Naphtali:“Naphtali brims with blessings,spills over with God’s blessings As he takes possession of the sea and southland.” Detronomy 33:23
“…then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Proverbs 3:10
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Psalm 23: 5
Now I understand what is meant by: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of The Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God The Father through Him.” Colossians 3:15
“But now listen, Jacob, my servant,
Israel, whom I have chosen.
This is what The Lord says—
He Who made you, Who formed you in the womb,
and Who will help you:
Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, whom I have chosen.
For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and My blessing on your descendants.
They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams.
Some will say, ‘I belong to The Lord’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and will take the name Israel.”
So, it just keeps flowing.
And we pray:
Lord, we thank You for our cups which overflow with Your blessings. Allow us to be filled with Your Spirit we ask and pray in Jesus’ name. Thank You for our cup which as we ‘faith’ You fill, and we are blessed, Hallelujah, Amen. Thank You for blessing those around me as what I trust You for fills me and spills over to them. Thank You for letting me come prostrate in Thanksgiving and praise in Your temple. As I do so, bless me to show gratitude, grace, and patience in Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Psalm 23:5
One of the most famous and most popular Psalms in all of Scripture is Psalm 23.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (KJV).
The popularity of this Psalm goes beyond just the world of the church but extends to the secular world as well, finding its way into contemporary films and songs. The goal today is to give you an overview of this psalm, but I want to put a special emphasis on the meaning and context of the phrase “My cup runneth over,” in Psalm 23:5.
Why This Psalm of David’s Is So Meaningful
Most people associate the Psalms with David, which is understandable. The truth is he only wrote about half of the Psalms, while the rest were written by a number of different writers. However, Psalm 23 was written by David, most likely during the time he was a king and possibly towards the end of his life.
David started out as a shepherd, taking care of his father’s sheep. This knowledge allowed him to be familiar with the behavior of a shepherd but also with the behavior of sheep. One of the reasons it is believed this Psalm was written when David was king, and not when he was a young shepherd, is because he mentions his enemies.
Prior to David killing Goliath, he had no enemies – unless you consider his brothers as enemies. After killing Goliath and when he became a great military leader, that is when the enemies came. However, the tone of this Psalm is not of a young, inexperienced man but of a seasoned veteran who has seen the hand of God show up time after time in his life.
In verse four of this Psalm, David mentions the “valley of the shadow of death.” The word used here for the shadow of death is tsalmaveth which actually means death-like shadow or deep shadow. This verse is not a moratorium on God’s presence when we face death, even though God is with us during that time. This verse speaks to God’s presence when we face the most difficult and darkest times in our lives.
You can be confident that no matter how challenging, dark or difficult the situation you face, God will always be with you and will never forsake you. In fact, some other translations such as the NIV or NLT translate this verse with the phrase “the darkest valley.”
With that being said, let’s turn our attention to the meaning and context of the phrase “my cup runneth over,” which is part of verse five. Let’s consider each section of this verse.