Social Oil

(Pro 27:9 KJV) Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.

Sometimes I am glad I live in modern times.  In the ancient Middle East, as in much of the world, it was considered hospitable to apply oil and ointments to guests.  Today we have so much variety in how people make themselves look that it might not seem strange but we live in the era of shampoo, hair dryers and hair spray.  In those days when you were welcomed into a home they would “anoint your head with oil” like it says in the 23rd Psalm.  It was an insult to not offer it to a guest.

We have our own traditions to make people feel welcome.  Some of us might need to work on them a little more.  On hot days we might offer tea or lemonade.  On cold days coffee or tea.  Part of the ritual is to accept so the person can extend hospitality.  We could probably work on this a bit.  We need to learn to extend hospitality to visitors, to make them feel welcome.

So?  It probably is not considered gracious when someone come to you door to ask, “What do you want?”  It might be a better witness to work on being gracious.  If it is a salesman and they refuse to take “No” for an answer, then you can get more focused in your refusal.  Most of us need to work on hospitality to non-salesmen.