Today's scripture reading is Psalms 23, a psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, and he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restored my soul. He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. Yeh, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil without art with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, thou preparest the table before me in the presence of my innocence. Thou anointed my head with oil, my cup runeth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I was well in the house of the Lord forever. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and the hearing of his word. For the last several weeks we've been going through a series of messages on Psalm 23, slowly making our way through Psalm 23, being reminded that we have a good shepherd, and we are his sheep. What a blessing this short meditation has been for us these last a few weeks, at least it has been for me as I am reminded that I am but a sheep. But I don't mind being a sheep when I have the Lord Jesus Christ as my shepherd. This morning we come to verse 5 in our series of messages, and we're reminded that because the Lord is my shepherd, and I have my provision. Last week we saw that because the Lord is my shepherd, I have my protection. Before that we saw the Lord as my shepherd, and therefore I have my path. And this morning we are reminded that because the Lord is my shepherd, I have my provision. This thing, and I was thinking about this week, beloved is that names, names usually mean something. You know when you meet somebody and they have a name, name usually means something. Most of us have names, and most of our names have come some type of story behind them. We might have been named after someone, or we might have a name that is a combination of two or three or four people, or perhaps an event, or circumstance in the lives of our parents that caused them to want to name us the way they did. We have some friends who, for example, named their first child, Gia, G-I-A, for God is able, because they had been told by the doctors that they could not have children, and then suddenly Gia came. Even our last names have meaning, don't they, Pastor Duncan, sir? My last name, was that fun?
My last name is Carter. Carter is an old English name, it's an occupational name. It's given to someone who transported goods by cart or wagon, or who was perhaps a maker of carts and cart wheels. The names not only speak to occupation, but in the Bible, names often speak and are indicative of character, or circumstance is surrounding a person leaving physical traits. For example, the name Jacob means supplanter. In Genesis chapter 27 and verse 36, we see why he was named Jacob, because he was a supplanter, and in Exodus chapter 2 and verse 10, Moses is given his name, because he was rescued or drawn from the river.
In 1 Samuel chapter 25 and verse 25, Nabal, Abigail's husband, is rightly named a fool.
And in Matthew chapter 16, verse 18, we are told that Peter means rock, and the Lord gave him this name, because he would be the rock of the early church. Names have significance, especially beloved in the Bible, and can be really instructive in revealing character and responsibility. And while this is true about people in our world and in the Bible, it is even more true when we come to know and understand God. You want to know who God is. The Bible reveals him to us as the Bible reveals his names.
His titles to us, his name describes his power, his name describes his perspective, his name is indicative of his glory and his majesty. And every name, every name and every title of God from Jehovah to Elohim to El-Sidai to Adonai, is descriptive of some aspect of his person and reveals to us something about himself. And because our God is complex in this way, God has multiple names, yes, multiple titles in the Bible. And yet I want to suggest to us this morning that there is one name that is particularly district descriptive for us and particularly comforting for the people of God even this morning. In fact, I would suggest that it could be the most precious of God's name to God's people. And it is the name Jehovah Jira. Jehovah Jira. I'll suggest to you this morning that no name captures more of the heart of God for his people or the shepherd for the sheep than does God's revelation of himself as Jehovah Jira. The Lord who provides. The Lord who provides. Where do we find that revelation? It is a familiar place. And it's in Genesis chapter 22, right? When Abraham is prepared to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice under the instructions of God but as Abraham is prepared to offer up this sacrifice of his son, he is prevented from doing so, graciously prevented from doing so. And rather than offer up his son, he offered up a ram that the Lord had provided instead. And so Abraham, the Bible says in verse 14, called the name of that place Jehovah Jira. Because the Lord will provide as it is said to this day,
the text says, on the mount of the Lord, it shall be provided. The Lord is a provider. This morning in Psalm 23, David provides even more insight and further light upon the revelation of Jehovah Jira. Abraham learned what it meant for the Lord to provide. He could look back on his life and say if there is one thing the Lord had been in his life, it is that the Lord had been a provider. Beloved, I can't speak for anyone else, I can't speak for everyone this morning, but I can say along with Abraham that if the Lord had been anything in my life, he had been provider, excuse me while I asked, can I get a witness? And this is what David says this morning, Psalm 23 and verse five. David echoes Abraham's experience this morning and then doing so teaches us again and reminds us again of what it means to have Jehovah Jira as our shepherd because the Lord, the Jehovah Jira is my shepherd. I have my provisions. I have my protections. I have my paths. I have my portion because he is Jehovah Jira. I have my provision. Psalm 23 and verse five, the Bible says, you prepare a table before me. In the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil, my cup over flows.
