Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Psalm 23, Post #10 – February 9, 2016



“You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:5B)

He again and welcome back to the Psalm 23 blog.  Today’s post will focus on the second half of verse 5 of the 23rd Psalm.  I hope you find this post as informative and eye opening as I was when I first discovered the depth of meaning contained in these two deceptively simple phrases: (1) “you anoint my head with oil” and (2) “my cup overflows”.  Let’s get started.

For many years I had been taught and read that this verses reference to oil being poured on my head related to the Old Testament practice of anointing someone by pouring oil on their head to signify their being set apart or chosen.  (Exodus 28:41, 29:7, 30:30)  There is also the idea that this anointing mentioned in Psalm 23:5 is related to the anointing of objects as a way to sanctify them or consecrate them.  (Exodus 40:9-15)  While a case can be made that the act of anointing mentioned in Psalm 23 is related to the above verses I think you may find the following discussion of the topic as it relates to the care and nurturing of sheep will be a real eye opener to the deeper meaning of “anoint”.  Most of what I will share will, once again, be drawn from the descriptions of author and former shepherd, Phillip Keller in his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23.  I will be sharing a quote from another book on the subject a bit later.

I need to begin this discussion by reminding you that the 23rd Psalm relates to the journey of sheep to their place of summer grazing.  In previous posts we’ve made it clear that this is an allegory or a word picture of the Good Shepherd.  It is, however, based on actual day to day practices of the shepherd as he leads his flock of sheep to their summer grazing grounds in the high country.  We have spoken about the fact that the sheep were extremely needy in terms of having someone take care of just about every facet of their lives.  He sheltered them, protected them, led them, cared for them and helped them avoid dangers and problems which might harm or even kill them.  All of this was a precursor to the sheep finally reaching the lush summer fields which were made safe for them as the shepherd “prepared the table” for them to enjoy in relative safety.  I say relative safety because there was still an urgent need for the shepherd to keep a vigilant watch over his flock every day.  With that sense of final arrival and relative safety we’ll begin today’s study.

Where I live in Upstate New York (not Albany or Schenectady but way up north) the summer days bring warmth and long hours of sunshine to enjoy the out of doors.  But in the Adirondacks as well as the rest of the North Country it means BUGS!   Because conditions are also right for the hatch of a great variety of insects we are inundated with many different types during most of the summer.  The most common would be the state bird of New York State, the mosquito!  Add to that such nasty little buggers as the black fly (they can draw blood too), the chigger (a tiny, nasty little biting fellow who can even force his way through door and window screens, as well as other buzzing, biting, stinging pests.  In the Middle East they also have a variety of insects which can, if left alone, cause great torment, harm and even death to sheep in the hills.  Right when you might think that the sheep had finally made it to safety and could then eat to their hearts content and build up body fat, milk for the lambs and strength to make it through the colder months, a variety of nasty little bugs appear in great numbers to ruin the party.  (Boy, that was a long sentence!)  These pests include insects and parasites such as warble flies, bot flies, heel flies, nasal flies, deer flies, black flies, gnats and other tiny and nasty bugs.

I won’t go into great detail but some of these intruders seek out moist places where they can lay their eggs.  In a very short time these eggs will hatch and the larvae will infest both the outside and inside of the sheep.  Maladies such as nasal invasion, respiratory illnesses, inability to eat or rest, nasty bites, etc. are all a part of the problem these insects create for the sheep.  Some can become so severe that it will actually kill an otherwise healthy animal.  Bites from these bugs can drive the sheep crazy.  Some will cause the sheep to bang their heads against trees, posts, or rocks to try and drive them away.  Just hearing their “buzz” can put the sheep into a panic and cause them to rush into danger.  They will run through the pasture trying to find a way to escape the onslaught of the bugs.  Great harm can come to individual sheep as well as many in the flock if the bugs are not dealt with.  This time of year had a nick name.  It was called “fly time” and the shepherds took it very seriously.  If you have ever been around cattle or horses for very long I’m sure that you have seen these very same pests trying to attack them as well.  We sometimes see guards on the faces of horses to keep bugs from their eyes and noses.  There are devices to allow cattle to rub insecticide onto themselves to help them contend with the intruders.
In modern times as well as Biblical times the shepherd learned that they needed to do something with each sheep to help fight this bug blight.  One of the most common was the application of some kind of oil or ointment to keep the bugs away from sensitive areas on the sheep such as their face, nose and ears.  In modern times shepherds often used a concoction of oil, Sulphur and tar.  I’m sure that now they rely much more heavily on chemical compounds to do the same thing.  In Biblical times they created this “anointing oil” from olive oil, Sulphur and spices.  I guess this would be like our modern day insect repellent.  When this concoction was poured onto the sheep’s head they would almost immediately calm down.  They settled into their routine again as the bugs wouldn’t come near and they could eat, drink and lie down to rest without fear of being pursued by them.  This was not a one-time application.  The shepherd would have to keep watch of his flock and when he saw that individual sheep were starting to show the symptoms of bugs on the attack again he would have to re-apply the oil on their heads.  It’s been suggested that this anointing oil application is very much like God’s anointing of the Holy Spirit on us.  It’s something that happens frequently to help us deal with all the “bugs” in our own lives.

