“You anoint my head with oil.” Psalm 23:5

It had been an emotional, exhausting day, but David felt like a new man after resting and eating. He couldn’t neglect his physical needs even during a tumultuous time. Although his dire circumstances didn’t change, David was able to find refreshment for his soul as he felt God’s welcoming presence, His joyful presence, and His healing presence — an anointing.

I’m glad we don’t anoint our heads with oil anymore.
Greasy, stringy hair is not a good look for me.
But it was big in Bible times.

Kings were anointed with oil at their coronations. (2 Sam. 5:3)
Priests were anointed with oil when consecrated for ministry. (Lev. 8:30)
Oil was used to heal sick people. (James 5:14)
It was applied to open wounds. (Luke 10:34)
Oil was a symbol of joy. (Isaiah 61:3; Hebrews 1:9)
Oil was used in lamps to provide light. (Matt. 25:3-4)
A good host always provided oil for guests’ heads. (Luke 7:46)
Solomon really liked his wife’s perfumed oils. (Song of Solomon 4:10)
Jesus was anointed by Mary and He called it “a beautiful thing.” (Mark 14:6)
The oil of anointing is symbolic of the Holy Spirit’s presence. (Luke 4:18)
Jesus’ very name (“Christ”) means “Anointed One”.

My current favorite reference to oil in the Bible is in Matthew 6.
“But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face.” (Matt. 6:17)

“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face.” (Message)

That’s a good word for me today.

These are difficult days, but as long as I stay healthy,
I don’t need to look like a bedraggled, slipshod saint.

Since we are all on a forced “fast” from normal life for a while yet,
let’s not forget to brush our teeth and wash our faces.
Perhaps use a little hairspray.
Maybe even dab on a smidge of perfume.
Ask for a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit.

“Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” Matt. 6:18

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
Psalm 23:5

Back on Day 3, I raised the possibility that David wrote this psalm when he was on the run from his son, Absalom. (Read more about that in 2 Samuel 15-17.)

Absalom was coming fast and furious with his army of twenty thousand. A spy working for David tipped him off and David crossed the Jordan in a nighttime escape with all his people. They came to a place called Mahanaim and stopped to rest.

The next day, three of David’s friends from Gilead —
Shobi, Makir and Barzillai — showed up.
And were they ever a welcome sight.

“They brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, honey, curds and sheep, and cheese from cows’ milk for David and his people to eat.” 2 Samuel 17:28-29

They prepared a table for David in the presence of his enemy.

After you’ve stopped to ponder that for a moment, here are three other thoughts:

David might have stopped at Mahanaim for a good reason. When the patriarch Jacob arrived there, 930 years before David did, angels of God met him and Jacob said, “This is the camp of God!” (Gen. 32:2) Jacob spent the night there, wrestling with the Lord.
Lesson #1: When facing trouble, stop and rest (or wrestle) in the camp of God.

Barzillai’s act of kindness was remembered. “Now Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years of age. He had provided for the king during his stay in Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man.” (2 Samuel 19:32)
When David was nearing death, he advised his son, Solomon, “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.” (1 Kings 2:7)
Lesson #2: When someone else is facing trouble, do what you can to ease their pain, no matter how old you are. A kindness can be remembered for generations and may come back around to you.

David’s three friends brought food and bedding for their king, but David recognized it as provision from God.
Lesson #3: When friends help you out in troubling times, be thankful for them. They are the hands of God.

For more on David and his friends, see
Treasure and More Treasure

“Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

David knew from experience the equipment a good shepherd carried.
A rod was used to fend off predators and protect the sheep from danger.
A staff was used to guide the flock and keep them from going off the path.

David’s comfort came from the knowledge
that his Shepherd was protecting him and guiding him.

We call our favorite cozy blankets “comforters.”
We call home-style food that brings thoughts of childhood “comfort food.”
When Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit,
He used the nickname “The Comforter.”
(John 14:26, KJV)

Unlike a blanket that wears out,
and unlike the fleeting satisfaction of a favorite meal,
this Comforter settles our spirits and reassures our fears from the inside.

We are definitely out of our comfort zones right now.
That uneasiness we feel in our guts is real.
We need to know where to go for such a time as this.
Go to the Comforter.
Then pass some of that comfort on to others.

“God does not comfort us to make us comfortable,
but to make us comforters.”
Dr. John Henry Jowett

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for you are with me.” Psalm 23:4

Did you notice how we are to get through the valley of the shadow?

By walking.
We cannot run through this valley.
There are things to see here.
There are lessons to learn here.
There may even be beauty to behold here.

Did you notice what happens when we keep walking?

We get through it.
We must not set up camp in this valley.
It is not where we dwell.
It is not a permanent residence.
The journey may be hard, but it only lasts for a season.

Did you notice why we fear no evil?

Because He’s with us.
We don’t walk alone through the shadowy valley.
Yes, it might be scary.
Yes, the darkness may hold dangers.
But we stay close to the calm voice of our Shepherd.

Dear Flock,
keep walking
through the valley
with Him.

“He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:3

Years ago, my mother bought a love seat and chair at an auction. The furniture had been stored in a barn for decades. The upholstery was chewed by mice, cobwebs covered the woodwork, and it was peppered with bird poop. My dad drove the truck to pick up mom’s purchase, but only under cover of night so no one would see him hauling pieces of junk home.

Mom spent hours in the basement removing the build-up of grime, stripping down the layers of varnish, and tearing off the tattered cushions. Then, she brought it back to its former glory, she brought it back to life, she restored its soul.

