Let’s see if I can get back to the subject at hand…the 23rd
Psalm! We had left off at the middle of verse
five. I don’t believe I touched on this
last time, so let me first say, at verse five there is a change in relationship: It changes from a scene of traveling with our
Shepherd out in the wilderness and fields, to a scene of hospitality and
friendship inside his tent or home. The
change goes from shepherd-and-sheep imagery to one of intimate friendship. Get this, dear Christian: God desires a
close, intimate friendship with us! That
is the greatest scene changer and thought we should capture when reading this
psalm! God desires to walk with us hand
in hand, much like you would with a dear friend or spouse. We can have that relationship…we just must desire to work at it!
Now let’s move on to the next portion of our study: Psalm
23:5b “…Thou anointest my head with oil.” This is a continuation of the first phrase of
God preparing a table before us. (always
read in the context!) God has prepared
the table, the feast, and now He must anoint our head with oil. Why?
Well, in answer to that question, let’s first clarify something: In Bible days, anointing was meant for a
priest or king. It was a symbolic act to
show God had chosen that person, or set him apart for a particular job (such as
a priest or king). Next, let us help define
the word anoint by offering you some synonyms: consecrate, sanctify, set apart,
hallow, honor as holy, ordain, cleanse, dedicate. Let me remind you of a verse. I Peter 2:9 says this: “But ye are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye
should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into
His marvelous light.” We are a “royal
priesthood,” Christian. God calls us
that…all because of Jesus Christ. We are
holy; we are set apart.
Okay, so if we are already called a royal priesthood, and
are set apart, why do we need to be anointed?
Why, in the text, does God want to anoint our head with oil? I realize this is getting a little heavy and
thought-provoking, but just stick with me; it should become clear.
It is true, we are sanctified or made holy when we have been
born again into God’s family. That is
what is called positional sanctification.
We are made holy by the blood of Jesus Christ. This term is the same as justification. But there also is progressive sanctification
or experiential: that is, although we
are made clean through the blood of Christ, we know we still sin; we still have
a sin nature that must be dealt with daily.
We must go to God daily to confess our sin, that we might be made clean
and be a vessel He can use.
I love the verses in 2 Timothy 2:20-21, which says, “But in
a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of
wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these,
he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and
prepared unto every good work.” We could easily throw in Romans 12:1-2, as well.
Those verses in particular should make it very clear. Yes, we are made holy through the blood of
Jesus Christ, but we must daily make sure we have no unconfessed sin in our
hearts and lives. Remember what I said:
This portion of the psalm is a scene of relationship. Yes, God desires to have a close, intimate
relationship with us; He desires for us to know Him, to experience Him, to walk
with Him. That is part of it, but it’s
more than that. God has set a wonderful
feast before us. Now, we in our human,
finite minds think of a huge Thanksgiving feast. And it’s true, it’s kind of like that. But we must learn to change our thinking to
God’s way of thinking! God desires to do
so much more! God desires to do a
wondrous, miraculous work in and through us! First of all, changing us into someone more
like Christ, wow! That’s a work in itself!
But then, too, also working through us, giving us a love and compassion
for others, seeing the needs of others far beyond our own selves, that is the
feast that lies before us: a walk and a work with God! God desires to do so much in and through
us. I don’t think we can fathom all that
is possible with God!
That would be a good place to end right there, but let’s
back up for a moment, perhaps even clarify my last posting. God prepares a table before me in the
presence of our enemies. What are our
“enemies”? Satan, first and foremost,
yes! But ourselves, sin, fear, anxiety, the
things we tend to put above God, going our own way (whatever that may mean to
each of us). Hebrews 12:1-2 says,
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God.”
If we have truly
taken in all that this portion of the psalm means, then you know what? our cup
will be running over! God’s richest
blessings are to those who are willing to give up sin and self and the things
of this world. God desires to bless us
so much. That blessing has nothing to do with this world…and everything to do
with God and His world! Question is, are
we willing?
Can you see God’s huge banqueting feast? Can you see all that it entails? Are you willing to lay aside every sin
and weight, and experience God and His wondrous work in and through you?
Oh, the blessings of God! …our cup should be running over!
Merle
No comments:
Post a Comment