A SHEPHERD LOOKS AT PSALM 23 #9

 A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23 #9

A Table is Prepared for Me!

                     THOU PREPAREST A TABLE BEFORE ME

     IN THINKING ABOUT this statement it is well to bear in mind

that the sheep are approaching the high mountain country of the

summer ranges. These are known as alplands or tablelands so much

sought after by sheepmen.

     In some of the finest sheep country of the world, especially

in the Western United States and Southern Europe, the high

plateaux of the sheep ranges are always referred to as "mesas" -

the Spanish word for "tables."

     Oddly enough the Kiswahili (African) word for a table is

also 'mesa." Presumably this had its origin with the first

Portuguese explorers to touch the East African coast. In fact 

the use of this word is not uncommon in referring to the high,

flat-topped plateaux of the continent. The classic example, of

course, is Table Mountain, near Cape Town, which is world

renowned.

     So it may be seen that what David referred to as a table was

actually the entire high summer range. Though these "mesas" may

have been remote and hard to reach, the energetic and aggressive

sheep owner takes the time and trouble to ready them for the

arrival of his flocks.

     Early in the season, even before all the snow has been

melted by spring sunshine, he will go ahead and make preliminary

survey trips into this rough, wild country. He will look it over

with great care, keeping ever in mind its best use for his flock

during the coming season.

     Then just before the sheep arrive he will make another

expedition or two to prepare the tableland for them. He takes

along a supply of salt and minerals to be distributed over the

range at strategic spots for the benefit of the sheep during the

summer. The intelligent, careful manager will also decide well

ahead of time where his camps will be located so the sheep have

the best bed grounds. He goes over the range carefully to

determine how vigorous the grass and upland vegetation is. At

this time he decides whether some glades and basins can be used

only lightly whereas other slopes and meadows may be grazed 

more heavily.

     He will check to see if there are poisonous weeds appearing,

and if so, he will plan his grazing program to avoid them, or

take drastic steps to eradicate them.

     Unknown to me the first sheep ranch I owned had a rather

prolific native stand of both blue and white cammas. The blue

cammas were a delightful sight in the spring when they bloomed

along the beaches. The white cammas, though a much less

conspicuous flower, were also quite attractive but a deadly

menace to sheep. If lambs, in particular, ate or even just

nibbled a few of the lily-like leaves as they emerged in the

grass sward during spring, it would spell certain death. The

lambs would become paralyzed, stiffen up like blocks of wood 

and simply succumb to the toxic poisons from the plants.

     My youngsters and I spent days and days going over the

ground plucking out these poisonous plants. It was a recurring

task that was done every spring before the sheep went on these

pastures. Though tedious and tiring with all of the bending, it

was a case of "preparing the table in the presence of mine

enemies." And if my sheep were to survive it simply had to be

done.

     A humorous sidelight on this chore was the way I hit on the

idea of making up animal stories to occupy the children's minds

as we worked together this way for long hours, often down on our

hands and knees. They would become so engrossed in my wild

fantasies about bears and skunks and raccoons that the hours

passed quite quickly. Sometimes both of them would roll in the

grass with laughter as I added realistic action to enliven my

tales. It was one way to accomplish an otherwise terribly routine

task.

     All of this sort of thing was in the back of David's mind as

he penned these lines. I can picture him walking slowly over the

summer range ahead of his flock. His eagle eye is sharp for any

signs of poisonous weeds which he would pluck before his sheep

got to them. No doubt he had armfuls to get rid of for the safety

of his flock. The parallel in the Christian life is dear. Like sheep, 

and especially lambs, we somehow feel that we have to try

everything that comes our way. We have to taste this thing and

that, sampling everything just to see what it's like. And we may

very well know that some things are deadly. They can do us no

good. They can be most destructive. Still somehow we give them 

a whirl anyway. To forestall our getting into grief of this sort,

we need to remember our Master has been there ahead of us coping

with every situation which would otherwise undo us.

     A classic example of this was the incident when Jesus warned

Peter that Satan desired to tempt him and sift him like wheat.

But Christ pointed out that He had prayed that Peter's faith

might not fail during the desperate difficulty he would encounter. 

And so it is even today. Our great Good Shepherd is going ahead 

of us in every situation, anticipating what danger we may encounter, 

and praying for us that in it we might not succumb.

