…You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (Psalm 23:5)

The overflowing cup is a cup completely filled up, running over and pouring forth; rivers of living water flowing out from deep within (John 7:37-39). Pouring forth from a heart that has received Jesus Christ as the Word of truth; a heart marked and sealed with the oil of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). It is a heart that knows how to drink deeply from the well of salvation (Isaiah 12:3) in the shadow of the Almighty’s wings.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures {delights}. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
(Psalm 36:7-9)

Psalm 23:5 and this image of the overflowing cup being filled and pouring forth living water in abundance was on my heart recently. It inspired me to see a beautiful clear cup being filled and running over with splashing blue water which drenches anything that is near. Part of the reason this cup splashes over is because the water is poured on to a dove that is already in the cup. Like Psalm 23, there was a sense that the promise of the overflowing cup was not only for the present, but also for the future and forever.

This made me think about my cup overflowing and pouring forth. My cup can only overflow and pour forth after receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior thru the Holy Spirit. My cup can continue to pour forth in the future and forever only thru the Holy Spirit. My cup overflows and pours out only because Jesus Christ poured himself out first.

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
(Isaiah 53:12)

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation{emptied, poured out Himself}, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. …But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.
(Philippians 2:5-11, 17)

Jesus Christ poured out as a drink offering!

What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the LORD.
(Psalm 116:12-17)

The overflowing cup, pouring forth, I never realized before that this image represents the pouring out of a drink offering! From the above psalm this pouring out of a drink offering was part of a thank offering.

To take the cup offered at a banquet and drink was a sign of thanksgiving! This is especially significant in regards to Psalm 23:5-6. For it’s at these verses that the imagery of the Good Shepherd turns into the gracious host who has prepared a feast for honored guests. The Shepherd prepares the table as the host of a banquet and invites the sheep as honored guests to come. The Lord, a God of abundant provision prepares a royal banquet! The table prepared in the presence of enemies may reflect the custom that a person could not be attacked while eating in another’s tent/house. You are safe from your enemies while eating in God’s dwelling!

It was also a custom to anoint guests at feasts. Honored guests were anointed with perfumed oil. The anointing oil when mixed with perfume refreshed and revived the guest. It was applied to the face, head and hair of the guest. For the rest of the feast that person would then smell the sweet perfume. It was a way of welcoming the honored guest to let them know that they were cared for and loved.

The cup running over speaks of abundance and drinking one’s fill at the Lord’s table. The picture of the Lord as host filling the honored guest’s cup to overflowing also has a custom behind it. When you came to a person’s house (even if a stranger) you were offered a cup of wine or water along with a meal. As long as the cup was being refilled you were welcome to stay; if the cup remained empty it was time to go. If the host enjoyed your company and decided that you could stay as long as you liked, the cup would be filled to the rim and overflow. This overflowing cup was only offered to special guests because in the desert you just don’t waste water or wine. So the Lord as host, by offering the overflowing cup is saying, stay as long as you want, I have an abundant supply of wine, oil and bread to meet your needs both now and forever.

[The Lord provides] wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart.
(Psalm 104:15)

By drinking the cup offered, the cup of salvation, the honored guest was giving a sign of thanks; a thank offering for all Christ has poured out for us. This sacrifice of thanksgiving is only possible after the honored guest drinks the cup of salvation offered! This realization made me take an even closer look at the drink offering. The drink offering is part of the thank offering and also part of the burnt offering making a sweet aroma to the LORD.

…and you make an offering by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering or in your appointed feasts, to make a sweet aroma to the LORD, from the herd or the flock, then he who presents his offering to the LORD shall bring a grain offering of one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of oil; and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering you shall prepare with the burnt offering or the sacrifice, for each lamb.
(Numbers 15:3-5)

The drink offering is poured out on the burnt offering along with the grain offering mixed with oil. Lambs were used as burnt offerings. Jesus as our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) is a picture of a burnt offering. Jesus seen in both the drink offering and the burnt offering! Just what do these three offerings: the drink, the burnt and the grain mixed with oil represent? This question made me think of John 6 where Jesus talks about His body and blood. When Jesus says my flesh is real {true} food and my blood is real {true} drink (John 6:55) it’s a picture of His blood as a drink offering (Philippians 2:17; 2 Timothy 4:6) and His body as a grain offering; the wine and the bread mixed with the oil of the Holy Spirit!

The overflowing cup, pouring forth in abundance, because Christ first drank the cup His Father set before Him (Matthew 26:42; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25). It’s only because of Christ’s sacrifice that we can have communion with Him and with each other. Because of Christ’s sacrifice we can drink, be filled and pour forth from the cup of salvation; a cup of joy.

…and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. …Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
(1 Corinthians 10:4, 16-17)

How beautiful is the cup of salvation lifted up; a cup overflowing with thanksgiving for all Christ has and is pouring out on us. Blood poured out from the broken body of the spotless Passover Lamb. Spiritual drink, spiritual food offered and consumed in the presence of His people. Living water flowing in abundance from the Rock (1 Corinthians 10:3-4; Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11; Psalm 78:15) Sing to the well, the well of your salvation, with the rod of your mouth strike the Rock that it may yield it’s living water for all who are thirsty to drink (Numbers 21:16-18; Numbers 20:8; Isaiah 11:1-4; Revelation 22:17)!
Drink from the cup of salvation, be filled from the river of delights; the fountain of life. Let your cup of joy run over and over flow! Pour forth! (Psalm 51:15)

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
(Hebrews 13:15)

You haven’t tried this before, but begin now. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and your cup of joy will overflow.
(John 16:24 LB)