Reconciled // Psalm 23:5-6

As we bring our journey through the 23rd Psalm to a close, there is one word I want us to focus on: reconciliation, meaning the restoration of friendly relations and making one compatible with the other. Our sin breaks relationship with God, but we see long before Jesus’s birth that God longs to restore it. Our passage for today begins by saying that God prepares a table before me. This means that the Lord Himself extends the invitation to come. Why? Because sharing a meal was a sign of reconciliation between those in broken relationship. God did this in the presence of our enemies (the devil and his minions) to prove they have no claim to us. Then, the Lord anoints our head with oil so our proverbial cup overflows, or as the King James says, “runneth over.” Why oil? It’s quite fascinating! Jewish tradition holds that oil is the blending of the water of life and the presence of the Spirit. We still hold this to be true as the oil seals our relationship with God. So, as we read this part of Psalm 23, we see that God knows we’ve sinned against Him and broken that relationship. He is the One who sets the table and invites us to a meal of reconciliation (don’t forget that Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 that He stands at the door of our heart and knocks to be let in so we can share a meal together and know we’re ok) in the presence of those who want to see us fail, then cleanses us of our sin (baptism) while sealing us with His Spirit! Wow, there is so much in just a few words, isn’t there? It is God’s goodness and love that hems us in this life so we can dwell in the house of the Lord…the same that Jesus promised to prepare a place for us so we can be where He is (John 14:3)…FOREVER!