Episode 17: The Anointing
What is the anointing? In the Old Testament, there was a process and a product, an anointing oil that was consecrated and used to sanctify a person for a specific role. And the anointed person was the one who had undergone the process of being anointed with the oil. This would include priests, kings of Israel or the High Priests of Israel. It wasn’t just this physical ritual though, the anointing also had a spiritual component to it. In that, those who were anointed were signified as having the Holy Spirit upon them and usually would have the Holy Spirit come upon them. This was back in a time when the Holy Spirit would come upon specific people, rather than how it is now. The anointed person would and could experience the full power of the Holy Spirit, empowering them for the specific role they were to play. The most famous and possibly memorable occasion of anointing would be that of David, who is anointed with oil by Samuel for the role of King.
The word anointing occurs around 26 times in the Old Testament and 3 in the New Testament. We obviously can't go through all entries, but I have picked out a handful of significant ones that may help to understand it.
Exodus 29:29 is where we see the first person being anointed, and that person is Aaron and His sons as part of their role as priests
In Exodus 40:9 God instructs the people to anoint the tabernacle and all its furniture so that it will be holy
In 1 Samuel 10, Saul is anointed by Samuel who says: “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies.” So you can see how the anointing was for a specific goal, in this case saving the Lord’s people from their enemies
In 1 Samuel 16, David is anointed as King. This is the famous story, where Samuel comes to Jesse, David's Father, as directed by God. He meets Jesse’s 3 other sons, and based on their appearance thinks it must be one of them. David isn’t even there, he is out in the fields with the sheep. But God says that David is the one, and makes the remarkable statement “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” That’s in verse 7. It’s important to note that in verse 13, we see that the Spirit came upon David from that day forward.
So interestingly, Psalm 105:15 and 1 Chronicles 16:22, both saying “Touch not my anointed ones,” and it specifically refers to the Lord's prophets not leaders or kings.
Then there is Isaiah 10:27 which is where we get the statement that the anointing breaks the yoke, but this is actually a really difficult passage and it’s quite unclear. The word anointing in this instance, is also used interchangeably with ‘fat’ in various versions of the Bible. So I wouldn’t exactly rely on this one for defining the anointing.
And the last reference from the Old Testament we will note is the passage Isaiah 61:1, which says
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
Isaiah is prophetically speaking as the Messiah. And this passage is read out in a Synagogue by Jesus in Luke 4 to affirm the fulfilment of scripture as the Messiah.
I just want to mention one last passage in the New Testament that I find really unusual and interesting. It is in 1 John 2:27 and it says:
“But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
It would seem as though this passage is suggesting that teaching is obsolete in the church, when you have the anointing. Now obviously there are many different opinions about this passage and no doubt there are grave risks of misunderstanding it. But it is important to note the context. This community had many false apostles and prophets who were supposedly having visions and prophecies that were directly from God. But they were not aligned with the doctrine that the apostles had taught. Now it is possible that John so trusted the believers in this community, that He believed that the anointing and the accountability they had amongst the believers was enough for them to live, rather than to continue risking being led astray by these false apostles. If that is so, it is unlikely to be a message for every Christian. And certainly not for a lot of believers today, who often don’t have the same kind of accountability that existed in the early church. But it also doesn’t mean that God is saying that teaching is not needed. But it would seem that it would be better to be without teaching, being led by the Holy Spirit, if that teaching was false and leading people astray.
So why do we need to talk about this?
In the epic saga between Saul and David, there is this situation that occurs that is often referred to when Pastors and Leaders are reprimanded or allegations are made. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, it is a terribly misused piece of scripture that even grooms congregations for spiritual abuse. And sets leaders up for sin.
For some context, Saul is King but He has fallen short. The text in 1 Samuel 15, tells us that God has rejected Him. By the time we get to this passage, David has already been anointed by Samuel. And He is on the run from Saul, who has threatened Him and many others. David has been hiding out, and amazingly, Saul happens to be in a vulnerable position with no idea that David has a legitimate opportunity to take His life. David's men are imploring Him to kill Saul. He has been a disastrous king, and so many atrocities have occurred under His leadership. But David refuses to take the opportunity, but instead he cuts off a corner of his robe. But even that makes him feel guilty! And then he makes the following statement, so often quoted:
“He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.”(1 Samuel 24:16)
In other words, don’t touch the anointed. And that is literally what I have heard regurgitated. I have observed my fair share of church conflicts, and inevitably, despite what the situation might be...someone will say to me “Yeah but Mel, people shouldn’t touch the anointed”. And I facepalm, because yet another Christian has decided to echo a statement that they heard somewhere, without considering the full picture.