     Another task the attentive shepherd takes on in the summer

is to keep an eye out for predators. He will look for signs and

spoor of wolves, coyotes, cougars and bears. If these raid or

molest the sheep he will have to hunt them down or go to great

pains to trap them so that his flock can rest in peace.

     Often what actually happens is that these crafty ones are up

on the rimrock watching every movement the sheep make, hoping 

for a chance to make a swift, sneaking attack that will stampede the

sheep. Then one or other of the flock is bound to fall easy prey

to the attacker's fierce teeth and claws.

     The picture here is full of drama, action, suspense - and

possible death. Only the alertness of the sheepman who tends his

flock on the tableland in full view of possible enemies can

prevent them from falling prey to attack. It is only his preparation 

for such an eventuality that can possibly save the sheep from being 

slaughtered and panicked by their predators.

     And again we are given a sublime picture of our Saviour who

knows every wile, every trick, every treachery of our enemy Satan

and his companions. Always we are in danger of attack. Scripture

sometimes refers to him as "a roaring lion" who goes about

seeking whom he may devour.

     It is rather fashionable in some contemporary Christian

circles to discredit Satan. There is a tendency to try and write

him off, or laugh him off, as though he was just a joke. Some

deny that such a being as Satan even exists. Yet we see evidence

of his merciless attacks and carnage in a society where men and

women fall prey to his cunning tactics almost every day. We see

lives torn and marred and seared by his assaults though we  never

see him personally.

     It reminds me of my encounters with cougars. On several

occasions these cunning creatures came in among my sheep 

at night working terrible havoc in the flock. Some ewes were 

killed outright, their blood drained and livers eaten. Others were 

torn open and badly clawed. In these cases the great cats seemed to

chase and play with them in their panic like a housecat would

chase a mouse. Some had huge patches of wool torn from their

fleeces. In their frightened stampede some had stumbled and

broken bones or rushed over rough ground injuring legs and

bodies.

     Yet despite the damage, despite the dead sheep, despite the

injuries and fear instilled in the flock, I never once actually

saw a cougar on my range. So cunning and so skilful were their 

raids they defy description.

     At all times we would be wise to walk a little closer to

Christ. This is one sure place of safety. It was always the

distant sheep, the roamers, the wanderers, which were picked 

off by the predators in an unsuspecting moment. Generally the

attackers are gone before the shepherd is alerted by their cry

for help. Some sheep, of course, are utterly dumb with fear 

under attack; they will not even give a plaintive bleat before 

their blood is spilled.

     The same is true Christians. Many of us get into deep

difficulty beyond ourselves; we are stricken dumb with

apprehension, unable even to call or cry out for help; we   

crumple under our adversary attack.

     But Christ is too concerned about us to allow this to happen. 

Our Shepherd wants to forestall such a calamity. He wants

our summer sojourn to be in peace. Our Lord wants our mountaintop

times to be tranquil interludes. And they will be if we just have

the common sense to stay near Him where He can protect us. 

Read His Word each day. Spend some time talking to Him. 

We should give Him opportunity to converse with us by His Spirit 

as we contemplate His life and work for us as our Shepherd.

     There is another chore which the sheepman takes care of on

the tableland. He clears out the water holes, springs and drinking 

places for his stock. He has to clean out the accumulated debris of 

leaves, twigs, stones and soil which may have fallen into the water 

source during the autumn and winter.

     He may need to repair small earth dams he has made to hold water.

And he will open the springs that may have become overgrown with

grass and brush and weeds. It is all his work, his preparation of

the table for his own sheep in summer.

     The parallel in the Christian life is that Christ, our great

Good Shepherd, has Himself already gone before us into every

situation and every extremity that we might encounter. We are

told emphatically that He was tempted in all points like as we

are. We know He entered fully and completely and very intimately

into the life of men upon our planet. He has known our sufferings, 

experienced our sorrows and endured our struggles in

this life; He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

Because of this He understands us, He has totally identified

Himself with humanity. He has, therefore, a care and compassion

for us beyond our ability to grasp. No wonder He makes every

possible provision to insure that when we have to cope with

Satan, sin or self, the contest will not be one-sided. Rather, we

can be sure He has been in that situation before; He is in it now

again with us and because of this the prospects of our

preservation are excellent.