Last week we were in the Psalm, Psalm 23 and we were looking at the verse four and we saw that in verse four there was this shift. There's a shift in the tone. There's a shift in the direction of Psalm 23. The Psalm suddenly became more intimate. The Psalm suddenly reminded us that God is a personal God. And the shepherd leads the sheep through dark valleys and through those dark valleys. The shepherd protects you from the dangers in the dark, if you might recall. But as we come to verse five this morning, we see an even more profound shift. Now the Psalmist seems not to even be talking about sheep anymore. Rather David is thinking about himself and he is overwhelmed not by how he provided for his sheep, but he's overwhelmed by how the Lord has provided for him. David had known well the Lord's provisions. His life, beloved, had been but a continuous testimony to the Lord providing. It is this David, this David who writes this Psalm in verse five. It is this David who had been through the valleys. It is this David who had been through the wars. It is this David who had endured attacks from others. It is this David who has suffered the consequences of his own failures. And it is this David now who in Psalm 23 can proclaim through it all that the Lord had been my shepherd, the Lord had been my provider. The question, I wish I asked this morning then, the shepherd who is the shepherd who guarantees that we have our provisions. What has that provision been, David? David, what is the nature of the Lord who provides this morning and what is the nature of his provision? To really appreciate, beloved, to really appreciate how the Lord has provided for you this morning and how he has provided for me. I think it is important and critical that we understand a few characteristics of God's provisions from this text. They are wonderful, they are glorious. And I know, I know, I know, I know, y'all sit there all pretty and y'all don't know how to shout, okay? But it's okay this morning. If Allen wanna get up here and play a little bit, that's okay this morning because Jehovah Jaira is your shepherd and he provides. He provides in glorious ways, beloved. And the first one that text reminds us is the Lord's provisions are prepared. Do you see that? They are prepared. You prepare a table. Listen, listen, beloved. God's provision is his provision. God's provision is his provision. That is, he sees what you need before you see you needed and he prepares it for you. Get it all prepared. This is David, this is David looking back over his life and realizing that God had been there all the time.
Preparing for him. God had gone before him and prepared for him what he needed.
The love there is a love and a kindness in such preparation. When preparation is thoughtful and with care,
if you've ever been invited to an event or if you've ever been invited over someone's house and when you got to that event and you got to that house, you look around and you say to yourself, these people have carefully and thoughtfully prepared for my arrival. They not only invited me, but they wanted me to feel at home. This is the preparation of the Lord and our lives, beloved. I've had the pleasure and privilege of going to Cornerstone Church and Knoxville to preach for quite a few years now. And I recall when I first began to go up there and they had secured me a hotel room and I would go into the hotel room and they had prepared a gift basket and they had placed it in the hotel room. And in the basket were my favorite candies, my favorite jerky, my favorite nuts, my favorite drink. They even had golf balls. They had called to my wife and they had called the church to find out how they could best prepare for my coming. Beloved, this is the prevision of God that makes for the provision of his people. He doesn't, but the only difference is beloved. He doesn't have to call anyone. He knows what you need because he sees where you're going. And because he sees where you're going, he prepares a table. That's what Jesus says in Mark chapter six and verse eight, right? He knows what you need even before you ask. A table is set. It's a table of blessing. It's a table of favor. The Lord has gone before you, the Lord prepares the way. When Moses was anxious about going back to Egypt, the Lord said, don't worry Moses, I have already prepared the children of Israel. I have already prepared the hearts of Pharaoh. When Peter was anxious about the Lord, the party, Jesus knew that Peter would fail. In the Luke chapter 22 and verse 32, before Peter failed, before he denied the Lord, Jesus told Peter, Peter, I have already prepared your restoration. I know where you're going. And I've already prepared the table for your restoration. This is the preparation for provision that the Lord makes for his people over and over again. He knows before you go. Before you ask, the Lord has already prepared the answers. Before you even know what happened, Psalm 91 and 11 tells us that he's already prepped the angels.