Ok so firstly, a general comment. There is nowhere in scripture where God fails to hold a sinful leader accountable. He may forgive them, but He doesn’t pretend their sin didn’t happen. Even Jesus confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees. And the Apostles confronted the False Apostles and Prophets in the early church. There is nothing more important to the Shepherd than the sheep, and therefore God has a particular interest in leaders when they sin and lead the sheep astray. Now we aren’t perfect, so there is grace for the leader too. But you get my point. The sin of leaders is not overlooked, even if grace is given.
Now here’s some specific thoughts about this passage. David said that it was not for Him to touch the anointed right. So here’s the thing, Saul was no longer the anointed. The scriptures are really clear in 1 Samuel 15:26 to say that God had rejected Saul. If that isn’t specific enough for you the scriptures are clear that the spirit had left Saul, prior to David ever making this statement about touching the anointed. In 1 Samuel 16:14 it says:
“Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.”
The very reason David was playing music to Saul, was because the absence of the Holy Spirit had allowed another spirit to torment him. And right in between this passage about Saul being rejected, and the Spirit of the Lord departing Saul...is the passage where David is anointed as King, in which the passage is really clear that the Holy Spirit that was no longer upon Saul...immediately came upon David. If the anointing represents the person who is chosen by God, whom the Holy Spirit sits upon, Saul was definitely not anointed...and in fact David was. So when David said he couldn’t touch Saul, the anointed, it was an inaccurate statement. So what in the world did He mean? What was really going on here?
There are three really amazing things that David's choice illuminates for us as believers. Three lessons that we cannot afford to miss that get overshadowed by this “don’t touch the anointed” concept.
The passage tells us that David's men were encouraging Him to kill Saul. Just before David cuts the corner of His robe they tell him in 1 Samuel 24:4:
“Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’”
Now there is nowhere in scripture that we can see David receiving this message from God. There are statements that might allude to the possibility that David ends Saul's life, but it was not at all clear that the way in which Saul's reign would end by David taking His life. God was clear that David would be king. That was the only promise given. He didn’t give David any details as to how this would occur. The point is: David was not going to touch Saul, because God had not said for Him to. Now this is the complete opposite to Saul. The very reason Saul lost the anointing, was because He was told to wait. He was supposed to wait for Samuel the Prophet to come and do a ritual that only a priest could do. But in Saul's impatience He completed the ritual without Samuel, so that He could have favour for the battle. He shortcuts the process. If David had killed Saul He would have done exactly the same thing. Taken a short cut, and begun His rulership with sin on his hands. Being faithful is not just about doing what God asks us to, it’s also about ONLY doing what God has asked us to.
2. David demonstrates another principle that I believe is like a foreshadowing of Jesus and his example. David had the opportunity given to Him on a platter. Saul is there, in a vulnerable position. He was not able to defend himself in this position. He could have ended His life and nobody would have been disappointed. But David doesn’t. The principle is...Having the power and opportunity to act, doesn’t mean you should take action. In fact, this is the greatest display of humility. Jesus himself had all power in heaven and on earth to remove the power of Rome and eradicate the power of the oppressive religious leaders. The power was in His hands. But instead, he takes the path of humility and dies on a cross. If Jesus had used the actual power, the potential that was in His hands it would have done nothing but provide a temporary reprieve from the injustices of that day, which were no doubt a result of the sin and evil in the world. But instead he humiliates himself on the cross, so that all might have a chance at a life without sin as our master. Even God makes a promise that He will never again flood the earth as He did in the time of Noah. He has the power to! But He will not use that power in this way again.
All of us have a degree of power. You may not feel like it, but you do. You have choices, even when they seem limited. You have the choice over your perspectives. And when you have power over other people, it doesn’t mean that you use the full force of that power to get what you want. Which is exactly what Saul did. He used all the power at His hands to try and kill David, to kill the threat to His position. But none of that could rival the power in God's hand to bring His will to pass. Power and opportunity are not meant to be the determining factors in how we make choices in life.
3. The last lesson we learn through this story, requires us to read a little bit. After David regrets his choice to cut the corner of Saul's robe, he does something quite amazing. In verse 8 of 1 Samuel 24, David runs after Saul, out of the cave. This man who He is trying to kill him...David runs after him to say:
““Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’?
See if David had taken Saul's life, he would have been doing something that He actually didn’t really want to do. David's men wanted him to kill Saul, but David really had no hard feelings against Saul. Or maybe he had compassion because this was His best friends father.
Whatever it was, he was disappointed that Saul could have thought that David wanted to harm him! What David really wanted was peace between them. He wanted peace more than being king. David did need to rush the process of becoming king. He knew it was going to happen. He didn’t see Saul as the barrier to his kingship.
Regardless of the kingship, and who was anointed, David knew that before God Him and Saul were brothers. They were kin. They were not meant to be enemies. The enemies were beyond the Israelite people. Between them, peace was way more important than power and rights. A point that Saul missed.
