David reveals a deep, solid faith in God in many stages of his life; this verse is a window into that faith, where he acknowledges and declares that God is the One who provides all things, and that He can be trusted.  Not only is God our protector, defender, and loving authority figure, but He is also our provider.

The verse starts with the words, “You set a table before me”.  David knew where his sustenance came from; food is one of our basic but most important needs in order to sustain life.  He recognized that God Almighty alone provides for his life. This also applies to us, because this is the essence of God’s character; God is the one that lovingly provides all things for us.  Everything we receive is from Him… and for His namesake.

In this specific verse we can also see that God sets the table not just for the sake of nourishing David, but also to glorify Himself among His enemies.  David’s enemies (which are God’s enemies) would witness God’s faithful provision, and not only be jealous or angry as a result, but also recognize that God is faithful to provide for and protect His children at all times.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

As I am writing this, I can’t help but think about Ami Ortiz, the son of very good friends of ours, David and Leah Ortiz. A few years ago, Ami was critically injured when a bomb that was sent to the Ortiz house literally exploded in his hands.  This bomb was sent to the family simply because of their faith in and their stance for Yeshua, our promised Messiah.

Ami was not expected to survive the blast.  He was in a coma for a few days, and the doctors said that if by any miracle he survived, he would never be able to live a “normal” life again. God had a different plan, and slowly, we started to witness a miracle, a miracle that I must say reminded us of the prophecy of the dry bones of which the prophet Ezekiel wrote. Ami painfully and slowly recovered from his severe injuries, and today Ami is studying in university and is even playing basketball again, which was always his dream.  His recovery has been a tremendous witness to all people of God’s miraculous ways.

This is a perfect illustration of how God does things in and through our lives so that our (His) adversaries will not only see His faithfulness to us, but that they will also be provoked to jealousy, and hopefully, once they realize that they fight not against us, but against the living God, to repent and enter His Kingdom through the sacrifice of Yeshua! As the Word says, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrew 10:31)

I am constantly reminded of the great privilege we have to be called Children of God.  What a great comfort we have to trust Him to provide all of our needs, and what a great honor we have to believe in a God that desires all people to be saved, even His own enemies.

Take comfort in His provision for your life; He has gone to great lengths to give you everything you need for today.

Shabbat Shalom

Moran