In fact, answer me this question this morning. Where is Jesus this morning? The Bible says that he is in heaven. Second question, what is Jesus doing this morning? The Bible tells us in John chapter 14 beginning in verse 2, that he is there preparing a place for you. My father's house, he says, has many rooms. He says that we're not so what I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I'm not preparing that place in vain. But I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. Beloved, because the Lord has gone before you and prepared such a blessed table. Listen to me this morning. Heaven will feel more welcome for you than any home you ever had on this earth. Because the Lord has this. He's preparing a table there for you. That's why the songwriter says, I am but a stranger here. Heaven is my home. Earth is a desert drear. Heaven is my home. Danger and sorrow stand round me on every hand. But heaven is my father's land. Heaven is my home. The house of the Lord has gone before me. And it's preparing a table. And when I get there, that will be home. That's how the Lord provides. The Lord's provisions are prepared just for you. He goes before you. And His provision is because of His provision. The Lord's provision is prepared. But not only is it prepared to love it, the Lord's provision is public. He is doing this publicly. This is amazing. Says, you prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. In the presence of my enemies. The table that the Lord prepares for His people this morning is a table for all to see. The table of blessing. The Lord provides for His people who love it in such a way that even the enemy has to stop and take notice. That's what He does. That's what He's doing this morning. David understood this well. He understood this well. His life had been a constant battle. There were enemies like lions and bears. There were giants like Goliath. There were kings like Saul, even in his own family. He had enemies like Epsilon. But they would also know that his most dangerous enemy was his own flesh and pride. And David felt, and David felt all these assaults, all the days of his life. And yet, through it all, David could say that God had never failed to provide. Psalm 37, verse 25, where he says, I was young and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor their children begging for bread. Listen, beloved. Listen, listen. There is nothing and no one who can stop the Lord, Jehovah Gyro, from providing for his people, not even the clear and present danger and the assaults of the enemy. Pharaoh and his great army, Northern Red Sea, could prevent God from providing for his people. The million nights could not prevent God from providing for Gideon. Even even the great and mighty Syrian army could not prevent God from providing for Elisha. And the Lord doesn't just provide. In the face of Pharaoh and the Red Sea, the Lord provides. In the face of the million nights, the Lord provided. In the face of the great Syrian army, the Lord provided. He doesn't just provide, but it provides for you when your enemies are watching. The Lord therefore wants the enemy to know that he provides for his people. The Lord wants the enemy to know that he provides for his people. Now, beloved, this is not to gloat, this is not to rub in in anybody's face, but he does want the world to know that he is Jehovah Gyro, and he takes care of his own. I think it's important, at this point, that we understand something, however. At this point, we need to understand that we have enemies. We understand that we have David had enemies. But it is also important to realize who the enemies are, who the real enemies are. And I believe, I believe Psalm 23 was written by a senior David. I think Psalm 23 was written by a seasoned king, David. And this was David who had come to know who the real enemy is. Beloved, it takes maturity to really know who the real enemy is, beloved. You see, when you're little, you think the enemy is the Joker, or Lex Luthor, or Thanos. Then you grow up a little bit, and you think the enemy is the rival school across town, or upstate, or downstate. Then you grow a little more, and you think the enemy is your ex-girlfriend, or your ex-boyfriend, or your ex-husband, or your ex-wife. Then you grow a little more, and you think the enemy is the Republicans or the Democrats. Then you grow a little bit more, and perhaps you think the enemy is the Baptist or the Presbyterians. But it takes real maturity and real growth to really know who the enemy is. Beloved, the Lord isn't preparing a table for you in the presence of the Republicans. He's not preparing a table for you in the presence of the Democrats. He's not even preparing a table for you in the presence of your ex-girlfriend, ex-husband, or the Bulldogs. He is preparing a table for you in the presence of the one who wants to steal your joy, who wants to destroy your testimony, who wants to undermine your faith. He prepares a table of blessing in the presence of the one who wants to remind you how wrong you are and how unworthy you are. And the Lord prepares a table of assurance. He prepares a table of grace in the presence of the one who wants to condemn you and accuse you of being unfaithful. And yet, Beloved, the more he accuses you, the more grace the Lord puts on your plate. The more grace he puts on your plate, the enemy wants you to think you are impoverished. And he wants you to go to the