All of these are much more significant points than whether to touch the anointed. See the truth is, none of us should touch any other brother and sister in Christ. That doesn’t mean that we don’t challenge, that we don’t call for obedience, that we don’t confront. The threat to Sauls life was death. When a leader or pastor is reprimanded for unchristian behaviour, we aren’t threatening to kill them. Let’s just put that in perspective. The fact is that Samuel confronted Saul many times, as the anointed.
Yes, Hebrews 13:17 does say that we are to be submitted to those who preside over us...but that submission is not an unconditional submission. Because Paul and the other writers of the New Testament letters also acknowledge that there were false apostles and prophets in the church, and not to follow them or their teachings. When a Pastor commits sin or falls short of the standard of a shepherd, there’s a good chance that they are not actually submitting themselves to God. I know people make mistakes...but willful ongoing choices to sin, are not a momentary lapse in judgement. That is a false prophet and apostle. And Galatians give us the keys on how to tell the difference. And even 1 John reminds us that it would be better not to be taught by anyone, than to be taught by someone who preaches something inconsistent with what scripture actually says.
Now why would this be distracting us. The Body of believers. What impact does this have? How might it be contributing to this sense that something is missing?
There are a few ways:
You have the same anointing as Pastors. I mentioned earlier that during the days of David, and Saul, the Holy Spirit operated in a very specific way. He came upon 1 individual, and empowered them for a task. But we are no longer in those days. The Holy Spirit comes upon every believer. And He does so for many reasons, not just to perform a special function. There is no evidence in New Testament scripture that the Holy Spirit comes upon one person more mightily than another, due to a position they hold. Yes, the apostles did many powerful acts empowered by the Holy Spirit. But there is nothing in scripture to suggest that they had more of the Holy Spirit than anybody else. The Holy Spirit came upon the gathering, and was not selective at Pentecost. Plus, the passage in Joel 2 promises us that on the day that the Holy Spirit would pour out on all...that He would not be a respecter of persons. It would be upon the daughters, the young men, the elderly. So there is no reason to think that there is some kind of special and unique power that has been poured out on leaders and Pastors
It means that you are not inferior to any leader or Pastor. We are equals. As far as the Spirit is concerned. Now this isn’t a license to be difficult and reject any authority. Hebrews 13:17 says “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you”. This anointing is not intended to create division. It is so that everyone of us can become more and more like Christ, humble in every way. Living the life of faith, empowered and supported by the Spirit of God.
You don’t need to be scared about reading scripture. You can go right ahead and trust that the Holy Spirit will illuminate things to you. Of course you will benefit from learning more about how, but you don’t have to be afraid of scripture. You don’t need your Pastor to pray over your house. You don’t need to have an intimate relationship with your Pastor. You are not reliant on any Christian leader to live out this life, because the same Holy Spirit that is in them, is in you. Your Pastor doesn’t need to know Gods unique will for your life. You can seek that from the Holy Spirit yourself.
It means that the answer for your non-Christian friends to find Jesus, is in you, not necessarily in church. Sure keep inviting people, but if that’s your only solution to sharing the gospel you may not have realised how the HOly Spirit desires to guide you and work through you. The anointing is in you. You can be Jesus to your friends, because you are empowered by the same anointing. It also means that not touching the anointed, is no longer about the Pastor. If we are all anointed, it means none of us are supposed to be slandered, manipulated or mistreated. So to all those Christians who have been hurt by a church leader who have had someone use this statement against you for raising this issue...just know that this was not Gods heart. You are also anointed, and when they harmed you, they touched the anointed too.
Lastly and surely importantly, your church and your leader is not wholly and solely responsible for your growth as a believer. Now they certainly do have some responsibility, but so do you. See when you are anointed, it means that you also have a responsibility to stir up the spirit that is within you. To not quench the Holy Spirit in you, just as 1 Thessalonians 5 says. This over-reliance on Pastors and Leaders for our revelation, understanding, inspiration, encouragement is not at all the way things were meant to be. They may be mini-shepherds, but you have direct access to THE Good Shepherd and you ought to seek Him and search Him out for yourself, intending to receive directly from Him and not only
Now I can tell, that for some who have been entrenched in this ‘don’t touch the anointing’ message, are still not convinced. And so I have some final thoughts to present.
Was Jesus anointed? Like David. Or Saul. Jesus...the King of Kings, the Messiah. It stands to reason that He would have been, right?
See there is no occasion in the gospels, where we see Jesus being anointed specifically with oil for a role. Not like it occurred with King David. If being the anointed was so critical, why didn’t our own Lord, the head of the church, get anointed? The truth is, there is no evidence in scripture that any apostle, disciple or follower of Jesus was anointed with oil for a role.
