The best of Psalm 23, as in life, is reserved in the end, here the classic metaphor of the shepherd and the sheep is insufficient to describe the richness of the relationship between the Lord and his people, so the metaphor becomes that of The Host and the Host. Specifically, since this image is not of an ordinary feast, the metaphor depicts a great king welcoming his vassal home as his honorable host at the party.
This real context explains the presence of David’s enemies as observers at the party, we usually do not invite our enemies to watch us eat, and at another time we can see their presence as a way to spoil our appetite, however, in this scenario, Their undisputed participation in the party is an important test of a decisive change in the balance of power , now that the great king has finally arrived. For a long time, David’s enemies mocked him and his trust in Yahweh, and David had no strength for years had shouted, “How long, Lord?How long will my enemy rise up against me?(Ps 13:1-2). He must have often looked like David and the world looked at him, as if the Lord had really forgotten him and allowed his enemies to rejoice in triumph.
- Appearances deceive.
- With the arrival of the great king.
- Justice is finally done: David is justified and it is shown that he is the one whom the Lord loves and rejoices in honoring.
- While his enemies are helpless and ashamed.
- The Lord prepares a fabulous feast for David and receives him as a guest of honor at the banquet.
- Loyalty under the covenant deserves and receives an invitation to a place of honor at the king’s table.
- While the Psalmist’s enemies are judged and deemed insufficient.
- Jesus’ parable of sheep and goats similarly combines the metaphors of sheep and shepherds with those of the king who organizes a feast (cf.
- Mt 25).
- Faithful sheep are also invited here to receive their reward while unfaithful goats are thrown into darkness.
But this latter distinction between the faithful vassal and the unfaithful enemy — between the guests to participate in the feast and those who were left helpless and dishonored — raises a question in every believer’s heart: why would he be invited as a guest of honor?After all, our obedience is sporadic at best, and often much less than it should be. Often and deliberately turn our backs on obedience and join the rebels in a cult hungry for their idols Instead of constant love and mercy, we deserve the curse of God’s covenant to persecute us every day of our lives.
It is here that the beauty of the undeserved salvation that is ours in the Gospel shines so clearly. Because Jesus Christ, the Son of the Great King, came and lived in our place the perfectly obedient life that we should have lived. Instead of rewarding him with honor and glory, the Father delivered the Good Shepherd into the hands of his enemies, so that he shouted in the words of the previous psalm: “My God, my God,” why did you abandon me? Why are you the words of my roar away from my salvation? (Ps 22, 1). On the cross, Jesus embodied the supreme symbol of a man under God’s curse. His testimony was not of abundant food and green grass, but of hunger and thirst, so that his tongue stuck to his palate. His experience on the cross was not one of the Lord’s consoling presence with him in the valley of the shadow of death, bringing him back to life, but one of abandonment and helplessness, as his life slowly dissipated. There were no personnel or personnel at Calvary to comfort him and protect him from harm; instead, he was handed over into the mocking hands of his enemies to be tormented and tortured. Instead of living in the house of the Lord, on the cross, he was left in the dark to die alone, abandoned.
However, its abandonment is the basis of our hope. We have many more reasons than David to confidently declare, “I don’t want to? And? I will fear no harm. ” Our pastor gave his life for us and rose from the dead, shaming our last and greatest enemy: death itself. Now Jesus is still the host of the great feast, the king who preceded us to prepare a place in his Father’s house. Deep shadow, we can trust this: Jesus promised to receive us into his kingdom on the last day, there for a banquet at his table, with all his saints from many nations, confirmed in the presence of all our enemies. The Lord is truly our good shepherd.