Baa Baa

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Psalms 23:5 NASB

There is meme floating around the internet that has an illustration of a sheep having its head covered with oil because sheep stick their heads into places where it can get caught and the oil lets them pull it out easier. The inference is that as people we stick our heads in places it doesn’t belong and the anointing of the Lord’s oil will get us out of the trouble.

It was suggested that I return to this Psalm to sing the praise of the meme, as it was so good. I think the following from history states my intent here:

From Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, spoken by Marc Antony. “Friends, Romans, country-men, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

I cannot in good conscious praise this meme. My father-in-law raised sheep and we never poured oil on them. Research indicates that it is done only for medicinal purposes. The whole intent of this of this meme is not based in reality. Further research indicates that the anointing was with spiced oil, not poured as the meme purports, but used as a perfume to make the guests at the table smell better. Hygiene was not what it is today and there were no deodorants.

So, you may ask, what’s my beef with the sheep meme? It is the blatant misuse of Scripture to purpose a false fact, or if you will, a lie. This verse is about God welcoming us to the banquet table and anointing us with oil for the express purpose of making us presentable to the Host of the table, our God and Father, and the other representatives of the Kings court. On my own, I can’t come to this table. Because the Lord is my shepherd, I get cleaned up, suitable for presentation to the table.

We now live in a society that is intent on telling “false facts.” In recent days major news outlets made a wild claim that was debunked within hours. Most news agencies retracted the story, with an apology. One major news source stood by the story. Why? To push a false narrative that damaged the person they had opposed before. That attitude is creeping into the church world. It is nothing less than the work of the enemy to destroy sincere Christians and to deceive them.

It is good to be sincere, just make sure you are not sincerely wrong. Don’t be gullible, check the facts. The person who suggested that I revisit Psalm 23 in light of the meme is very close to me, and was sincerely excited by the meme. When I shared the real reason for the oil, they were appreciative. In my opinion, the true reason for the anointing with oil is a whole lot more exciting than oil to get myself out of stupid places I stick my head.

That is my take on the situation. If you sincerely disagree, that is okay, just be sure that your disagreement is based on real facts, not a false narrative.