In Ancient Israel, shepherds used oil for three purposes; to repel insects, to prevent conflicts, and to heal wounds.

Bugs bug people, but they can kill sheep. Flies, mosquitos and gnats can be tortuous for livestock. For this reason, the shepherd annoints the sheep. He covers their head with an oil-like repellent, and the fragrance keeps the insects at bay and the flocks at peace. At peace - that is, until mating season.

Most of the year the sheep are calm and passive animals, but during mating season everything changes. The rams put the 'ram' in rambunctious and they strut around the pasture trying to win the attention of the new gal on the block. When a ram catches her eye, he tosses his head back and says " I want ewe baby". About that time her boyfriend shows up, and the two rams lower their heads and POW! - an old-fashioned head-butt breaks out.

To prevent injury, the shepherd annoints the rams by smearing a slippery substance over the nose and head that causes them to glance off, rather than bluntly crash into each other. They tend to get hurt however, and these wounds are the third reason the shpeherd annoints the sheep. Most of the wounds the shepherd treats are simply the result of living in the pasture. Thorns prick, rocks cut or a sheep rubs too hard against a tree, and as a result the shepherd regularly inspects and tends to the sheep, searching for cuts and abrasions; he doesn't want the cuts to worsen. In other words, he doesn't want today's cut to become tomorrow's infection.

Neither does God want that for His sheep. We have our wounds, but our wounds are wounds of the heart that sometimes come from disappointments. If we're not careful, these wounds can lead to bitterness, and so just like the sheep - we need to be treated with oil.

Sheep don't understand how oil heals their wounds; all they know is that something happens in the presence of the Shepherd
.... and that's all we need to know too.