The Fundamentals: Divine Provision Through Preparation

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want ²He maketh
me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the
still waters. ³He restoreth my soul : he leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness for his name’s sake ⁴Yea, though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil: for thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me. ⁵Thou preparest a table before me in
the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head
with oil; my cup runneth over. ⁶Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the
house of the LORD forever.

Fellow student of the Word of God, it is time to go deeper into the Bible. It’s time for more growth and development. It is not enough to be BORN AGAIN, but to be constantly growing and developing in Christ. To always move forward toward Christian maturity. Digging into Psalm 23 is one of the greatest ways to experience that growth. Let’s go further into this Psalm and see what we can find.

Asking questions has always been a big help to me in studying the scriptures. I can see here in this verse that the Shepherd is preparing the table and in so doing He is divinely providing for our sustenance and safety! So, three simple questions about this verse in Psalm 23 are:

Who prepares?
What is prepared?
Where is it prepared?

Let’s review. I lie down in green pastures after I have fed on the Word and have had a drink of the Spirit. Ah, yes, the balance of the Word and the Spirit. Do you remember that? It is necessary so I may grow up in Him, be not tossed around by every wind of doctrine, experience the restoration that bends me back into shape, realigning me so I can walk in the paths of righteousness for the glory a honor of His name. This is all vital because of what I am about to face. The valley of the shadow of death is just ahead. Can you see the hand of God in all of this? I can. He sees beyond my scope of knowledge. Yet, when the valley comes, I will fear no evil, for He has been and will always be with me. Notice the rod and the staff are now mentioned. Listen to it:

Hmm. Apparently, I need this. The rod and the staff were very useful to the shepherd. At night as the sheep entered the fold to rest and retire for the night, the shepherd would swing the rod and lightly let it fall on the back of the sheep as he counted them one by one. It is at this time that the shepherd may find one that is sick, or limping, or even lost. But there is another use of the rod and the staff. What comfort could they bring to the sheep? Ah, it is right here in verse 5 that we see it. The shepherd uses his rod to prepare a table before the sheep in the presence of their enemies. He uses the rod to prepare a place in the field, in the pasture ahead of me because He knows the area of feeding is infested with possible vipers or adders (snakes). How great is our God! In fact, some of the best feeding pastures will be in places of danger. That’s why he doesn’t take us around the Valley of the Shadow of Death, but THROUGH IT! Excuse me? Yes, through it. Because on the other side of the valley is an abundance of food that makes it worth the trip. There is something in that pasture on the other side of the valley that you CAN’T GET ANYWHERE ELSE! Yes, the enemy is hanging out there for a reason. But the enemy is about to learn a lesson he will not soon forget! What is that? The Lord encamps around about those that fear Him! But also, another verse comes to mind:

“…When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord raises up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19

Woo! A standard against the enemy is about to be raised! I think I am feeling better already! Are you? So, the shepherd goes into the “grazing area” and prepares it so the sheep can come in and eat without fear. (Divine Provision)

Well, I think you know who that is! The Lord does the preparing before I get there! Listen to these verses:

“The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee…” Deuteronomy 31:3

“I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight…” Isaiah 45:2

“And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

“Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place
to pitch your tents in…” Deuteronomy 1:33

Wow. These are great verses. The shepherd is one step ahead of the Devil! Amen! You ought to shout or something! Go ahead, I’ll wait. So, the sheep stay behind while the shepherd goes ahead. He sees what the sheep cannot see. Jesus sees what YOU CANNOT SEE! Sometimes we don’t give enough consideration as to the WHO of this Divine Provision. Who has gone ahead? JESUS. Who has died for our sins? JESUS. Who has taken care of the enemy? JESUS. We must begin with the WHO before we deal with the WHAT. Why? There is an old song that says,

“No one ever cared for me, like Jesus;
There’s no other friend as kind as He
No one else can take the sin and darkness from me;
Oh, how much He cares for me.”

Someone needs to know right now that Jesus cares and has not forgotten you. Really, it is true! He has not only seen ahead, but He is doing something about it. He sees the enemy before we do. He has not been taken by surprise by any demon or devil in Hell! He knows what you are facing and just because I don’t see Him working, or preparing, doesn’t mean He is sitting idly by and doing nothing about it. In fact, HE’S ALREADY BEEN THERE AHEAD OF US! Hallelujah!