We’ve been covered with a grimy build-up of bad news this week.
We’ve piled on layers of “I’m ok, we’re ok, this is going to be ok” veneer.
Our emotions might be a bit tattered and frayed.
We need a time-out for restoration.

The word “restore” in Hebrew means “to fetch home again”.
Let’s let the Spirit fetch us back home to the Shepherd.

Sundays were created to be restorative —
whether its a run-of-the-mill Sunday
or a-nation-in-crisis Sunday.

When David wrote the 23rd Psalm, he didn’t ask God to restore his kingdom, or his wealth, or his relationship with his son. David asked his Shepherd to take care of his soul, his deepest self, his heart.

We don’t know what the coming week will bring, but we all will be better equipped to handle it if we do some soul care today. Read some scripture, sing a hymn, confess a sin, intercede for others, pray for a miracle, pray for a revival, journal your thoughts, give thanks, be restored.

“You will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

In the eye of the storm He remains in control.
In the middle of the war, He guards my soul.

“He leads me beside still waters.” Psalm 23:2

That’s what I need today.
Still waters.

Do you feel like you’re drowning in a sea of information?
Not today.
Do you sense a current of fear trying to pull you under?
Not today.
Are overwhelming thoughts raining down on you?
Not today.

Today, I will let Him lead me beside still waters.

No scrolling.
No surfing.
No viewing.

Just this.

Be still and know that He is God.
Be still and listen for His voice.

“He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Psalm 23:2

Have you ever tried to make a two year old lie down?

My most recent experience has gone something like this:

It’s nap time, Abel.
He runs away and hides under the piano bench.
You can pick out one toy to take with you.
He crawls out and picks up 3 cars, 5 army guys and a stuffed bear.
I concede.
Daisy Duck, Nonnie?
Oh, yes, let’s read your favorite book before lying down.
He jumps up and down on the couch while I read.
Time for a nap now, Abel.
We go into the bedroom and I tuck him in.
I’m thirsty, Nonnie.
I go get his water bottle. But he wants a Dixie cup from the bathroom, so I put one centimeter of water in a cup and bring it to him.
He arranges his cars and army guys.
I tuck him back in.
I’m hot, Nonnie.
I help him take off his socks. And his pants. And his shirt.
Sing, Nonnie.
I start singing a lullabye.
No, Nonnie. Frosty.
I sing Frosty the Snowman, making up lyrics.
He re-arranges his cars and army guys.
I say, “Let’s close our eyes now and snuggle.”
He cuddles up close, but three army guys fall off the bed.
I convince him that army guys always take naps under the bed.
Ice-cream, Nonnie?
Yes, we’ll have ice-cream after you take a nap.
He wiggles around until the covers come off.
I pretend I’m sleeping.
He puts his little hands on my cheeks and stretches them this way and that.
I keep pretending to be asleep.
He gently takes my eyelashes and lifts my eyelids open.
It’s really hard, but I keep pretending.
He whispers to his cars and drops the other two army guys under the bed.
I am almost asleep.
His two little lips brush across my cheek.
I smile.
He rolls over and falls asleep.

He makes me lie down. 
I fidget and wiggle and resist.
I think about my needs.
I hold on to distractions.
I desire to be entertained.
I want to know what’s going to happen.
I poke at those nearest to me.
Sometimes, He has to make me lie down.

And like a good Father,
He draws near.
He comforts the hurting.
He gives strength to the weary.
He sings over the anxious.
He gives courage to the fearful.

He lays down His life for us.

My soul finds rest in God alone.
Psalm 62:1

I shall not want. Psalm 23:1

When I read this psalm, I always picture a Sunday school version of David, the shepherd boy, sitting on a peaceful hillside on a summer night. He is strumming his lyre as happy lambs are softly baa-ing under the starry sky. I imagine him watching over his contented flock in a lush, green pasture, the sound of a nearby stream gurgling. He reaches for a papyrus scroll from his backpack and begins to write,

“The Lord is my shepherd. I have everything I need.”

Except that’s all wrong. 

When King David wrote this famous psalm, he was probably on the run from his own son, who was trying to depose him and take over the kingdom. David and his entourage had left Jerusalem, weeping openly, in order to avoid conflict with his boy. Things were falling apart in his nation.

For the first time in years, the King found himself away from the palace and sleeping under the stars, reminding him of his sheep-herding days.

Then it hit him.

“The Lord is the one who is shepherding me.” (ISV)
“I do not lack.” (YLT)

David was away from his office, unable to carry on his normal duties, and isolating in the desert. His future was uncertain, he was emotionally spent and physically exhausted. He wasn’t sitting on a peaceful hillside, he wasn’t strumming his lyre, all wasn’t right with the world. Yet, David did reach for a scroll and he did begin to write,

“Yahweh is my shepherd; I will not lack for anything.” (LEB)

That’s what faith sounds like.

The first duty of a sheep is confidence in the Shepherd. — Spurgeon ❤️

The Lord is my Shepherd. Psalm 23:1

What happens to a flock of sheep that has no shepherd?
They panic.
They go helter-skelter all over the pasture.
They cry.
They stay awake all night, bleating and pacing.
They get lost.
They fear being attacked by predators.
Sometimes, they start picking on each other.

What happens to a flock that has a Good Shepherd?
They trust.
They stay close to His side.
They sing.
They lie down and sleep in peace.
They abide.
They take refuge in the shelter of His arms.
They take care of each other.

Let’s be a flock that acts like it has a Shepherd.
Because we do.
He is the Lord.

He is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. 1 Peter 2:25