Anointed with Oil
“Thou anointest my head with oil…” Psalm 23:5
Depending on the point in his life at which David wrote this psalm, he may or may not have had personal experience with the anointing of God’s chosen leaders. While he was still young, Samuel came and anointed him king of Israel in Saul’s place, and it may be that he is thinking of this event when he speaks of anointing. Before we dive into the “anointing” of the New Testament believer, I wanted to take moment to look at these words in the Hebrew and see what treasures they may hold for us.
The word translated “anointest” literally means, “to make fat.” It has the idea of prosperity, and is used to refer to the fat burnt as an offering to the Lord (as well as to the ashes thereof.)
The word for “head” means exactly what you would expect, but is often used in Hebrew in its symbolic capacity, to refer to the head as the uppermost part of the body, therefore the most visible or honorable. Something poured on the head would naturally run down the whole body, so to say that God anoints our head is an oblique way of saying He pours fatness (in the sense of prosperity or fruitfulness) upon us, and it trickles down to every part of our being.
Another psalm of David links this idea of completeness with the picture of the anointing oil:
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” (Psalm 133:1-3)
I had always viewed anointing to be just a tiny bit of oil, but imagine how much would have been poured over the head of the priest in order to run down hair and beard, eventually trickling down all the way to the hem of his priestly garments!
I suppose one practical application from this idea is the fact that when God blesses, He is never stingy in His blessing! After all,
“The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it.” Proverbs 10:22
But there is another aspect of anointing that David may have had in mind, and this takes us back to the illustration of sheep and Shepherd. From ancient times through the present, shepherds in different parts of the world have used oil on the heads of their sheep to help with various ailments.
A quick internet search will tell you that shepherds use oil to keep nose flies away. These little irritants buzz around the sheep, making them so unsettled, they sometimes injure or even kill themselves in their panic, trying to keep the flies away. If the flies succeed in landing on the sheep, they crawl into the sheep’s ears and nose, laying eggs that will hatch into larvae.
These tiny worms crawl around in the sheep’s nasal passages, causing such intense discomfort, the sheep will thrash around in bushes or even hit its head against surfaces such as tree trunks, just trying to ease the irritation. The larvae can also lead to infection of the eyes that can leave a sheep blind.
To protect the sheep from the flies, the shepherd will pour oil over the sheep’s head, sometimes mixed with sulfur, to repel the flies and keep the sheep calm and safe.
Another use of oil is to help ease or prevent injury when rams headbutt each other. The oil makes the sheep’s head and horns slippery, so they will slide, redistributing the force of the impact, and keeping the rams from doing serious damage.
Oil has also been used to contain the effects of scab disease and kill the mites that cause it, as well as to heal cuts in the skin.
So, what does that have to do with us, the sheep of the Heavenly Shepherd? There is no definitive chapter and verse on this, but the picture of the shepherd using the oil as an agent of healing, protection, and prevention makes me think of how the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the Christian’s head and heart. The truths of Scripture give peace when we are anxious, comfort when in distress. They soothe sorrows and bring healing to all our emotional wounds—but only if we let our Shepherd apply the oil of His truth.
This oil of truth also defends us from the predatory pests that seek to provoke sinful attitudes, emotions, anger, and bitterness.
Like nose flies, the everyday trials and temptations of life can burrow deep into the most sensitive places of our hearts, and if we don’t apply God’s Word to them, we will end up writhing in anxiety and pain as the maddening discomfort and irritation grow. If left untreated with Scripture, the reactions of our flesh soon become actions, and we will lash out, damaging or even destroying ourselves and those around us in the process.
That is why we need the daily “anointing” with God’s Word. We need each day to go to our Shepherd in prayer, meekly submitting to the anointing of His truth. Then we can go out into this busy world with all its irritants and challenges soothed, healed, and protected.
“Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165