“He prepares a table before me, in the presence of my enemies.”

As Psalm 23:4 begins the journey to the mountaintop through the valley, verse five marks the arrival on the coveted mountaintop. These high plateaus are known as a mesa which is Spanish for table.

And because of the remote location of these flat lands and the seasonal trek, they contain some of the best grazing grounds. Undoubtedly, David had this in mind when he wrote Psalm 23:5.

Before the start of the summertime trip, the shepherd will make his initial trip to prepare the chosen mesas, with a follow-up once or twice before arrival.

The preparation consists of knowing where the cliffs are, detecting any hollows that may cause a sheep to become cast, looking for locations where predators may hide, and detecting and removing poisonous plants.

One such plant common on mountainous grasslands is the white camas. These attractive Lilly-like flowers can cause paralysis and kill the sheep with a single bite.

The good shepherd will physically remove all poisonous plants. It’s a labor-intensive and tedious job, but it’s what the shepherd does to prepare a table before me.

Likewise, Jesus, our good shepherd, works with us to uproot habits or old ways that may sabotage our spiritual development.

He alerts us to temptations that attempt to draw us away from Him by entangling us in sin. One way our shepherd warns us is through conviction.

Blowing past conviction will harden our hearts and limit our ability to hear God’s voice, Hebrews 3:15. Yet, we have a shepherd who understands our battle with temptation, Hebrews 4:15.

He experienced temptations as we do, yet never sinned. He modeled that life for us. Furthermore, God always provides a way out when we are tempted, 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Our shepherd shields us from the overwhelming force of temptation, not allowing us to be “tempted beyond our ability” to resist by faith.

Another enemy working against the sheep is predators. Sheep are defenseless and often freeze in fear when attacked. These crafty hunters sneak up on a flock without notice, causing panic and destruction.

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

With this in mind, staying close to the shepherd will serve us well. We are never so strong that we can walk independently of Him.

Predators easily pick off distant roamers, floaters, or wanderers. So how do we stay close to the shepherd? Here are three practical ways we can do so.

#1 Stay in the Word.

A life of faith must be learned because it goes against our natural human tendencies.

#2 Prayer

Prayer is a conversation that builds trust, intimacy, and confidence in God. The disciples witnessed Jesus’s closeness with God and asked Him to teach them how to pray.  

#3 Doing His will.

Mark 3:35 says that by doing God’s will, we are a part of His family. You don’t get closer than that! Knowing God’s Word and praying reveals His perfect will to us.

There are two images Psalm 23:5 illustrate that I want to highlight. First, this table of refreshment and nourishment does not occur in the absence of our enemies but in the presence of your enemies.

We don’t wait until our enemies are out of sight or the battle is over, God will set up a table right in the middle of it, and our enemies can’t touch us because our shepherd is with us!

Secondly, He prepares the table, but I must come to the table and eat. We must feed ourselves, meditate on, digest, and put into practice what is being served to us.

The illustration of God’s Word being eaten or as food is repeated in scripture, i.e., Matthew 4:4, Psalm 119:103, Jeremiah 15:16.

The preparation of our shepherd demonstrates the efficacy of God’s power and preeminence no matter our enemy’s efforts.

“You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.”

In shepherding, summertime is known as fly time. The greatest concern for shepherds and sheep is nasal flies.

They land on the head of the sheep and attempt to deposit their eggs in the mucus membrane inside the nose. If untreated, these pests can drive the sheep to death.

At the onset of fly season, good shepherds mix oil and spices and rub this concoction over the head and around the nose of the sheep to create a barrier between the animal’s skin and the pests.

As humans, how easy is it for us to forfeit our peace due to the slightest irritation? But God has provided oil for us to mitigate life’s petty annoyances. Oil in the Bible is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

As a believer, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and He dwells in you and produces the fruit of the Spirit.

“²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-23, 25

Keeping in step with the Spirit (faith-living), our cup will overflow with love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control! This is the antidote to the pests and annoyances of life.

Our shepherd prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies, but you must come to the table and eat. Stay near your shepherd and remain in step with the Spirit!