Discovering Shalom in an Ancient Poem Week 7
On June 1st, I tried a different format for my blog—an exploration of an ancient poem found in scripture that has become a staple in my spiritual journey—Psalm 23. I decided to title the series Discovering Shalom in an Ancient Poem. Seven weeks later, I am only on verse 5. Thank you for sticking with me, and if you’d like to review previous posts, please click here.
I want to begin today’s post with a review of the Hebrew word shalom (שָׁלוֹם), which denotes the wholeness of peace for our world, our family, as well as for us as individuals. Shalom represents harmony, interior peace, completeness, prosperity, and welfare, which are embodied in ancient words most probably written by David.
Psalm 23:5 in The King James, my favorite version for this passage, expresses three distinct but related thoughts:
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Psalm 23:5 communicates the overwhelming nature of the Good Shepherd’s gracious hospitality. In the ancient culture of which this poem was written, it was vitally important that good hosts protect their guests. Predators, thieves, and other dangers lurked about, and the Good Shepherd prepared not only his sheep, but he considered all guests with threats of danger in mind.
Romans 8:34 declares that Jesus, who is my good shepherd—your good shepherd—perhaps even at this very moment, is seated next to God the Father praying for us, which I imagine, includes our safety and well-being. That is one of the most humbling and exhilarating thoughts I could ever try to wrap my brain around!
thou anointest my head with oil;
I learned this portion of verse 5 can be explained in three different ways. First, it is a picture of the way the Good Shepherd protects and cares for sheep who are hurting. For instance, pouring protective oil over the head of a sheep was one of the ways a good shepherd provided protective medication. In The Lord is My Shepherd, author Robert Morgan relates a conversation he had at a state fair livestock exhibition. A shepherd/exhibitor told him that applying olive oil to a sheep’s nick or cut was a trick used to help promote quick healing. (p. 149)
In terms of hospitality, anointing a guest’s head with oil was an act of honoring that person. The oil symbolized “shalom.”
A third meaning to this sentence is that in ancient times, when a priest or a king was being set aside for a special leadership role, part of the ceremony included pouring fragrant oil over the head of the anointed one.
Throughout the New Testament, Jesus is often referred to as the “Anointed One.” To take this to even another level, in 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT) Peter told believers, “… you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
my cup runneth over.
Finally, “My cup runneth over.” I don’t imagine we can fathom the vastness of our Good Shepherd’s generosity. Perhaps Paul’s prayer for his friends in Ephesus is some indication of God’s overflowing blessings. In conclusion, I am praying the words of this passage for you right now.
Dear Lord, for every person reading this post, I would like to pray these words of Paul:
“ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)
Blessings on your journey,
