Psalm 23 Study Part 3

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth 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 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. The first half of the scripture usually invokes a sense of peace on the part of the sheep. If a sheep can eat in the presence of his enemies, surely he trusts that his shepherd will keep him safe. While spiritual battles rage around us and our lives, we can continue to receive spiritual sustenance without worry--our Shepherd is on duty and He is the one who provides our spiritual food.

I've also heard this scripture preached in this manner: When you are in a spiritual battle, the Lord has prepared a table of Biblical morsels for you (The Word=The Bread of Life). You should continue to feast on the Word of God in front of the enemy. The Word reminds us that we are "more than conquerors through him that loved us." Then, we can remind the enemy.

A more recent explanation I've heard is the following: In various cultures of long ago, there was a certain form for celebrating a victory. The victorious king would summon the defeated king and his captured subjects to watch as the victorious king ate a victory feast. In other words, when the Shepherd prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies, the victory has already been declared.

Thou anointest my head with oil

There are a couple of different reasons that shepherds anoint sheep with oil. One of the reasons is that certain oils could be placed on wounds to protect them from infection and help them heal. The oil could also offer a soothing effect to the sore areas.

The main reason, however, for anointing sheep with oil is as follows: because the oil will keep flies from irritating the sheep. This is Very important for Christians to understand. We know that one of the names in the Word for our enemy is Beelzebub--lord of the flies.

The problem with flies irritating sheep is that the flies want to lay eggs in the nose of the sheep. When the larvae hatch, they go up the nose and into the head--causing sores and great distress for the sheep. If this course of action takes place, the sheep kind of loose their minds in a sense. They can't focus on anything except what's going on inside their heads. They bang their heads up against trees and rocks, and the stress effect can cause chaos throughout the whole flock.

Now, let's put on our Spiritual thinking caps: replace "flies" with "demons" and "sores in the head" with "lies from the enemy." If the enemy is allowed to implant lies that fester in our minds, we lose focus on the Lord. We sometimes literally feel like banging our heads up against the wall, don't we? (the resemblance to sheep is amazing!) If many in the congregation are experiencing the same thing, next thing you know, dissension beings to occur throughout your whole church. So, how do we prevent it?

Allow your Shepherd to anoint your head with oil--which we all know represents the Holy Spirit. If your head is anointed with the "Voice of Truth" then lies can't find a way to impregnate themselves in your mind.

Do keep in mind that a shepherd will anoint the sheep on a daily basis. We, too, should get a fresh anointing daily. Kneel down before your Shepherd and ask Him to pour out that oil!
My cup runneth over

This is most often preached in connection to the anointing oil...I want my shepherd to pour so much of the anointing on my head that it's more than I can contain! The great thing about having a cup that's running over is that you have All that you need plus enough to share with someone else! In other words, you are fully prepared for ministry--for whatever ministry the Lord has called you. If he's called you to feed the hungry, you'll have enough to fill your own belly plus more to share with others. If he's called you to teach, He'll give you all the knowledge you need Plus some. Whatever the need is, we serve a God of More Than Enough. Ephesians 3:20-21 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Now, this verse pretty much speaks for itself, but there is one cool thing that I have to point out. The word "Follow" here doesn't mean that it's just gonna follow you wherever you go. It means So much more than that! According to The Strong's, the word for "Follow" here means: run after, chase, hunt, pursue. In other words, If God Almighty is your Shepherd and you are following Him on the path of righteousness, Goodness & Mercy will hunt you down! You don't even have to go looking for the blessings. They Will Pursue You!

If you've noticed a part of your life where you don't feel like goodness & mercy are hunting you, check to make sure that you are on the path of righteousness and following the Shepherd. Remember that when the Shepherd leads, the sheep goes to amazing places, but when the sheep goes off on it's own, it gets lost in the valley of the shadow of death. Nevertheless, our Shepherd knows where we are at all times and will rescue his sheep. We serve such a Good Shepherd!

Jesus said:
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

(John 10:11)

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

(John 10: 14)