master, like Oliver Twist had to go to the master and said, please, can I have some more? Beloved, our Lord is full of grace, overflowing with a fountain of love and mercy. He has a face for us that never runs out and you don't even have to ask. He just gives and gives and gives. The song right is right. He gives more grace when the burdens grow greater. He sends us more strength when labor increases. To add it afflictions, he adds it is mercy. The multiply trials has multiplied peace. His love has no limits. His grace has no measure. His power no boundary known to men. For out of his infinite riches in Jesus, he give us and give us and give us again. He has prepared a table this morning for you in the presence of the enemy. And all the enemy can do is watch as you feast this morning on the mercy and the grace, the love and the forgiveness of God in Christ Jesus. Powerless, powerless he is to do anything about the riches that you and I have in Jesus this morning. The Lord's provision, beloved, is just that. And this reminds us that His provision are also plentiful. They are plentiful. They are plentiful. They're not just public. They're not just prepared. But the Lord has prepared a lot. He has prepared a lot. See what He says. You annoyed my head with oil. My cup overflows. He's not just filling it to the rim, beloved. But He is filling and filling and filling for a cup to overflow. It said it overflows. That means you are steady always pouring into it. Because if you don't, they won't overflow anymore. But the reason it overflows is because the Lord is always constantly pouring into it. The love that our God is not stingy with His blessings. He is not miserly with His grace and mercy as Tim Keller has reminded us. Our God is the protocol God. God has a reputation. And His reputation is for being good. His reputation is for being good all the time. And the reason why He is good all the time is because He gives. And He gives. And He gives. And in the Old Testament, beloved, oil is the oil of anointing. And the cup is the cup of wine. And the oil and the wine speak of the blessing of joy and the blessing of holiness. The cup and the wine speak of the blessing of sanctification and the blessing of satisfaction is holiness and happiness. And when He anoints with oil, He makes you holy. And when He fills your cup, He makes you happy. Psalm 104, verse 15, wine makes the heart happy. And oil makes the face shine. God wants His people holy and happy. Holy and happy. Not just happy and not just holy. God's desire is for you and I to be happy and holy. Holiness without happiness is fruitless. And happiness without holiness is useless. God abounds in happiness and holiness. And these He gives to His people overflowing because God is a giving. And this is the testimony scripture, right? Over and over again, there's too many scriptures. There's too many scriptures for us to go over this morning to testify to the goodness of God, to the generosity of God for His people. But let me just give you a few. That reminds us that His grace has no limits, His love has no bounds and His mercy endures forever. He is not stingy. He is not stingy in Psalm 84 and verse 11. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk with Him. The Lord is not stingy. He is not withholding good. Not only is He not stingy, but the Bible tells us that there is an exceptionalism to His blessings. In chapter 3 and verse 20 it says, He does far more abundantly than anything than you can ask or think. If you can think it, God does better. If you can ask for it, God does more. Not only is there exceptionalism in His blessing, but also beloved. There is an unquestionably generosity in His love. In Romans chapter 8 and verse 32, He who did not spare His own son, but gave him up for us all. How will He not also with Him graciously generously give you what? All things! All things, beloved, whatever you need, the Lord is gracious and given it to you. In fact, more abundantly, more graciously, exceedingly more. The reason He is beloved is because He has given you Christ. And if He can give you His own son, everything else peels in comparison. I just gave you Jesus. Everything else is small compared to that. Ask whatever you will. I just gave you Jesus. I think what that text right there is saying is really asking. I have any more questions. I want to know how good I am. I gave you Jesus. Any more questions? You want to know how gracious I am. I gave you my only son. Any more questions? You want to know how abundantly I desire to bless you. I sent the Savior Jesus Christ to die for you. Any more questions? Any more questions about mercy this morning? Any more questions about His grace? Any more questions about His goodness? Any more questions about His love? Beloved, do you have any more questions? He provided Jesus. Morning as we were singing that song, and I was reflecting on this message. I was thinking the Lord has provided Jesus. If the Lord didn't provide anything else, I could still sing it as well with myself. If the Lord decided son, I've given you enough. I still wouldn't have another breath or energy in me to thank Him for what He has already done. I was thinking this morning, because the Lord has given us Jesus. We have every reason, from here throughout all eternity, to give Him praise. And yet He give us, and He give us, and He give us, and He give us, and He give us again. Any more questions? Let's pray.