Listen, we can’t defeat the devil, but HE can. God wanted Israel to know that it is HE that shall tread down their enemies. It is the Lord’s arm that has gotten us the victory. You and I need to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Jesus is the WHO that has defeated death, Hell, and the grave. Why is it vital that the Shepherd do this preparing? Why is it imperative that He goes in ahead of the sheep? Why are the sheep stopped, kept from moving forward into this pasture? Why must Jesus be the one to prepare the table in the presence of your enemies? I want to go in, Lord! No, you stay behind for a while. Why? Because He can see what you cannot. What He does now, you may not understand. Jesus wants you to stay back! Don’t move. Stop! Go no further! It may seem to you right now, that your Christian life is at a standstill. But not to worry. He’s working; He’s preparing; He’s providing! (Divine Provision)

A table. Yes. Prepared for what? It is preparation for His provision! And this provision is two-fold.

1. Substance
2. Safety

First, it is for substance. We always think of food when we hear TABLE. But that may be more secondary than primary. Food is only a part of it. Jesus is preparing the table so the sheep can come in and feed upon the grass. It is selected, prepared food. But don’t stop there. It goes beyond that.

Second, it is for safety. He’s preparing a table for the express purpose of providing safety. The word “table” in the Greek Septuagint is “Trapezon”. A word of great importance. What does it mean? In simple words, it means, “on all fours”. Well, a table is just that. A flat surface with four legs. The four legs make it stable. In the book of Luke, chapter 19, we find this word used by Jesus as He spoke of the parable of the pounds. Let’s look at it.

“And another came, saying, Lord, behold here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee., thou wicked servant…wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?” Luke 19:20-23

The word in that verse we want to point out is the word, “BANK”. From A.T. Robertson’s word pictures in the New Testament, we find these words:

“Into the bank”. Literally, upon a table. This old word trapeza, from tetrapeza (tetra, four and pous, foot). It means any table, food on the table, feast or banquet, table for moneychangers, or bank, as here.” Gospel of Luke, page 243

Some people think that Psalm 23 at this point has changed from a shepherd scene to an all-you-can-eat restaurant like Golden Corral. The scriptures do not bear this out. The Shepherd is not preparing a banquet table with food on it. Jesus goes ahead of us to PREPARE a TABLE (a secure place) for us. He’s making divine provision for us. Why? Because enemies are there. The table speaks of a secure location. A bank is a table in that it is a place of security. Remember, “On all fours”. People would go into the bank and place their money on the table. It was stable, on all fours, in other words, a place of security. Jesus goes into snake infested territory to secure the location in order that the sheep can graze, eat in peace without fear! Is there anything to fear? I thought sheep can’t die from snake bites.

Well, sheep can die from snake bites. Many will tell you they cannot, but this is not so. Sheep can die from snake bites. So, what does the shepherd do? How does He prepare this “table”, this secure place? The staff and/or the rod is used. Isn’t it interesting that David mentions the rod and the staff right after the valley of the shadow of death and just before the table in the presence of our enemies? Hmm. This is most glorious to me. Yes, the rod and the staff will be of great comfort as Jesus secures a place for us to feed in the presence of our enemies. Let me quote to you from a respected source (C.W. Slemming) that has helped me understand this tremendous truth.

“The Shepherd’s method of dealing with this situation is to leave the sheep outside any such infested field while he takes from his girdle a bottle of hog’s oil. Then, scanning the field and raking over any long grass with his rod, he pours a circle of the oil around every hole he can find. The sheep are then allowed to enter and graze. As soon as the vipers beneath the ground realize that there are sheep above, up they come out of their holes but only to find they can go no further. The smooth bodies of the vipers cannot pass over the slippery oil, so they are prisoners inside the circle.”

Oh, believer in Jesus, what joy should come to our hearts today! When you find yourself in enemy territory, do not fear, for Jesus has gone before you to make it so that you can be secure in the middle of enemy infested situations. And listen to this. While you are going through this trial, this land of the enemy, Jesus will give you a WORD TO FEED UPON, a word to chew on, a word to sustain you and feed you and keep you alive, nourish your spirit, and bring the peace and calm to your heart. Listen to this verse in Philippians 4:7.

