He Anoints my Head with Oil
Psalm 23 has always been one of my favourite psalms. It evokes a feeling of such calm and security, doesn’t it? I grew up learning this passage and, like most of us, can repeat it with ease. There has always been one line in the passage which I never really understood, but just sort of accepted that it was a part of the passage and didn’t really spend that much time thinking about it. The part of the passage is “you anoint my head with oil”. For me, it didn’t really seem to match the rest of the psalm, whereby David is referring to God as a shepherd and we as his sheep. Every other line in this psalm is practical – God is dealing with our needs – emotionally and physically. He is leading us to green pastures and quiet waters, he is protecting us through danger, he is laying a table for us and yet, anointing my head? That all just seems a little messy to me! It wasn’t until I read an article a few weeks back that this line started to make sense and where it hadn’t fitted in a practical and loving shepherd type way to me before, it now started to make sense.
It turns out that shepherds anoint their sheep with oil, and have done since before Biblical times, for several very practical and loving reasons. The main reason and the one that fits with this particular passage is they anoint their heads, and in particular around the eyes, nose, and mouth as a deterrent for flies which buzz around their heads trying to lay eggs inside their nose. If the flies are successful, after just a couple of days, the larvae hatch and burrow into the soft flesh of the sheep’s nasal passages. This causes irritation, inflammation and infection which is very unpleasant for the sheep. The sheep rub their heads on the ground and bang their heads on tree trunks to try to get rid of these larvae. The sheep can even kill themselves in the process of trying to rid themselves of these tiny beasts. In Biblical times, the shepherds would watch for the flies and immediately anoint their sheep’s heads with a mixture of oil and very strongly scented essential oils which acted as a deterrent for the flies.
So, for me it seems that David was using this anointing of sheep’s heads as a metaphor for God’s attentiveness to all of our needs. For protection against the enemy which seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. I love the idea that it is our heads he is anointing – the seats of our minds, where the devil can easily and quickly destroy our thoughts and emotions, God comes in and anoints us with a barrier against evil. David captures so well the absolute, undying love God has for his children. How he cares for all our needs and protects us against the evil one.
Let’s pray…
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Written by Naomi Ackland, Office Coordinator of Swindon Youth for Christ.