Lev 24:6 And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row,
upon the pure table before the LORD.
PS 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of
mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Luke 22:30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom,
and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
1Co 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils:
ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
Rev 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun… Come and gather
yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
From beginning to end the Bible speaks of a table which God has set up. While libraries of books have been written on the doctrines of the “Communion Table”, they have distracted us from a fuller understanding of The Table of the Lord. The image of this table appears in the tabernacle, the temple, the private chambers of prophets, the halls of kings, the upper-room, church gatherings and at the end of the age is even a "the great feast”.
An experience common to all humanity is the dining table, where food and drink are laid out and all the activities of our lives are nourished. In Africa or Asia this might be no more than a woven mat placed on the ground, while in the West, iconic images of Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” are brought to mind. A thread which has been woven throughout the scriptures and is experienced in the daily lives of all mankind must have its origins in God; so we are not talking about just the tables of men, but the Table of the Lord.
But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him
ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that
sent me, and to finish his work. (John 4:32-34)
Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup
which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? (John 18:11)
Jesus considered doing the will of God as nourishment placed on His table, the cross like a cup given Him to drink, the ministry to the Samaritan woman as secret food which even His disciples knew nothing of. On this table is served the will of God for our lives, the things which God Himself has set before us. In His position as God and Father over his own household, He laid before us a ministry, so personal in quality; it is laid out only for you. Small and great callings, bitter and sweet servings, large and small helpings, all intended for the nourishment of lives.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. (PS 23:5)
The Table of the Lord is the place of prayer in which we receive our purpose and priorities. Contrary to our tendency to lay our needs before Him, here God lays His needs before us, as His will and instruction for our lives. Without the Table of the Lord it is impossible to be truly nourished in our lives: our scriptural studies will have no focus on the realities of life and quickly become only personal exercises in private ethics. Without it, our prayers will quickly dwindle into “self-focused-askings” over things we are told to take no thought for. Simply, without doing the will of God, why should we expect to be nourished by God?
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any
would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some
which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ,
that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. (2Thes 3:10-12)
If our prayer life has become stale, could it be that we are only spending our time chattering away with requests for our needs and paying little attention to the needs of God's heart? Have we become spiritual busybodies walking disorderly, not filling our lives with the will of God, but bloated with our own moral preoccupations? Has our time in the scriptures been the spiritual food God intended it to be, or is it the stale bread of ethical behavior and private conformations of our own godliness? Prayer begins not with our requests, but with the will of God, at the Table of the Lord.
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread. (Luke 11:2-3)
upon the pure table before the LORD.
PS 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of
mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Luke 22:30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom,
and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
1Co 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils:
ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
Rev 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun… Come and gather
yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
From beginning to end the Bible speaks of a table which God has set up. While libraries of books have been written on the doctrines of the “Communion Table”, they have distracted us from a fuller understanding of The Table of the Lord. The image of this table appears in the tabernacle, the temple, the private chambers of prophets, the halls of kings, the upper-room, church gatherings and at the end of the age is even a "the great feast”.
An experience common to all humanity is the dining table, where food and drink are laid out and all the activities of our lives are nourished. In Africa or Asia this might be no more than a woven mat placed on the ground, while in the West, iconic images of Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” are brought to mind. A thread which has been woven throughout the scriptures and is experienced in the daily lives of all mankind must have its origins in God; so we are not talking about just the tables of men, but the Table of the Lord.
But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him
ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that
sent me, and to finish his work. (John 4:32-34)
Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup
which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? (John 18:11)
Jesus considered doing the will of God as nourishment placed on His table, the cross like a cup given Him to drink, the ministry to the Samaritan woman as secret food which even His disciples knew nothing of. On this table is served the will of God for our lives, the things which God Himself has set before us. In His position as God and Father over his own household, He laid before us a ministry, so personal in quality; it is laid out only for you. Small and great callings, bitter and sweet servings, large and small helpings, all intended for the nourishment of lives.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. (PS 23:5)
The Table of the Lord is the place of prayer in which we receive our purpose and priorities. Contrary to our tendency to lay our needs before Him, here God lays His needs before us, as His will and instruction for our lives. Without the Table of the Lord it is impossible to be truly nourished in our lives: our scriptural studies will have no focus on the realities of life and quickly become only personal exercises in private ethics. Without it, our prayers will quickly dwindle into “self-focused-askings” over things we are told to take no thought for. Simply, without doing the will of God, why should we expect to be nourished by God?
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any
would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some
which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ,
that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. (2Thes 3:10-12)
If our prayer life has become stale, could it be that we are only spending our time chattering away with requests for our needs and paying little attention to the needs of God's heart? Have we become spiritual busybodies walking disorderly, not filling our lives with the will of God, but bloated with our own moral preoccupations? Has our time in the scriptures been the spiritual food God intended it to be, or is it the stale bread of ethical behavior and private conformations of our own godliness? Prayer begins not with our requests, but with the will of God, at the Table of the Lord.
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread. (Luke 11:2-3)
1 comment:
Jer 24:1 The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive...
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