Kids Talk About God by Carey Kinsolving

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over" (Psalm 23:5).

As I sit down to write, there's a table before me with many interpretations of this well-known Bible verse. One of my favorite attempts to unravel this Scripture comes from Elizabeth, age 8: "Be kind to your enemies, and I'll make you a king."

King David treated his enemies with kindness and became a king. But I think he had something else in mind when he wrote this psalm.

"God prepares a life with enemies in it for us," says Jessica, 9. David was an unknown shepherd boy until he heard Goliath taunt Israel's armies. Certainly, the Lord can use enemies to teach us how to trust him. As David said when facing Goliath, "The battle is the Lord's."

"The enemy is around you, and God can help you," says Scott, 10.

Some Bible experts believe that Psalm 23:5 shifts the scene to the banquet table of the king; however, I'm going to stick with the shepherd and his sheep. The summer grazing ranges in the high mountains are known as tables. In Spanish, the word for such a place is "mesa," which means "table."

The picture here is fit for a postcard: sheep grazing in a luxurious pasture on a high mountain plain. Before the sheep arrived, the shepherd had gone ahead to remove poisonous weeds, kill venomous snakes and drive away lurking predators.

Now, we come to the oil. ("You anoint my head with oil.") "When he puts oil on our heads, he blesses us," says Bethany, 7. "God anoints our head with the Holy Spirit," adds Adriana, 8. Both are true in the lives of God's people.

In the context of sheep peacefully grazing on a high mountain plain, there's a fly in the ointment.

Except here it's more than a figure of speech.

The nose fly can harass sheep literally to death. They deposit their eggs in the damp mucous membranes of the sheep's nose, writes former shepherd and author Phillip Keller. The eggs hatch to form worms, which make their way into the sheep's head. For relief from the severe inflammation, sheep will beat their heads against rocks and trees.

At the first sign of these pesky flies, the alert shepherd applies a special ointment to the sheep's heads so that they can continue to graze peacefully.

Life is full of small things beyond our control that can "bug us." By allowing the Good Shepherd to anoint us, these irritations are counteracted by the presence of God's Spirit.

"'My cup runs over' means that God gives you so many blessings that they are uncountable," says Sean, 10. Or it could mean "God is more than you ask for!" says Derek, 9.

Good shepherds know their sheep instinctively fear rushing river water because their heavy wool makes them vulnerable to being swept away by the current. Rushing water has to be channeled so that it's still. ("He leads me beside still waters.") Whether it's an overflowing cup or a pool created by the shepherd, the sheep drink in contentment from an endless supply.

"Jesus' love is filling my cup," says Ester, 8. Who's filling your cup?

Think About This: God has prepared a place for you where he will pour blessings into your life. Memorize This Truth: Please see Psalm 23:5 above. Ask This Question: Are you willing to follow the Good Shepherd to the place where he can bless you?

Listen to a talking book, download the "Kids Color Me Bible" for free, watch Kid TV Interviews and travel around the world by viewing the "Mission Explorers Streaming Video" at www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. Bible quotations are from the New King James Version. To find out more about Carey Kinsolving and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2009 CAREY KINSOLVING

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