God's Anointed

"Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm." (Psalm 105: 15)

By God's "anointed," in the above Psalm of David, reference is made to the Hebrew partriarchs, to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, yea, to the entire Hebrew nation. They are designated as God's "anointed." It is because of this anointing that the patriarchs and Israelites enjoyed blessing and divine protection from Lord God. It is because of the divine anointing that enemies, the non-anointed, are warned against harming his anointed.

This anointing is closely associated with God's election. God anoints those he chooses as his own. God's elect are God's anointed, and God's anointed are God's elect.

Here are some examples of the manner in which public officials, such as prophets, kings, and priests, were publicly and visibly "anointed" in the Old Testament, under the direction and instruction of Lord God himself.

"Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him...And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him." (Exodus 29: 7, 21)

"And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them." (Leviticus 8: 10)

"Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his (Saul's) head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?" (I Samuel 10: 1)

"Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah." (I Samuel 16: 13)

Thus we have described the manner of anointing kings and priests in Israel. This ceremony is full of theological significance, a figure or type that God gave in order that men might see in it something of the coming of the Messiah and the institution of the "new covenant," the covenant that is the source of salvation for every sinner.

"Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense..." (Exodus 25: 6 & 35: 8)

"And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil." (Exodus 30: 25)

Oil, in the Old Testament (Covenant) religious ceremonies and rituals, was a type and symbol of the Holy Spirit of God. When David was anointed, the text says that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and was with him "from that day forward." This significance of anointing and oil is also carried through into the writings of the New Testament.

The title "Christ" literally means "anointed." Every king, priest, and prophet in Israel was thus a "christ" or "anointed one."

"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." (Psalm 2: 1-3 & Acts 4: 25)

"Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." (Psalm 45: 7 & Hebrews 1: 9)

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." (Isaiah 61: 1)

Thus were the Old Testament references to the coming of the Messiah, God's Christ, God's anointed Savior, prophet, priest, and king. After the arrival of Christ, and after his baptism of John the Baptist, Jesus was proclaimed as God's "anointed."

"...thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed..." (Acts 4: 27)

"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." (Acts 10: 38)

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 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; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." (Psalm 133: 1-3)

So, the head of the church, the body of believers, was first "anointed" with the Holy Spirit. This officially and visibly occurred when Christ began his public ministry by being immersed in water by John the Baptist, his ambassador.

At the baptism of Jesus the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus (the head of the church body) and anointed him, both water and Spirit covering his entire physical body and person, and later covering also his spiritual body.

This occurred in a visible and corporate way on the Day of Pentecost, in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit descended and covered the church, the body of Christ. Here we see the oil descending from the head (Christ) down to the rest of the body. Every believer in Jesus is anointed when he is born again of the Holy Spirit.

"Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." (II Corinthians 1: 21, 22)

"But the anointing (or unction) which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (I John 2: 27)

"But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." (I John 2; 20)

"Unction" is from the Greek word "chrisma," and according to Strong, means:

"...anything smeared on, unguent, ointment, usually prepared by the Hebrews from oil and aromatic herbs. Anointing was the inaugural ceremony for priests."

When a sinner is saved by his being "born again" of the Holy Spirit, wherein he is made a believer and given the gift of repentance, he is anointed, and he goes forth from his baptism in Christ, his "inaugural ceremony," equipped for service, and smelling better too, spiritually speaking. The anointing is the source of our instruction in the faith, the reason why we see the truth as it is in Jesus.

If you will come to Christ today and receive of his Spirit and grace, you too can be so anointed spiritually and be able to say with David - "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." (Psalm 23: 5)