Dinner Guests
Psalm 23; Luke 15:11-32
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup over-flows."
(Psalm 23:5)
One of the things my family loves doing is gathering together with friends to enjoy a meal. Part of the enjoyment certainly comes from the food, but the real pleasure of those times is found in the rich conversation that only deepens as the night rolls on.
Actually, the meals our families enjoy are merely shadows of a greater meal in which God Himself serves as the Host and we as His guests. Our instincts might tell us that we should be the ones serving Him at table, but God's amazing grace has a way of turning our expectations on their head. He prepares food that satisfies an eternal hunger (Isaiah 55). He sends His emissaries to the highways and the byways to compel outcasts to come in and eat (Matthew 22:10). He washes our feet in preparation for the meal (John 13:1-20). He exalts the humble and the poor to the seat of honor (Luke 14:7-11). And He feeds us rich food without cost...to us. For He Himself paid with the life of His Son the price of our welcomed place at the table.
INSIGHT
"While all our hearts and all our songs join to admire the feast, Each of us cry, with thankful tongues, "Lord, why was I a guest?"
(Isaac Watts, 1707)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 37-38
Psalm 149
2 Timothy 1-2
Psalm 23;
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 23:4 Or through the darkest valley
Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 "When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 "The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.[a]’
22 "But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 "‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’"
Footnotes:
a. Luke 15:21 Some early manuscripts son. Make me like one of your hired men.
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