You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil. Psalm 23:5
Many people are familiar with Psalm 23, but only understand it with modern English translation which lacks the finer details that give us a depth of understanding. If you’re familiar with anointing in the Bible you know it is usually in relation to Holy Spirit and giving people a supernatural strength and enablement.
But this is describing the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. Sheep out in the fields in the Middle East are susceptible to the Bott Fly. These flies make their nests in the nostrils and ears of the sheep, which not only torment them but cause them to bang their heads on rocks and the ground and eventually they die. But anointing their heads with oil repel the flies so they can’t nest.
This is to show us how Holy Spirit protects our minds from the attacks of the enemy who loves to torment us and tries to plant thought in our heads. It’s interesting that in Matthew 12:24-30 the Pharisees accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub. The interesting thing is that Beelzebub means “lord of the flies”. It’s so important that we remember this when he brings his attacks, we might not be able to stop him from attacking, but we can stop him from infesting our thoughts. As soon as those thoughts come we need to speak directly to them with the truth of who we are in Christ and His Word. Always remember that greater is the One who is in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).
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