Ps 23 Part 5

THE SHEPHERD

A study of the 23rd Psalm

Part 5

“He Prepares, He Anoints”

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

4 Yea, 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.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Ps 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”

Let’s remember that the 23rd Psalm is written by David, who had been a shepherd long before he was a king. So he writes this beloved psalm from the viewpoint of a genuine shepherd with intimate knowledge of taking care of sheep.

The context of the fifth verse is that the sheep are approaching the high mountain country where they will spend the summer months. These ranges are known as tablelands or mesas (the Spanish word for “tables”).

So when David says, “You prepare a table before me,” he’s not talking about a dinner table, but the entire summer range where the sheep will graze.

Early in the season, even before all the snow is gone, he will go ahead of them to survey the land. He takes along a supply of salt and minerals to be distributed over the range at strategic spots for the benefit of the sheep.

He inspects the grass and other vegetation in the area. He looks for poisonous weeds and aggressively removes them or leads the sheep to areas where they don’t exist.

All of this was in the back of David’s mind when he wrote these lines. He thought of how God shepherded him through His word to guide him safely amongst predators and dangers. We think of psalms like Ps. 119:

“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word” (vs.9). God’s word keeps us pure.

“Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me” (vs. 133). God’s word guides us.

“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments” (vs. 176). God’s word retrieves us when we stray.

Notice how David always connected God’s shepherding of him to the Word of God!

And David knew that, as he went ahead of his sheep to prepare the tablelands for their arrival, our great Good Shepherd likewise goes ahead of us in every situation, anticipating what dangers we may encounter, and praying for us that in it we might not succumb!

Not only does the shepherd clear out the poisonous weeds and find the best grass for the sheep to graze in, he also looks out for the predators of the area. Wolves, coyotes, cougars, and bears regularly raid and kill sheep. When they appear, the shepherd must go hunt them down or trap them so that the sheep can rest in peace.

These predators can often be seen up on the rim rock watching every move the sheep make, hoping for a chance to pounce. The shepherd is well aware of this, and only his alertness can keep them safe.

Our Good Shepherd does the same thing. He knows every wile and trick of the devil and his demons. Scripture rightly compares our adversary to a predatory lion who is, “always seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).

A classic example of this is when Jesus warned Peter that Satan had asked to sift him like wheat. We see that Jesus was already out in front of the devil, and had already gone ahead of Peter and prayed for him: “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Lk. 22:32).

The devil wanted to devour Peter through shame and defeat. But Jesus spotted the adversary, so to speak, peering over the rimrock of hell at Peter, and stepped in to pray for his disciple. Peter survived his fierce trial and the predator, Satan, was defeated!

Another thing the shepherd does before leading his sheep to the tablelands is check out the watering holes, springs, and drinking places. He removes twigs, leaves, stones, and dirt that may have fallen into the water source.

The parallel for us Christians is obvious. Our Good Shepherd has already gone ahead of us and prepared glorious sources of pure, clean water. He gave His word, which Paul said Jesus uses to cleanse us like water: “That he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word” (Eph. 5:26).

He gave us His Spirit, which He compared to water, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Is. 12:3).

He told the woman at the well that He had water (speaking of the Holy Spirit) that, once she drank of, she would never thirst again.

Now, keep in mind that the tableland was on the mountaintop. It was a mountaintop experience for the sheep. And the Christian walk is often a mountaintop experience where our Good Shepherd has led us to a spiritual high point. He has prepared the “table” in plain view of the devil who would demoralize and destroy us if he could.

But let’s keep it real. Even though the shepherd goes ahead of the sheep to prepare the way, it does not mean they will not have problems. Predators can still attack; poisonous weeds can still grow; storms can still suddenly appear.

Yet our Good Shepherd makes even those things somehow work for His glory and our good. He promises gladness amidst our sadness. Some delightful days amongst the dark days; sunshine as well as shadow. No matter what we pass through, our Shepherd is right by our side!

Say with me: “He prepares a table before me while the enemy watches on!”

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Let’s recap before launching into the second part of this verse. David is recounting the key events of a full year in the sheep’s life. He takes us with him from the home ranch where every need is so carefully supplied by the owner, onto the green pastures, along the still waters, up through the mountain valleys to the high tablelands of summer we just explored.