“You anoint my head with oil”.  That phrase makes a whole lot more sense to me than it used to.  Just think of how it can represent pests, irritants or even dangerous infestations which appear in our own lives, especially in a spiritual sense.  There are so many things out in this world which can distract us, irritate us, even panic us and draw us away from our own Shepherd.  We find so often that we take our eyes of Him and focus almost solely on the problems around us.  As the insects could cause the sheep to run away from the flock and into trouble, our own spiritual bugs can do the same thing.  We run, or are drawn, from the safety and security of staying within our “flocks” and run out into the open where we are much more vulnerable.  The sheep could become so distracted or even panic to the point of totally forgetting everything and letting their struggles become the only thing they think about.  Sounds kind of familiar to me.  How about you? 

Often these infestations were passed from one sheep to another.  The same is true for our spiritual problems.  Have you ever noticed how being around negative people can begin to cause you to think in a similar fashion?  Or when you sit down with someone who is constantly complaining and picking others apart it often causes you to look at others with a similar, critical eye.   I’m guessing that the sheep remembered where their “help” came from when the shepherd eased their torment from the bugs.  I don’t’ know this for a fact but it makes sense to me that they would try to get near the shepherd in hopes that he could help them once again.  I know that’s what helps me when the spiritual bugs are getting to me.  I can feel more and more frustrated, concerned, distracted and even tense and irritable but when I finally remember to get closer to my “Shepherd” things start to improve.  When I take the time to get close to God through quiet times or reading my Bible I start to feel some peace creeping back into my heart, quieting my spirit and helping me to experience that “peace that just doesn’t make sense” to the outside world.

I discovered yet another use for the “anointing oil” we’ve been talking about.  It was written by another author with personal experience regarding sheep and their shepherd.  I will include a paragraph from the book He Leadeth Me, The Shepherd’s Life in Palestine by Charles W. Slemming.  In his book Mr. Slemming writes of the lives and activities of shepherds of the Middle East.  He gives a great explanation regarding our passage for today.  He is writing of how a shepherd helps to prepare a new field before his flock can use it.  

Before allowing his sheep onto the field, he inspects it for vipers - small brown adders that live under the ground.  These snakes jump up out of their holes and bite the sheep on their noses.  This bite would often cause inflammation and, on occasion, the death of a sheep.  When a shepherd found a viper's hole he would take a bottle of oil from his belt and pour it around the hole, making it too slippery should the snake try to crawl out and attack a sheep.  He would also "anoint" the heads of the sheep so that, if a snake was in the tall grass, it would be repelled by the smell of the oil on the sheep.  Thus, the shepherd really does "prepare a table" for the sheep.
Pretty cool, isn’t it?!  “You prepare a table before me in the very presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows”.  (Psalm 23:5)   Isn’t it amazing how well the scripture fits the loving acts of a shepherd toward his sheep?   And, of course, how this translates to you and I as “sheep” in God’s “flock”.

I’d like to briefly (I know, that’s a relative term) address the end of verse 5, “my cup overflows”.   I have learned something that adds deeper meaning to this simple three word phrase.  I hope you recall the discussion about the shepherd having to create “quiet waters” for the sheep to drink from when they were out in the wild.  Remember that the sheep were spooked very easily and didn’t like to have water splash up into their face.  That was why the shepherd would use rocks to create a quiet patch of water where the sheep could drink their fill in peace.  There are many references, especially in the Old Testament, to another source of water.  That source is, of course, wells.   These wells were dug deep into the ground to provide a source of fresh water in an arid climate.  Without a good source of water the livestock as well as the people could not survive so they were very important.   

Here’s a pretty interesting discovery.  Many times, especially in areas where sheep were raised, there was something you and I would probably call a “watering trough” next to the well.  If you’re as old as me you probably recall many a western movie where there was just such a thing near the well where a bucket dangled from a rope over the water, deep in the ground.  The water was lifted by way of the bucket and then poured into the watering trough so that man and beast alike could drink from it.  I read that the trough used in Palestine wasn’t only made of wood but more often they were made of stone.  The stone was hallowed like a deep dish or barrel but it wasn’t too tall.  This way the sheep could step up to the stone trough and drink their fill.  Now here’s the exciting part.  This stone trough was called the “cup”.  Since the sheep were so skittish about water in their face a shepherd who really loved and cared for their sheep would take the time to fill the “cup” (trough) completely to the brim so that the sheep could drink without getting their faces in the water.  As the sheep drank the shepherd would refill the “cup” again and again.  Are you starting to get any goose bumps?  I mean, not only was this trough full but it could be said that it (“my cup”) “overflows”.  God, like the shepherd, loves us, His sheep, so much that he not only provides “enough” but he fills to “overflowing” the refreshment and spiritual “water” that we need to be spiritually healthy in Him.

Our Good Shepherd loves us so much!  He provides for us so well!  He protects us and wants us to stay near to Him.  I hope that you find peace in the study of this Psalm.  It’s so comforting and reassuring for us in so many ways.  I find that it speaks to me even more as I start to understand the context of a shepherd and his sheep in ways that are foreign to me but would have been common knowledge to those who lived in David’s time.  I feel like we should end today’s post right here.  There’s a lot to think about isn’t there?  Please do me a favor and take a few moments to pray.  Think about how God has fed you, led you, protected you and helped you heal.  Then read through the Psalm as far as we’ve studied.  I’ll make it easy and post it below.  Until next time remember that you and I don’t just have a ‘good’ Shepherd, we have an “Awesome Shepherd”.  God bless.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You prepare a table before me in the very presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows”.

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