Looking at Psalm 23 through the lens of suffering (5b)

5b “you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

Sheep get highly bothered by flies in the summer. It effects their behaviour as they become aggravated and restless. Nasal flies can be the worse as they lay eggs inside the sheep’s nose. When hatched they work their way up into the sheep’s head which causes irritation and inflammation. To find relief they will thrash around and knock their heads against rocks, at times causing blindness. 

A good shepherd will recognise the first signs of flies and apply an oil antidote to their heads. Once the oil is applied, the sheep’s behaviour changes immediately. 

We all have ‘flies’ in our lives that cause us to become discontent, restless and at times, panicked and exhausted to the point of giving up. 

The flies have their season with the sheep as they will with us. Seasons come and go. However, occasionally the ‘flies’ can at times, seem permanent. In my own life, I seem to be irritated by my circumstances every single day. 

What’s the remedy? Scripture points us to the oil of the Holy Spirit. He needs to be in control. Just like the sheep have to have a continued application of oil to keep the flies at bay, so we need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. In this way we will have fruit that only He can produce. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, 

When one is suffering deeply it isn’t always easy to allow the Holy Spirit to take control, I must confess. I often feel guilty that I don’t have more joy in my life, more peace, more self control to name a few. 

I know the remedy, but the application can be somewhat difficult at times. 

Keller writes “these autumn days can be golden under Indian summer weather. the sheep have respite now from flies and insects and scab. no other season finds them so fit and well and strong. no wonder David wrote, “my cup overflows. But at the same time, unexpected blizzards can blow up or sleet storms suddenly shroud the hills, the flock and their owner can pass through appalling suffering together”. 

Jesus took the ‘cup’ of suffering for us all. As the people of God we are called to suffer. The cup that he endured at the cross overflows to you and me. The oil of the Holy Spirit needs to work in me and you no matter what we’re going through in life so that we can be the overflow of what He wants to do to those around us. Again, this sounds great and is so true, but can be so difficult when you’re in the midst of deep suffering. 

However, it has often been said of us that we are a blessing just by the fact that we are enduring. We keep going in the midst of great difficulty. Maybe that is a sign of God’s ‘anointing oil’ in our lives and an encouragement to us that others are blessed by seeing the ‘overflow’ out of our cup of suffering. It’s so very true that others see so much more than what we ourselves do. 

Prayer - Dear Lord, In spite of what we go through, Your Word reminds us that You are at work. You’ve given the Holy Spirit to aid us through difficult situations. Help me, help all of us to yield to You so that we can be a blessing to others also. Amen 

I am grateful to Phillip Keller for the insight I have gleaned from his book ‘A shepherd looks at Psalm 23’.