A table in the presence of my enemies
Photograph by Erbol Zhakenov via Unsplash
Rev. John Zehring
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5a).
This verse from the Shepherd’s Psalm reminds me to ask myself: “Upon which am I going to center myself, the table or the enemies?” In some ways, that is a life-altering question, for it affirms that what we focus upon can determine our attitude and our spirit, which can determine how we feel and what we think.
When teaching a class on this Psalm, I handed out a 3x5 card to each participant and asked them to list three enemies. They had a difficult time with the assignment. None could think of three, and many could not list even one. Now of course, they knew there were people who did not like them. There were people whose company they did not enjoy. They knew difficult people. They had encountered others who had stepped on their toes, been unkind, or jumped in line ahead of them, but enemies? Not really. This verse, then, will not mean much to readers who can think of no enemies.
I was dining with a colleague and I mentioned to her my affection for the Psalms. She asked, “How do you get around all the verses about enemies? The Psalms are riddled with references to enemies.” She was correct. The words “enemies” or “enemy” appear in the Psalms eighty times – far more than any other book of the Bible and four times more than the entire New Testament. She wondered if the author of the Psalms had any friends! Because so much of Psalm 23 is metaphor and uses symbolic illustrations, and because even likening God to a shepherd is metaphor, is it possible that references to the word enemies or enemy might also be metaphor? Rather than referring to conquering military or personal enemies, might the Psalmist, hypothetically, have a deeper symbolic meaning to this phrase? Almost every other verse in Psalm 23 possesses this kind of depth, so why not the reference to enemies? What if, instead of the word enemies, you substitute the word problems? That makes sense. We all know problems, and they can become our enemies. Other substitution words might include challenges, obstacles, hurdles, adversity, or burdens. That we understand, for we come to the table God prepares for us even as we feel threatened by our problems or challenges.
The Psalmist is realistic about life: enemies (problems, challenges, burdens) are real, and so is the gift of God’s feast.
Psalm 23 is like a deep underground parking garage. Just when you think you’ve descended a level or two, you discover there are even more levels. Recognizing that Psalm 23 is all about shepherds and sheep – David was a shepherd – the verse could refer to the summer grazing lands for sheep, known as the tablelands. In Cape Town, South Africa, stands the famed Table Mountain. If you hike, you know that many mountain hiking trails are named the Table Trail or Tableland Trail. The summer ranges for sheep in the mountains are known as tablelands or as mesas, which is the Spanish word for tables. So, there could be other interpretations, but the one I favor is the literal table, the feast: God gives you a feast of life to enjoy abundantly. Why wouldn’t that be your primary focus? Because, perhaps, your enemies are up on the rimrock watching you, waiting for you to be vulnerable, like the wolf watching the sheep. The Psalmist is realistic about life: enemies (problems, challenges, burdens) are real, and so is the gift of the feast.
The feast is not just the enjoyment of flavorful food but also includes the company of folks at the table with you. The table encompasses a time to relax, enjoy, be with family and friends, unwind, converse, celebrate, and eat and drink well. Hospitality is extended and bonds are formed around a table. Do you remember when you hosted guests around your table or when you were a guest at their table? What comes to mind when you remember your grandparents’ table? What was the atmosphere like around your parents’ table? When it was your turn to prepare your own table, how did you desire it to be? The word companion comes from the Latin cum panis which means “with bread.” When you break bread together, you are no longer strangers. You are no longer just acquaintances. Now, you are companions. Hospitality bonded you.
The Psalmist addresses God, saying in a sense “God, you make life a banquet for me.” How will you attend the banquet God has prepared for you? Will you view it through lenses of abundance or through lenses of scarcity? What about enemies? How can you fully embrace God’s banquet when you are preoccupied with enemies, problems, challenges, or worries? Which will claim your heart, the enemies or the banquet? Where do you find your center and your focus? How can we live so that our eyes are upon the table’s Host and not upon the enemies?
Consider the verse again with another understanding of enemies. Who are the enemies? Who are the enemies of justice? Who are the enemies of empathy, compassion, and kindness? Who are the enemies of inclusion, diversity, and equality? The enemies of international cooperation and of peaceful and nonviolent means to resolve conflict? Who are the enemies of all those who are oppressed? Those enemies are up on the rimrock waiting for a vulnerable moment, watching, and ready to pounce like wolves eyeing the vulnerable sheep.
The victims of these enemies are never far from my prayers, and yet, I must still recenter myself upon the table’s feast and proclaim, “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.” The Psalm puts into perspective where to center ourselves, even as threats surround.
Rev. John Zehring worked in higher education for a couple decades and then served United Church of Christ congregations as a pastor in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine. He is the author of dozens of books. His most recent book from Judson Press is “Get Your Church Ready to Grow: A Guide to Building Attendance and Participation.”
The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
Get early access to the newest stories from Christian Citizen writers, receive contextual stories which support Christian Citizen content from the world’s top publications and join a community sharing the latest in justice, mercy and faith.