You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured on me. – Psalm 92:10

Today's Scripture Reading (August 19, 2022): Psalms 92 & 93

I love to watch hockey. I enjoyed playing the game when I was younger, although I was never much of a skater. And every year, as General Managers in various leagues try to put their teams together, there is an ongoing argument about the value of speed and agility versus the value of size and strength. Most understand that you cannot win without speed, but they are sure that no team can win without strength, at least not in the full-contact version of the game. Fast, smaller players have a place in the game, but size and strength also need to be present. In fact, the last few National Hockey League teams who have won the Stanley Cup, hockey's highest trophy, have been among the biggest teams in the league.

The same is true with American Football, the other sport I like to watch. Over the past few decades, even the Quarterbacks in the league have gotten steadily stronger and bigger. Some of the great quarterbacks of the past might not even be able to make the rosters of today's teams because they were simply too small. A small, quick running back might be an advantage for an American football club, but only if they have a group of friendly giants holding the line in front of them. Strength is necessary for the ultimate victory of the team.

In ancient times, the horn symbolized strength, but it also performed a second duty. The same horn that symbolized strength also dispensed the oils necessary in the process of anointing. The Psalmist takes advantage of both of these ideas in this passage. He speaks from the reality of God's presence in his life and understands that God has given him the strength of a wild ox, an animal known for its strength and ferocity. But this strength has been poured out on him as God has anointed him. In contemporary times, we might believe that strength and maybe stubbornness are connected to the ox, but in ancient times, the ox had the ferociousness that we might attribute to a lion.

In some Christian circles, we talk about the "anointing of the Holy Spirit which is poured out on us." The language is connected with the prophecy in Joel, which is the language of anointing. Anointing was necessary because it was thought to bring with it God's presence, power, and authority.

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your old men will dream dreams,
    your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days (Joel 2:29)

Again, Joel is employing the language of anointing, which is available to all people. Charles Spurgeon, in his Commentary on Psalms, makes this remark.

Sometimes, when we meet with believers who are full of grace, full of patience, full of courage, full of zeal, full of love, we say, 'I can never get where they are.' Yes, we can, for we shall be anointed with fresh oil, and if we obtain fresh grace there is no place of eminence we cannot reach" (Charles Spurgeon).

I agree that with God's strength and anointing, we can be the Christians we never thought we could be. His true anointing changes who we are, and that anointing is the source of the strength of an ox in our lives. And we need to cling securely to that knowledge.

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalms 94