Contagious diseases, where one person contaminates another, are of special concern to physicians. Typhoid Mary was a carrier of the dreaded typhoid fever. She contaminated people wherever she went. Gotta stop Typhoid Mary! Can’t have her doing that!
In the 23rd Psalm the Psalmist is expressing his gratitude to the Shepherd when he says, “Thou anointest my head with oil.”
Sheep are particularly susceptible to a disease called “scab.” Scab is an irritating and highly contagious condition common among sheep that is caused by a minute, microscopic parasite. Scab spreads throughout the flock by direct contact between sheep. It is found most commonly around the head, and as sheep love to rub heads, the infection spreads rapidly from one to the other.
Phillip Keller makes this comment: “The only effective antidote is to apply linseed oil, sulphur, and other chemicals that can control the disease. In many sheep-rearing countries, dips are built and the entire flock is put through the dip… the most difficult part to do is the head… sheepmen take great care to treat the head by hand.”
Spiritually speaking, there are also infectious diseases that affect our heads. Contaminated thoughts and ideas can become contagious as we influence one another with selfish and sinful ways of thinking – peer influence, among both kids and adults, social pressure to conform to ways of thinking, dressing, and behaving – can infect Christians as well as non-Christians. “Spiritual scab” is a serious condition! How we need the anointing of the Holy Spirit to be influenced only by Christ, NOT by the infectious thoughts of the world.
“Thou anointest my head with oil.”
Say – are you infected with “scab?” Let the Holy Spirit dip you in God’s Word before you contaminate somebody else.