The Anointing

The Anointing

[1 Sammuel 16.1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.” 2And Samuel said, “How can I go?

If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.” 4So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem.

And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. 6So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him.

For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 8So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel.

And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12So he sent and brought him in.

Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.] So we understand that before a person can be anointed, they must first be chosen by God.

Man does not ultimately choose whom God will use; it is God who chooses the person. We may judge by outward appearance, stature, status, education, knowledge, or ability, but God looks straight into the heart, where nothing is hidden or buried. He sees every motive, every thought, and every intention.

God’s choice is not based on what impresses people but on what He sees within. Those whom God chooses, He also anoints and equips for the work He has prepared for them.

Appoints & Anoints

We are beginning to see a clear pattern throughout the Scriptures: God chooses, He appoints, and then He anoints. We have just read how God chose David to be king over Israel. He was then appointed through Samuel’s anointing with oil, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him from that day forward, empowering him to fulfil the role God had given him.

Now let us turn our attention to Jesus Christ. Just as David was anointed for his calling as king, Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to fulfil a far greater mission

Luke 4:16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. ¹⁷And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; ¹⁹To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” ²⁰Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

Here we see the true nature of God’s anointing. Jesus does not speak of being anointed with oil. Instead, He declares, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me.” The anointing is by the Holy Spirit.

The oil used in the Old Testament pointed forward to this greater reality. It symbolised the Holy Spirit, but in Christ the reality has come. Jesus was not empowered by ceremonial oil; He was anointed by the Holy Spirit Himself. Jesus describes the works the Spirit had empowered Him to do: to preach the good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom to the captives, give recovery of sight to the blind, set the oppressed free, and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

The anointing of the Holy Spirit always equips God’s chosen servant to accomplish the work God has called them to do

What About Us

We are assured that when we are Chosen, Called and Anointed by the same Holy Spirit, who sets us a part for the work of God, we have everything we need as John tells us. 1 John 2.24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life. 26These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

And echoed again by Paul -2 Corinthians 1.19

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. 20For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 21Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Use Your Anointing

Now the message comes back to us. The Scriptures affirm that the same Holy Spirit who anointed Jesus now dwells in every believer. When we repented, believed the gospel, were baptised into Christ, born again, and sealed with the Holy Spirit, we received His abiding presence. With this in mind, each of us needs to ask a very important question:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to…”

How would you finish that sentence? Maybe your mind goes blank. Maybe you’re unsure. Maybe you simply don’t know. If that is where you are today, don’t be discouraged. In a few moments we will take time to come before the Lord and ask Him to reveal His purpose for our lives. The anointing of God is not given for status or recognition.

It is God’s Holy Spirit working through His chosen people to accomplish His extraordinary purposes. It is His power enabling you to fulfil the mission He has entrusted to you, to use the gifts He has given you, and to bear fruit that brings glory to Christ. God has not called any of His children to live without purpose.

He has chosen you, saved you, filled you with His Spirit, and equipped you for the good works He prepared beforehand for you to walk in.

A Time of Prayer

Lord when we don’t know, we ask the Holy Spirit to remind us and to teach us and help us fulfil the work for God But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.