I’ve been thinking a lot lately on how the Father prepares a place for His children at His table. There have been a lot of tables that I’ve had the joy of sitting at; sitting across and around people that I really love and respect. There’s something about sitting at a table that’s been prepared for you. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve felt more at home than when I’m sitting at my parent’s kitchen table with my mom’s home cooking or been encouraged at the tables of other friends that love me and prepared a place for me in their homes. And to think, as much as they have fed me- both physically and even spiritually- how much more God pours out at His table!
One of the beautiful pictures is that it is the King Himself who sets the table for us. He doesn’t even hire servants or cooks, but He prepares our table. I’m not a mom, but I know there must be days when it is hard to make sure everyone eats something before they go to bed, much less have to prepare a full meal for your family in the middle of everyday chaos. God is sovereign; everything is under His hand and conforms to His will, yet He still sets the table for His children. What a servant our King is! Thank you, Jesus!
There are a few things to think through about sitting at the table with the King…
1 Corinthians 10:21 says, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” This means a couple things: 1) There are two tables set before us- the table of the Lord and the table of demons; both being set with the purpose of feeding us, although, both what is being fed and the results of eating at these tables are drastically different. And 2) we cannot be at 2 tables at once.
As I’ve thought more on this, it’s helped me to sort through each of the tables and what is present at each one…
The Table of the Lord
This table is where we can taste and see that the Lord is good, a table full of His riches and mercy. Scripture says that the Lord lavishes His grace upon us (Ephesians 1:7&8). Wrap your mind around that for a second. He LAVISHES His grace upon us. It’s through this grace that we have salvation & forgiveness of sins. What grace to receive salvation that we don’t deserve! This should establish in us an unshakeable thankfulness for what God did through Jesus for us.
It takes humility to sit at this table. Who isn’t humbled or put in a lowly place when they are in the presence of the King? There is no room for pride at a table where the King serves His servants. The greatest act of humility was His becoming like us to save us. When the reality of this sets in, our want to see us exalted diminishes and our heart desire becomes to make much of Him.
The King prepares exactly what we need- always. Our King is all knowing. We never leave the table lacking or hungry. We walk away full and more complete with every meal. We do however always leave looking forward to the next meal. Once we really taste and see that the Lord is good, we can’t get enough!
In Ephesians 1 it says that God does all of this (salvation and unifying us to Him through the blood of Jesus) according to His pleasure and will. It pleases Him to see His children being filled with what truly satisfies. He loves looking around the table and seeing each child, created in His image to bare His glory, eating their fill. An overwhelming gladness comes with knowing our Father delights in filling our bellies and satisfying us.
Our King lavishes grace to the undeserving, making us thankful- knowing we were about to go hungry, when He pulled us to the table for a feast He prepared.
Our King is a servant, making us humble. He not only tells us about humility but also in His death was definition of it.
Our King is all knowing, making us satisfied because He knows exactly what to provide.
Our King loves to care and feed the hungry, making us glad to sit at His table of provision.
The Table of Demons
This table is set by Satan- the king of darkness and the Deceiver. Scripture says that he comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Satan is the complete opposite of everything Jesus is. Where Jesus gives grace, he gives condemnation and judgment. Through this condemnation and lack of grace, our hearts are filled with an ever-present dissatisfaction- dissatisfaction with ourselves, others, and our lives altogether.
Where Jesus’ table brings about humility, Satan’s brings out pride and a sense of entitlement. He draws us to the table, telling us that we deserve more, that we’ve earned a seat at his table that is full of worldly pleasures and glories. He showed us the perfect picture of pride and entitlement when he felt like he deserved to be on the same power level as the Creator. He made much of himself, resulting in him being cast away from God forever. At Satan’s table he only speaks of making much of everything but Jesus. He builds up our pride like a giant wall, hoping it will overshadow and block our view of the table of the Lord.
He fills his table with what appeals to our senses, but never satisfies. He disguises our wants as needs and offers to meet them. Satan doesn’t care about filling our bellies with what truly satisfies. He only cares about getting us to his table. Why? Well, what happens at tables? Conversation. He is the Father of Lies…he just wants to start up a conversation, and what better place than at his table that is lacking of everything we really need; a table full of temporary fixes and momentary pleasures that will soon lead to sickness and even death. Have you ever been watching a movie or distracted by a conversation while eating chocolate or some other sort of sweet? What usually happens? Before you know it the bag is gone and eventually your stomach lets you know you’ve had too much of the wrong thing or you are more tired, slower to react where you used to be quick. Satan does the exact same thing at his table. He uses lies and distractions to keep our minds off of what we could be experiencing at the King’s table. Every stomach that sits at this table leaves hungry. There is a difference in food that looks good verses food that tastes good and is good for our bodies physically- it’s the same spiritually. Satan’s table leads to nothing but more and more want and hunger for more of what never satisfies.
Sitting at Satan’s table brings discontentedness and eventual hurt that is beyond comprehension. When the veil is removed, we see that Satan is not in anyone’s corner, but his own. Where Jesus delights in feeding us what is for our good and His glory, Satan loves to see us hungry, feeding us plates empty of spiritual nutrition.
Satan pours out disgrace and condemnation on the already hurting, making us dissatisfied.
Satan feeds lies and builds up the flesh, leading us to pride and a sense of entitlement.
Satan knows what most easily makes us walk away from the King’s table. He prepares a table covered in dishes of false advertisements of satisfaction, leaving us hungry and always wanting more.
Satan glories in destroying and ruining the hungry and needy. His table leaves us discontent and full of shame.
Satan’s table leads to confusion, frustration, sickness and death, and to us wanting more of ourselves.
Oh! Let us run from this table!
The King’s table is filled with undeserved grace and blessing, love that casts out all fear and condemnation, forgiveness, and stirs in us a hunger for more of Jesus and His Spirit.
Oh! Let us run to this table!
Come; sit at the table of the Lord!
I love my sister!
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