REVIVALTALK

Psalms 23:5 – “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.”             When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we learn about the power of the Comforter, the precious Holy Spirit. John 16:7 says, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”              We are living in a time of great shaking, persecution, and governmental chaos. We have the promise of God to prepare a table for His people in the presence of our enemies. This is a supernatural table. It will restore our strength, refresh our spirits, and reenergize our minds.              The Psalmist continues in verse 5, “You anoint my head w...

Psalms 23:5 – “ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.”              In this passage the Great Shepherd promises to prepare a table before you in the presence of my enemies. This is retribution. There have been some who planned your demise. They rejoiced when you failed, and it looked like it was all over. The good news is that the Lord always has the final word. It is not over till God says it is over. The enemy might have written your obituary, but God said, “I have will have the final say.” What looked like a death has turned into a resurrection.             The Cambridge Dictionary defines retribution as “deserved and severe punishment.” Deuteronomy 32:35 from the New American Standard Version says, “Vengeance is Mine, and retribution; In due time their foot will slip. For the day of their ...

  Psalms 23:5 – “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”             In verse 4 David writes, “I will fear no evil.” Verse 5 reveals why we do not have to fear. I John 4:18 says, “Fear has torment.” As believers we have power over the spirit of fear. We have the promise of 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” In the Middle East the shepherd carries only a rod and staff. Phillip Keller writes, “Each shepherd boy, from the time he first starts to tend his father’s flock, takes special pride in the selection of a rod and staff exactly suited to his own size and strength. He goes into the bush and selects a young sapling that is dug from the ground. This is carved and whittled down with great care and patience. The enlarged base of the sapling where its trunk joins the roots is shaped into a smooth, rounded head of hard wood. The sapling itself is s...

  Psalms 23:4 – “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Tony Cooke writes in his book, Because the Lord is My Shepherd , “The 23rd Psalm is loved for so many reasons, but it is perhaps the fourth verse that causes it to be such a source of comfort during the most traumatic and difficult times of life. While this psalm vividly portrays God’s comfort and support, it does not ignore the hard realities of human existence. Rather, David’s words show us the power and care of a Shepherd whose influence penetrates and transcends even the worst that life can throw at us.” [i]   A believer is not exempt from the challenges of life. The Psalmist David writes in Psalm 34:19, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” The good news in Psalms 23:4 is “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” Our great shepher...

  Psalm 23:3 – “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” The Great Shepherd leads us on paths of righteousness so we can discover our purpose. In John 14:26 the Holy Spirit is identified as our teacher. He will help us to define our true purpose. John 16:13 says, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” What did the Psalmist mean by the phrase, For His name’s sake? Psalm 23:3 says, “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” He restores us for His name’s sake, He leads us in truth and righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalms 25:11 says, “For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.” The following Scriptures show how God uses His mighty power for His name’s sake: ·       1 Samue...

  Psalm 23:3 – “He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”             There is a simple formula you can follow to be successful in your Christian walk. “He leads, I follow, we arrive.” Psalms 23:2 says, “He leads me beside still waters.” When you fail to allow the Lord to lead in paths of righteousness you get on the wrong path. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way  that seems  right to a man, But its end  is  the way of death.” We must allow the Lord to lead us in the right path. These are paths that are straight, plain, and safe. We should pray the words of Psalms 27:11, “Teach me Your way, O Lord, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.”             The Psalmist writes in Psalms 37:23, “The steps of a  good  man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.” Phillip Keller write...

  Psalms 23:3 - He restores my soul;” I love the words of the The New Living Translation, “He renews my strength.”   The Prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” We are a tri-part being. We have a spirit, soul, and body.  The Apostle Paul affirms this is I Thessalonians 5:23, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He restores my soul means He comforts or refreshes me. The Barnes Notes of the Bible says, “He causes my life to return.” “The word soul here means life, or spirit, and not the soul in the strict sense in which the term is now used. It refers to the spirit when exhausted, weary, or sad. The reference is not to the soul as wandering or backsliding from God, but to the li...