In verse 5 they are in the high meadows in a sublime setting where there are clear running springs; where the forage is fresh and tender; where there is the intimate close contact with the shepherd.

But suddenly there is an issue—a “fly in the ointment” so to speak. It just so happens that summer time is “fly time.” Hordes of insects emerge in the warm weather to harass the sheep. There are warble flies, bot flies, heel flies, nasal flies, deer flies, black flies, mosquitoes, and gnats.

The sheep are especially troubled by the nasal fly that lays its eggs in the sheep’s nasal passages to produce larvae that literally crawl up into the sheep’s head bringing torment. For relief they will literally beat their heads against trees or rocks. In extreme cases a sheep may even kill itself to find relief from the torment.

The sheep’s only hope from this torment is once again the shepherd. At the very first sign of flies he will apply an antidote to their heads, smearing it also over the sheep’s nose. Acting as an insect repellent, this makes an incredible difference with the sheep. The aggravation, fear, and torment are gone.

It’s easy to see the application for us today. How easy it is for we human beings to get a fly in the ointment of our thinking. Petty annoyances, offenses, distractions, all the way to burning issues can carry us to the point of despair.

The devil plants thoughts that can harass and torment us. It’s easy to see his success in this as we look around at our society today. People are angry, irritable, miserable, filled with hate, offenses, and fear.

Some choose self-medication to numb the torment. Others turn to false philosophies or religions in search of answers. Still others just live in misery not knowing what to do.

But for the Christian there is anointing oil from the hand of our Good Shepherd! First, God has given us the peace and calm of His Spirit. He brings the “peace that passes all understanding” (Phil 4:7). But it’s important to note that just as one application from the shepherd is not enough to ward off the flies for the whole summer, just one touch from God’s Spirit is not enough to ward off the distractions of this world. We need a daily touch from His Spirit!

The daily touch of the Spirit of God produces in our character the opposite of what we see in the world. The fruits of joy, contentment, love, patience, and peace begin to appear. This time spent in God’s presence is what David had in mind when he wrote, “You anoint my head with oil.”

Along with the maddening insects are also the parasites that cause what is called “scab-time.” Scab is an irritating and highly contagious disease among sheep that spreads throughout a flock by direct contact. Sheep love to rub heads together in a show of affection and when they do so the disease is spread.

Again, the only answer is the anointing oil. But this time their whole body must be dipped like we would take a dog for a flea dip.

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Likewise, it is when we “rub heads” with others that we often pick up diseased ideas, emotions, offenses, and world views. There is no way we can talk or spend consistent quality time with a person without picking up their attitudes, ideas, or thoughts.

Especially in today’s world of mass media we are in grave danger of picking up “thought disease.” Ideas and views that are totally contrary to Scripture abound on the internet and in social media. Countless parents have watched their children’s attitudes and ideas undergo radical change once they went on Facebook or some other forum.

This is why the Bible advises us, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Phil 4:8).

The only way to attain such a mind free of the world’s contamination is to apply the oil of God’s Word to our heads. As we read and meditate on God’s Word, the oil of His Spirit is applied to our thoughts, chasing out ungodly ones and replacing them with God’s thoughts.

But here’s the deal—WE have to do it! It is our decision whether or not we want to free our thought life. As the old saying goes, God can lead us to the water but He can’t make us drink. He has given us the oil of His Spirit and Word, but we must apply it.

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Also in the body of Christ at large, Christians not only, as it were, rub heads affectionately through godly fellowship, but they also bump heads in conflict, causing offenses. I can tell you as a pastor of many years that much of the grief, the wounds, the hurts, the ill will, and the grudges in Christian’s lives can be traced back to old conflicts that were never healed or forgiven.

This Sunday throughout the American church scene, untold thousands of people will refuse to go to church due to unresolved, unforgiven offenses. The oil of God’s Word is available, but they will stubbornly refuse it.

A wonderful thought to begin the day with is that the Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is there for us every morning when we awake to anoint our heads with the oil of His Spirit and His Word. He wants us to walk out the door filled with His peace and strength!

Let’s say together, “He anoints my head with oil.” Amen.