“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)
Having someone over for dinner is about more than just the dishes placed on the table. The whole experience can create a feeling of hospitality. Meeting at the door, taking someone’s coat, offering something to drink, having fresh-cut flowers on the table. These small things and more are the extra touches that add up to communicate warmth and welcome.
In David’s time (as well as in Jesus’ time), anointing the head of a guest was a practical gesture of hospitality, as the oil would have a pleasant aroma and would care for a person’s complexion who had been exposed to the arid Middle Eastern climate.
Can we simply say something so unpoetic as this? Sometimes life stinks.
Everything seems to go against us. Conversations go sideways, producing tension and conflict. Work projects lead to dead ends, producing frustration and stress. Our dish comes out cold at the restaurant–really?
How good to have a God who prepares a table before us and throws in the anointing to boot! As my youngest child once said to a grandparent, “You’re just spoiling me now!”
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for still blessing me on my worst days. Thank you for continuing to care for me even when I’ve brought trouble upon myself. Show me a little thing I can do to be a blessing to someone today. Amen.
Guy M Williams 