Anointing Sheep With Oil

howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!

The 23rd Psalm is one of my favorite passages of scripture and I
always figured it to be figurative in meaning. For instance I like the verse
which says "thou anointest my head with oil." Because it is so calming
and reassuring.

However, I was reading something the other day which was very
enlightening to me about the way shepherds would protect their sheep
in Biblical times by literally anointing them with oil.

It was a mixture of Olive Oil and other ingredients, I haven't
researched to know what those are but some of the herbalists on here
probably know or could venture an accurate guess.

The shepherds would anoint the sheep's entire head and rub the
oil in around their eyes and ears especially because there are flies
that will lay their eggs in the sheep's noses and those turn into worms
which can go into the sheep's brain!

source
Those hideous little suckers would drive the poor sheep mad and
they'd bang their heads into rocks to try and get those worms out,
sometimes killing themselves! Total torment.

But when the shepherds would anoint them..a barrier of protection
would be created and peace would come.

And that my friends, is what this verse is saying to us today. The oil
of anointing is His grace and protection for us now. We can ask God
to anoint our heads with His oil.

Do you have worrisome thoughts or mental torment? There is peace
available to us.

here's the 23rd Psalm so you can read it in context:

---

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

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside
the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth 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 thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort
me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth 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 for ever.

---

If anyone has any thoughts on this or knows anything about sheep
or what they used to protect them with, it would be wonderful to
hear from you.

thanks for reading guys, God bless you all!
-jonboy Texas
the gentleman redneck

ps- ya know...you might just be a redneck if:

Your child's first words are "Attention K-Mart shoppers!"

What the mind can conceive and believe... it can achieve!