Ah, Culture

Psalm 133:2 (KJV) It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

(Proverbs 13 also read)

Let’s face it, we do not live in ancient Israel.  We do not live in that day and age.  The thought of eating locusts and honey does not send me into ecstasy.  There are many cultural realities of that day that make me recoil.  Here you have a good example.

The idea of pouring oil on my head and rejoicing as it runs down my beard and onto my clothes does not reach me.  I don’t expect that it would thrill you either.  This is where we have to take the context of culture and understand what that would mean to them, and how we can apply it to ourselves.

I’m sure the David thought of this in regard to the anointing that God had given him to be king.  In fact, the word anointing is our word “messiah”.  A messiah is different than The Messiah.  A messiah is simply one who has been anointed.  This applies to the priests and kings.  In modern times, we anoint with oil in ordination services, and we are told to anoint the sick with oil.  It still has a physical meeting.

For us it also has a spiritual meeting.  We would tend to think of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and the image of that anointing running down over our face and under our clothes, should remind us that we want to be cleansed totally, wholly, from to end.

So?  Always put on your thinking cap.  When you see something that seems strange or challenges your ability to understand, turn up the dial and think more deeply.  God could have a message for you that transcends cultural limitations.