Notes
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
Psalm 23 (NKJV)
Psalm 23 reminds us of three things: God is with us, God is chasing us, and God has set something in front of us. For sheep, the table was a special plot of land that the shepherd would prepare for them, land they would eat and enjoy. David knew that God’s table was worth running after. He faced a lot of valleys in his life, but David knew that God’s table is bigger than our trouble.
And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.” Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”
1 Samuel 17:24-27
Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine… Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.
1 Samuel 17:40, 45-50
Goliath had stalemated Israel’s army, but David listened to the voice of God rather than the voice of the enemy. There was hope beyond Goliath.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.
Matthew 22:2-6
So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
1 Samuel 17:41-44
Distractions are an enemy of God’s table. Many people will miss out on kingdom living because they let distractions steal their attention away from Him. The enemy will try to fill up your mind with junk food; it’ll keep you full, but it’s not nutritious and so you won’t experience spiritual growth. It stalemates you, just like Goliath had stalemated the Israelite army.
Instead, feast on gratitude. Fill up with the things of God so that they overflow in your life. Feast on what God’s Word says and let it influence your daily life. What gets in your head affects your heart, and what’s in your heart will show up in your actions.
But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
1 Samuel 17:34-37
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! It’s not shocking that our world is filled with evil. But don’t let the voice of the enemy drown out the voice of God in your life. Run after God’s table, for He is the perfect Shepherd.
Psalm 34:8
Group Questions
- What is God’s table?
- What are some distractions that keep us from running after God’s table?
- How can we fill our hearts with the things of God?
- What does it mean in Psalm 34:8 to “taste and see that the Lord is good”?
Prayer
Thank you for preparing a table for us! Help us to fight distractions and instead keep our focus on you.