You Anoint my Head with Oil

‘You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs 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’ (Psalm 23:5, 6).

‘Shepherds in that area of the world and at the time, anointed their sheep’s heads with oil because of insects or flies. The area where this Psalm was written is dry and insects like these flies try to lay their eggs in an environment that is best suited for them. Sheep don’t have any means of protecting themselves from these flies and other insects that would land on their head, attempting to deposit their eggs on the damp, mucous membrane of the sheep’s nose. If successful, the eggs will hatch in a few days to form small, slender, worm-like larvae. In time they will work their way up the sheep’s nose into the head. Burrowing into the flesh and causing intense irritation to the sheep.

For relief, sheep will beat their heads with other sheep, trees or even kill its self. Often advanced stages of infection will lead to blindness. At the very first sign of flies among the flock, the sheep will become restless, running around sometimes to exhaustion as the sheep try to prevent the flies from landing on their heads. The shepherd will apply a remedy of oil, sulfur, and tar, smearing it over the sheep’s nose and head. Once applied the Sheep’s behavior immediately changes to a calmer and a more relaxed state.

Some see these flies as evil thoughts that come into the believer’s head. If left unaddressed, they can lead to temptation and sin. Which can in its self lead the believer to be blind to his or her current state. Throughout the Bible, oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Jesus, our shepherd, baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. Before we were saved our thoughts were of the ways of the world and we had no ability to do otherwise, but with the Holy Spirit we now have the ability to trust the Lord and to surrender everything, even our thoughts to Him. We can live in the flesh and run around like sheep to exhaustion or we can live in the spirit, anointed and lie down in green pastures.

Another reason shepherds anointed their sheep’s heads is due to the sheep’s desire to establish dominance among the flock by butting heads. The oil serves as a lubricant so their heads will deflect and not cause serious injury to each other. Again, the oil here can be seen as the Holy Spirit keeping us from hurting ourselves or our fellow believers with our issues of pride’.

Today may you seek to draw closer to Jesus your shepherd, so that you will be anointed and protected.