ruler—Creator and Sustainer of all things, Elohim—entertains us lavishly. We are His special guest. And He welcomes us with open arms!

My mind cannot wrap itself around that. I wish I had a better grasp of the English language in order to expound on the wonder of it. . . .

The KJV of Psalm 23:5 is wonderful because it tells us that God not only provides this lavish feast—He prepares it—Himself!

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

The word anoint literally means to fatten, hence to satisfy abundantly.

Not only does the Lord prepare a lavish feast for us, He anoints our head with oil. Remember when the sinful woman anointed Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisee? (Luke 7:36-50). It was a lavish thing she did.

It was the custom to anoint the head of special guests. Everyday guests were not necessarily anointed, but they were greeted with a kiss and their feet were washed.

If you wanted to be lavish with a special guest, you would anoint them with oil. That’s what the sinful woman did. Her heart was so full of love for Jesus that she lavished Him with very expensive oil.

That’s the thought in Psalm 23:5. King David is saying that God prepares the finest table for us, a very lavish table.

How cool is that?

For God to send His Son to die for my sins is amazing indeed and far exceeds anything my simple mind can grasp. But for Him to personally prepare a table for me—to lavishly prepare a feast just for me—wow! That both humbles me and fills my spirit with an awe that simple words cannot express.

Keep in mind, this is not just the absence of need, or even want. No, God makes sure our cup overflows. This is not just a cup that is full, but a cup overflowing with His goodness so that it will hold nothing else. And He does it just for us. Each of us is His special guest.

This brings to mind Numbers 6:24-26:

“The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
and give you peace.”

King David sang, “You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.” (Samuel 22:36-37)

And so I ask, dear friend, are you at peace?

Is your soul at rest?
Are you basking in God’s love and provision?
Are you enjoying the table God has lavishly prepared just for you?

Life is a one-time trip through this world that will soon be over. At best your life will last seventy, or perhaps eighty years. Wouldn’t it be great to view life as God does, a lavish dinner party, with Him as your Host? He is exactly that.

And face it, since He created all of this and heaven too, and He knitted you together just as He wants you, don’t you think that He knows exactly what you love and need to prepare you to live with Him in the place He is building just for you?

Are you willing to settle for a hot dog or leftovers when God has a lavish feast prepared especially for you? I want all that He has to offer, all that He has prepared specifically for me. He knows what I love and He provides lavishly for me.

I have seen some of His most remarkable creations. Spring flowers in the Ozarks. Beautiful colors as the fall chill prepares the trees for winter. Winter blizzards with snow-flakes, not one of which is identical. That in itself is amazing.

I’ve watched as God painted a lavish sunrise so beautiful it took my breath away. I walked along in awe of His majesty, and since often I’m the only one walking on the beach, the wonder of it is that He is painting it just for me.

I’ve seen ocean water so clear and beautiful that a friend remarked, “I thought water like this was just painted in brochures, I didn’t know it actually existed.”

I’ve seen fish so strange and beautiful they had to be uniquely designed by a God Who is lavish with His creation, and Whose imagination far surpasses what any mere human could think up.

I’ve gazed on the Grand Teton Mountains, and caught my breath as I peered over the railing at the Colorado River rushing through the Grand Canyon.

And I’ve been a bit claustrophobic, but enraptured, several stories beneath the ground exploring various caverns across America, that God carved out just for our enjoyment.

The wonder and majesty of Niagara Falls is unparalleled. Only God could design something so powerful and awesome.

Or how about the Great Gorge a few miles down stream, where all that water flowing from the falls has been channeled into a much narrower river? The river makes a sudden double bend and the sound made by the force of the water is deafening.

Only God could do that.

I could go on and talk about the Indian Paint Pots and the Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, or the incredible wildlife in Denali National Park in Alaska.

What about the majestic White Cliffs of Dover in England, or the beautiful green countryside of Ireland?

Yes, the same God Who created all of the wonders of our world just for our enjoyment prepares a lavish table for us and anoints our head with oil. Wow!

Shouldn’t we trust in the God Who has designed and created these things? Since He created such magnificence just for our enjoyment, shouldn’t we trust in what He personally prepares for our life while we’re here on this earth?

Just imagine what He is designing for our eternal life? My mind goes blank and I’m at a loss for words—that alone is a wonder!

But I do know that while I’m here, I want to dine at the table of the life He has prepared because I know He lavishes His creation with what He knows we need.

One day we will get to behold this God Who is so wonderful our finite mind cannot fathom Him. We will get to thank Him for the life He prepared uniquely for us. And then we will see our cup as He sees it—overflowing with His wonderful things.

Let’s not miss it, my friend. We get one shot at this life of abundance God has prepared for us.
And if all of this were not enough, we have a standing invitation to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb . . . and-it-will-be-incredible (Revelation 19:7-9).

Imagine dinner with all of the saints of the ages. . . . The fellowship will be thrilling.
What questions will we ask. . . ? But the One Who will dominate our focus will be Jesus. We will get to see Him face to face, kiss the nail-scarred hands, and bow on our knees and cry,

“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. . . .”

I can hardly wait. The thought takes my breath away.
Are you enjoying the bounty God has prepared specifically for you?

God has prepared a lavish table—are you hungry?

Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:4-5)

Recommended Reading
Psalm 23
Psalm 52:8-9
Psalm 89:1-26
Psalm 91:14-16
Psalm 92:10
Isaiah 43:1-4
Isaiah 58:8, 11, 14
Isaiah 61:10