One of the oldest hymns originally composed
in English and still used today is The 23rd Psalm from the Scottish
Psalter, “The Lord’s My Shepherd”. Its
graceful melody and well written meter add a rich cocoon of warmth to this most
favorite of all psalms. Some of the
beautiful promises in this psalm surround a banquet we will enjoy with God in
the future and of His presence with us as we feast with Him in the
present. Think for a moment how
delicious the food is that is served by the Savior.
Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see
that the LORD is good.” No, we are not
cannibals nibbling on God. We are his
children tasting the good things from His hand.
Those delicacies are the outpouring of His grace. Certainly as we come to the Lord’s Table we
find the great riches of His grace in the feast that is set before us
there. Consider the most costly food
that you really REALLY enjoy. The food
set before us at communion is more costly and of far greater richness than
anything we could have named. How
delicious is forgiveness? How delectable
is hope? How scrumptious is the joy of
being in Christ?
But the feast that God prepares for
us is also for everyday and every needful hunger in our lives. Romans 8:32 poses a strong rhetorical
question, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Psalm 23 points out many of these “all
things”. Count them. Consider the tastiness of each and every
morsel. David can easily come to the
point in his psalm where he says, “Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth
over.”
“God,” David says, “you are
good. You satisfy me with good things
abundant and overflowing. You do it
today and you promise it for eternity.
How great is your grace!”
The Scottish Psalter, Psalm 23,
Verse 4: “My table thou hast furnished in the presence of my foes. My head Thou dost with oil anoint, and my cup
overflows.” God’s abundant grace is
truly delicious.
The
Friday Benediction
Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop
you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in
the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be
enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend. Amen
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