Notice, the verse says that His peace will be there. The peace of God will Keep You. It will keep your heart and mind. Keep is a word that means protect. It means to surround like a garrison, a sentry post. He will PROTECT your heart and your mind! Why my heart and my mind? Because that is where your trouble is. When you lay down at night, or when you are alone in your room, the mind and the heart can become active and begin to cause things to mushroom inside you. They become bigger than what they really are. But praise the Lord, Jesus is now your shepherd, and He has prepared the way before you got into this field of vipers. He secures the place so you can survive by feeding on His word and that very word will bring the peace that passes all your understanding and will protect your heart and your mind, so YOU don’t go AWOL! You don’t run from the trial or the enemy infested field. But you stand and face the trial and interpret the trial in the light of His Word that He has given you to feed upon RIGHT UNDER THE NOSE OF THE ENEMY!!! Is the enemy gone? No! He is still there. But he is powerless! Did you hear that? He is powerless! The Oil of Holy Spirit prevents the enemy from accomplishing his dastardly deed. The Holy Spirit will keep the enemy in his place so that all he can do is stare at you from his hole. This tells us how important the Holy Spirit is! Let me share with you what wrestlers in ancient times used to do to help themselves during a wrestling match. Before the match, the wrestler would smear (anoint) his entire body with oil. You already know what I am about to say, don’t you? Well, the oil would make it so the opponent could not grab a hold of the wrestler. Someone is reading this who is surrounded by the enemy of your soul telling you that you are too far gone to ever be forgiven by the Lord. The devil is telling you that your salvation is a sham, and that church or chapel service you’ve been attending is just giving you false hope. But listen, the Holy Spirit lives within you, and greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. The Holy Spirit within will act like oil that will keep the enemy in his hole and like the oil smeared on the wrestler, your opponent, though present, cannot get a grip on you!! Can you say amen? Well, somebody ought to! This is why the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is so vital as well. Yes, I mean Pentecost! It’s for every believer alive in Christ Jesus! The Bible tells us that we will receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon us. It’s true! It’s real! It’s powerful! It’s for you! It will help to keep you from running out on God and give you the power in prayer to protect your heart and mind in the middle of the night when the enemy comes around to hound you from his hole. Is there any question that our great Shepherd is divinely providing for His own?

Where does it all happen? In the camp of the enemy! In enemy territory! Why not just go around the enemy? Because there’s something the Lord wants us to learn and receive in that pastureland. Look where the enemy is. Look! In the place of some of the greenest, and most nutritious grass you’ve ever seen. What is this grass? It’s the Word of God that we feed upon. It’s nuggets of truth that you can’t get anywhere else. It’s divine provision of the richest kind. It’s revelation that causes you to rejoice when you receive it! It’s rich! It’s green! And it’s worth the trip and the preparation. So, where does the enemy like to hide? Where does the devil like to show up? Where the Word is. Where the grass is some of the finest ever. In the church that preaches the truth! The devil doesn’t have to worry about some pastures. There’s not much to feed upon. But when it’s rich land, and full of some of the best feed available, the devil takes care to send some of his most venomous vipers to infiltrate that place and take some of those sheep by surprise. However, “THOU PREPAREST A TABLE BEFORE ME in the presence of mine enemies”. Don’t fear and worry about these vipers. He has poured out the oil of His Holy Spirit to surround the enemy and keep him at bay, at a distance, as a prisoner in his hole. And in the middle of enemy territory, we as sheep will march right in and feed upon a Word that will sustain us in the presence of our enemies!!! Woo! I can hardly keep myself from shouting. The enemy thinks he has an upper hand, but the sheep just go right on eating while the devil’s snake is lurking beneath the ground unable to do anything but gaze while sheep graze. As that author we quoted above has stated, “The smooth bodies of the vipers cannot pass over the slippery oil, so they are prisoners inside the circle.”

Has the Lord your Shepherd given you any nuggets of truth to chew upon while you were in enemy territory? He has given many to me. I have been in some tight spots. It has been by his Holy Spirit that He has prepared the table of security for me, pouring the oil around the hole of devilish darkness that I might feast upon a word from the Lord in the presence of mine enemies. Words that have sustained me in that dark and tense moment when I thought the Lord had abandoned me. And they came just in time. (Divine Provision.)

Let me share one particular verse that the Lord has given me recently. Ok?