     It is this attitude of rest in Him, of confidence in His care, 

of relaxation as we realize His presence in the picture that can 

make the Christian's life one of calm and quiet confidence. 

The Christian walk can thus become a mountaintop experience - 

a tableland trip - simply because we are in the care and control 

of Christ who has been over all this territory before us and 

prepared the "table" for us in plain view of our enemies who 

would demoralize and destroy us if they could.

     It is encouraging to know that just as in any other aspect

of life where there are lights and shadows, so in the Christian

life there are valleys and mountaintops. Too many people assume

that once one becomes a Christian, automatically life becomes one

glorious garden of delight. This is simply not the case. It may

well become a garden of sorrow just as our Saviour went through

the garden of Gethsemane. As was pointed out previously, you do

not have mountains without valleys, and even on the mountaintop

there can be some tough experiences.

     Just because the shepherd has gone ahead and made every

possible provision for the safety and welfare of his sheep while

they are on the summer range does not mean they will not have

problems there. Predators can still attack; poisonous weeds can

still grow; storms and gales can still come swirling up over the

peaks; and a dozen other hazards can haunt the high country.

Yet, in His care and concern for us Christ still insures that we

shall have some gladness with our sadness; some delightful days

as well as dark days; some sunshine as well as shadow. 

     It is not always apparent to us what tremendous personal

cost it has been for Christ to prepare the table for His own.

Just as the lonely, personal privation of the sheepman who

prepares the summer range for his stock entails a sacrifice, so

the lonely agony of Gethsemane, of Pilate's hall, of Calvary,

have cost my Master much.

     When I come to the Lord's Table and partake of the communion

service which is a feast of thanksgiving for His love and care,

do I fully appreciate what it has cost Him to prepare this table

for me?

     Here we commemorate the greatest and deepest demonstration

of true love the world has ever known. For God looked down upon

sorrowing, struggling, sinning humanity and was moved with

compassion for the contrary, sheep-like creatures He had made. 

In spite of the tremendous personal cost it would entail to Himself

to deliver them from their dilemma He chose deliberately to

descend and live amongst them that He might deliver them.

     This meant laying aside His splendor, His position, His

prerogatives as the perfect and faultless One. He knew He would

be exposed to terrible privation, to ridicule, to false accusations, 

to rumor, gossip and malicious charges that branded Him as a glutton, 

drunkard, friend of sinners and even an imposter. It entailed losing 

His reputation. It would involve physical suffering, mental anguish 

and spiritual agony.

     In short, His coming to earth as the Christ, as Jesus of

Nazareth, was a straightforward case of utter self-sacrifice that

culminated in the cross of Calvary. The laid-down life, the

poured-out blood were the supreme symbols of total selflessness.

This was love. This was God. This was divinity in action,

delivering men from their own utter selfishness, their own

stupidity, their own suicidal instincts as lost sheep unable to

help themselves.

     In all of this there is an amazing mystery. No man will ever

be able fully to fathom its implications. It is bound up

inexorably with the concept of God's divine love of

self-sacrifice which is so foreign to most of us who are so

self-centered. At best we can only grasp feebly the incredible

concept of a perfect person, a sinless one being willing actually

to be made sin that we who are so full of faults, selfish

self-assertion and suspicion might be set free from sin and self,

to live a new, free, fresh, abundant life of righteousness.

Jesus told us Himself, that He had come that we might have life

and have it more abundantly. Just as the sheepman is thrilled

beyond words to see his sheep thriving on the high, rich summer

range (it is one of the highlights of his whole year), so my

Shepherd is immensely pleased when He sees me flourish on the

tablelands of a noble, lofty life that He has made possible for

me.

     Part of the mystery and wonder of Calvary, of God's love to

us in Christ, is bound up too with the deep desire of His heart

to have me live on a higher plane. He longs to see me living

above the mundane level of common humanity. He is so pleased 

when I walk in the ways of holiness, of selflessness, of serene

contentment in His care, aware of His presence and enjoying the

intimacy of His companionship.

     To live thus is to live richly.

     To walk here is to walk with quiet assurance. 

     To feed here is to be replete with good things. 

     To find this tableland is to have found something of my

Shepherd's love for me.

                             .................

To be continued