Who Invited You?
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” — Psalm 23:5, NIV
Have you ever hosted a gathering, event, or party and sent invitations to everyone you wanted to attend? You have likely also received similar invitations to a birthday, holiday, wedding, “shower,” or other event. In my personal experience (especially at weddings or family holidays, for some reason), there is almost always one person in attendance who makes everyone whisper—or at least think— “Who is that?”—“Who invited you?” Maybe you have been this person—I see you, you wedding crashers!
Generally, as the “rules of hospitality” go, the host invites those they want to come. They get to choose who is invited, and they prepare accordingly. (We don’t need to get into RSVPs or plus-ones or all that jazz; you get the point).
With those pesky wedding crashers in mind, let’s take a look at Psalm 23:5:
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (NIV)
What a dinner party! God himself is the host—he prepares the table, knows where it is, and knows exactly who has been invited to sit down and dine.
I think we can all admit that his venue choice is a bit questionable—in the presence of our enemies??—Not on the beach, in a beautiful banquet hall, a cozy Airbnb, or even just in a room with no enemies in sight—God deliberately prepares a table right in the middle of all of it: the enemies, the valley, the darkness, the trials; all of it.
So if God chose this venue and sent out the invites, he must be fully aware of where he placed the table and what's lurking around it. He is not surprised or intimidated by our enemies' presence. He is not pacing nervously, looking over his shoulder, questioning his venue choice. He sets the table in their very presence and invites us to sit down and enjoy his delectable spread of goodness, faithfulness, provision, and presence.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4, NIV).
The God who sets the table is the same Shepherd who leads us beside quiet waters, restores our souls, and walks with us through the darkest valleys. And in the midst of those valleys, he prepares a table for us. His goodness and provision are not dependent on the absence of opposition. We can enjoy the pastry of peace, the jam of joy, the fruit of faithfulness, and every other delicious provision of God even when the circumstances surrounding us are anything but peaceful.
Just because our enemies are present does not mean they have been invited to sit down at the table.
In his book Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table, Louie Giglio writes, “Your Good Shepherd has set a table before you…and the enemy has not been invited to join.”
The Lord has prepared a place for us to enjoy fellowship with him, yet how often do we allow something—or someone—else to pull up a chair and make themselves comfortable? Fear takes a seat and begins listing everything that could go wrong. Shame reminds us of mistakes we have already brought before the Lord. Guilt, insecurity, pride, selfishness, anger, bitterness, temptation, and doubt all seem overly eager about joining in on this meal. Before we know it, the table is getting Thanksgiving-level crowded, and we are so distracted by the uninvited guests that we hardly notice the One who set the table and sits across from us.
Maybe the most frustrating part is that we sometimes continue to entertain these unwanted guests long after we realize they were not invited in the first place (somebody needs to call security).
Now, I don’t mean to imply that experiencing fear, disappointment, or other difficulties means we have failed or don’t trust God. We cannot always control the circumstances surrounding us or prevent an unwanted thought from walking up to the table (approaching our minds). But we can become more intentional about what we allow to sit down—what we allow to occupy our attention, influence our decisions, and shape what we believe.
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NIV).
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, NIV).
The Bible does not tell us to pretend the enemy is not present or that we will never experience opposition. No! It consistently reminds us that we belong to the One who is greater than anything that comes against us. We have the power to tell the enemy he cannot sit down at our table!
In the same book, Louie Giglio further goes on to say that we may not be able to stop the enemy from prowling around our table, but through Jesus we do have a choice about whether we allow him to sit down.
We may not be able to stop the enemy from eyeing our provision, whispering accusations, stirring up doubt, or trying to distract us from the Lord, but we don’t have to welcome those things into the place God has prepared for us. We can learn to recognize the lies, resist the temptation, and return our attention to the One who is sitting at the table with us.
“You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5, NIV).
Now God comes out with the ultimate party favor!
Throughout Scripture, anointing with oil carries beautiful significance. The Hebrew word mashach (Strong’s H4886) means “to rub with oil” or “to anoint” and was used when kings, priests, and sacred objects were consecrated or set apart for God’s purposes. Similarly, the Greek word chriō (Strong's G5548), carries the idea of anointing someone for a sacred purpose, often associated with God’s calling and spiritual empowerment. Interestingly (to me at least), the Hebrew word used specifically in Psalm 23:5 is dishshen (Strong’s H1878), which conveys the idea of richness, abundance, or being refreshed with oil.
So we see this imagery of a generous Host who does not merely throw things on the table or tolerate his guest. He welcomes them, honors them, refreshes them, and remains with them at the table.
The Bible repeatedly uses scenarios of anointing to remind us that God chooses, sets apart, and empowers his people. And here, in the very presence of David’s enemies, God personally refreshes and honors him! Our Shepherd is not simply giving us a place to sit while trouble surrounds us. He is lovingly attending to us, reminding us through his generous, intentional care that we belong to him. And through Christ, we have the extraordinary assurance that God has established us as his own and given us his Spirit (1 Corinthians 1:21-22). Even in the presence of our enemies, we are welcomed, cared for, and set apart as belonging to the King himself
And David doesn’t even stop there! He says his cup overflows—not that it is barely filled or has just enough to wash down the meal. It overflows! What a picture of God’s goodness and generosity toward his children. Psalm 34:8 invites us to “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (NIV), and Psalm 16:11 (obviously a favorite of mine) reminds us that the fullness of joy is found in his presence. We are invited to enjoy the abundance of a good God whose care is not diminished by the darkness around us.
“‘ I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world’” (John 16:33, NIV).
Our confidence is not found in the promise that we will never encounter difficulty, but in knowing the One who walks with us through it. God does not need to remove every difficult circumstance before he can provide us with peace, refreshment, and fellowship in his presence.
How often do we miss what God has prepared for us because we are so preoccupied with what is happening around the table? How often do we spend our time staring at the enemies, rehearsing our fears, entertaining accusations, or worrying about how close they are walking? Meanwhile, the Lord is inviting us to enjoy the goodness he has already placed before us.
We become so concerned with who is standing around the table that we forget who is sitting at it.
The invitation of Psalm 23 is not to deny the reality of our circumstances, ignore genuine struggles, or pretend our enemies don’t exist—but to remember that their presence does not dictate our experience of God’s presence. The table has already been prepared. Our Host knows exactly who and what lurks around the venue, and he is not intimidated by any of it.
So, friends, maybe we need to reconsider the guest list. Who have we allowed to pull up a chair? What fears, accusations, distractions, temptations, or insecurities have we been entertaining that keep our attention from the Host, who has invited us to dine with him alone? This is an intimate dinner party, and sometimes we need to remind ourselves who is truly invited.
The table belongs to the Lord, and the invitation is ours alone. So let’s stop entertaining the enemy and start enjoying the company of our King.
The next time someone (or something) unwelcome tries to pull up a chair, let’s actually voice the question: Who invited you? Then let the universe’s greatest Bouncer eject them from the venue.
bytaylormcgee