Whoa! This is for someone facing the onslaught of distress at this moment! I have to tell you, this is one of those nuggets, those luscious tufts of grass that you come across and are led to by the Shepherd. He has gone before you and prepared a table, a safe place where you can enjoy a divinely provided morsel of His Word in the middle of a trial or tribulation. Does anyone hear me? Is there anyone out there? Please take heart! His Word will feed you and sustain you in any circumstance of distress. The word distress in this verse means affliction, pressure, tribulation. The word enlarged is a word that carries the meaning of make room. HE gives me room; He makes room for me. In tight places it’s difficult to move around and even breathe! So, He gives me breathing room in a tight spot of distress and affliction. When the pressure is coming down upon me and squeezing me tight, He opens up the room and allows me to breathe! When you pass through the rivers, they will not overflow you! I go through the river, but He keeps my head above water!! I can breathe! We can say it this way, Thou hast made room for me when I was under pressure in a tight place. Is it not true that when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3) were in a tight place that Jesus came in the middle of the fire and enlarged them, made room for them by setting them free from the ropes that bound their hands WHILE THEY WERE STILL IN DISTRESS? Yes! So, what’s the lesson? Pressure serves a purpose! There are some things that you need to be loosed from and the only way is in the fire of distress.

Think about this. A sponge is filled with water. It is lying on a table. What fills the sponge? We will find out when pressure is placed upon the sponge and out it comes! We can tell what fills the sponge by what comes out under pressure! Pressure comes. It just will. My mom had what she called a pressure cooker. It was a device into which she put tough cuts of meat, the cheaper cuts. She would place the lid on the pot, and then screw it down tight. This type of cooking was faster, and it made tough meat tender! Woo! I can feel it already! Without the pressure the meat would take longer to cook, and it would be tough chewing. I hope it is coming through. The pressure is necessary to get the desired result. Maybe we are too tough, too arrogant, and Jesus wants to soften you up a bit. Then what you say and do is easier for people to assimilate and digest because you now say it in the spirit of meekness and not arrogance. Let your words always be seasoned with salt, the Bible says. Remember, it’s not just WHAT you say, but HOW you say it.

There is a fish that lives in the ocean called a “BLOB” fish. It is the ugliest fish in the world, so they say. What makes it so ugly? It lives very deep in the ocean. 2,000 to 4,000 feet deep. This depth is called the mesopelagic zone. The pressure at this depth is approximately 80 times that of the surface. So, naturally, it would be living under very extreme pressure. They have little to no bone or muscle. These fish have never been kept alive outside their natural habitat. In order to keep one as a pet you would have to replicate their environment by controlling the pressure, or they die. What are you saying, Pastor Jerry? Listen, without the pressure they are not able to survive and keep their shape. It’s the pressure that brings form and shape to the fish! I hope this is coming clear and getting you excited and triumphant! Because of the pressure they are able to live and move. So many times, I fear the pressure and the affliction. But not anymore! Jesus is using it to shape me, to conform me to His image! To keep me alive! To bring tenderness to my spirit and usefulness as a vessel of honor for HIM! If a scuba diver comes up too quickly from the depths, he or she will experience decompression sickness (DCS). Nitrogen bubbles will form in the body and can cause paralysis, or even coma and death. Sometimes we want to get out from underneath our distresses, or pressures too quickly. Lord, we say, get me out of this, now! But He is in control of the distress and pressure and knows just how quickly or slowly we need to come out of it. His hand is on us as the potter’s hand is on the clay. He knows how much pressure it will take to shape the clay, to form the clay into an instrument that He has in His mind.  He is forming you under pressure and the vessel that is created is going to be used for His purpose. And it’s under that pressure that you will be conformed to the image of His Son.

Hey, it is in enemy territory, or distress and pressure that we receive some of the best revelation of truth that can set us free!! (Divine Provision)

So, remember, Jesus leaves the sheep for a purpose. He says, stop, stay here. You feel abandoned because you don’t feel Him near you anymore. But wait. Christ has not abandoned you. He has only left for a short time to go into enemy territory for YOUR PROVISION! What? Yes! So, when we feel He’s left us, it may be for a reason. He’s getting the table ready! He’s securing the pasture for some powerful revelation of truth that will sustain you well beyond any trial or trouble. And look! He provides this in the presence of your enemies. I think it’s gonna be a good day.

Pastor Jerry

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and is safe.”
Proverbs 18:10
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 27:14

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried; Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied. I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . . And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply. "Lord, I need answers, I need to know why! Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard? By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait? I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign, Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe, We need but to ask, and we shall receive. And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry: I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate, As my Master replied again, "Wait." So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut, And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . . and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign. I could shake the heavens and darken the sun. I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be. You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me. You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint. You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair; You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there. You'd not know the joy of resting in Me When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove. You would know that I give, and I save, for a start, But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night, The faith that I give when you walk without sight. The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee, What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee. Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true, But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me. And though oft My answers seem terribly late, My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."