There are only two occasions that Jesus experienced that could possibly mimic, but not replicate, the kind of anointing process that David went through. When Jesus was baptised, and when the woman poured perfume on his head.
Now let me just say that there are 2 other occasions in which Jesus is anointed with oil. But on both occasions, the oil is poured on his feet. In Luke 7 and in John 12. It is likely that the feet being anointed had some other meaning. It is also possible that anointing was a cleansing technique. Whatever it is, it is not relevant here because all previous accounts of a person being anointed for a role and a position involved oil being poured from the head.
Baptism is a really interesting concept. The word baptism doesn’t occur in the Old Testament. I mean it’s a Greek word, but there isn’t any close equivalent. There was this concept called ritual immersion, which the Hebrew people did to spiritually purify themselves. But a person may have done this ritual many times. When a non-Jewish person converted to Judaism, when a woman had her monthly period, before offering sacrifices, before a woman got married. And this continues to happen today. It’s called a Mikveh. So it’s likely that baptism was derived from this ceremony. Now obviously by the time we see John the Baptist in the New Testament, there are some changes that have occurred, at least in how He intended for baptism to be represented. We know He was doing something at least slightly different, for it to have been called Baptism and it didn’t seem like it was specifically for Gentiles converting. Many of John's followers were Jewish! And yet they were repenting and being baptised.
So obviously Jesus was baptised. It’s mentioned in 3 of the gospels. But again, the purpose of baptism had nothing to do with a role. It was a cleansing and purifying process. Jesus technically didn’t even need to be baptised, but He Himself tells John that it was fitting for Him to be baptised. So whilst this is a process where Jesus is covered from the head with a liquid form...it's not oil, and unlikely to be the kind of anointing that happened in the Old Testament with Kings.
However, there is something worth noting here the Holy Spirit does descend upon Him at that time, in the form of a dove. Now was this the Holy Spirit coming upon Him? And if so, was Jesus not already empowered by the Spirit? This is actually a tricky question. We know that Jesus was conceived by the Spirit, so He was already part Spirit. It’s likely therefore that the Holy Spirit descending upon Him at Baptism may not have been an infilling of the Spirit as is seen in the Old Testament. But I guess in a way, it was a type of anointing. Just not the specific kind of anointing we are looking for evidence of right now.
Which brings me to the woman with the Alabaster Jar in Mark 14. Starting at verse 3, it says:
“And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head”
So there are a few things we’ve learnt already. It was an ointment of pure nard, which is a very expensive perfumed oil. It’s likely that it was the most valuable thing she owned. It could have been an inheritance, or a dowry...either way, it was an extravagant gift.
Now this account is probably the most similar to that which would have happened to King David. Oil poured from the head. Although, it is missing the Holy Spirit coming upon Him. But at least in process, it replicates the Old Testament ritual best. And it's amazing, because He was anointed by a NOBODY. And Jesus has no problem with that. So if we are going to say that Jesus was anointed as David was anointed, this is probably the closest we get. But even more interesting, is Jesus' response to the disciples who were reprimanding her for being wasteful. Jesus says in verse 6:
“Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.
I love that Jesus defends her, but even more interesting is the last statement “she has anointed my body beforehand for burial”. Anointing the body with oil was a Jewish custom, in which they wrapped up the body in spices and ointments in preparation for burial after someone had died. She may not have known it was for this purpose, but Jesus did.
So let’s just get this straight...the only occasion that closely mimics the anointing performed in the Old Testament for Kings and Priests, that happens to Jesus, was actually an anointing for burial? Now maybe that is a coincidence. Maybe. Or maybe again Jesus is redefining and repurposing a ceremony for this New Covenant. If so, what it means is that the anointing was no longer for a role, and the anointed was no longer this specific chosen person who would be empowered by the Holy Spirit. The anointing is for those who chose to die to themselves, to take up their cross just as our Lord Jesus did. Because of His burial, we now are the anointed. Instead of the anointed being those few rare individuals whom the Holy Spirit poured himself out on, He pours Himself out on all of us.
There is no evidence in New Testament scripture that this anointing is reserved for Pastors and leaders. Or Prophets. There was no such anointing that occurred for Peter. Or Paul. Or any of the Apostles. Kingship no longer exists in the New Testament. There are no kings that are appointed by God, there is only the King of Kings appointed as leader over the church. See, every leader in the Old Testament failed! They proved that human leaders and kings fall short. They cannot lead us like God can. In this New Covenant, at best, they are co-shepherds. In Ezekiel 34 God makes this incredible statement against the Shepherds of Israel. He is disappointed with them! They have not cared for the sheep, and have only cared for themselves. He goes on to say in verse 11:
“Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.”
And furthermore in verse 15 -
“I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep”.
Gods intention was to cut out the middleman, once and for all. He would be our King and He would be our Shepherd.
So that was pretty much all I had to say on this subject. But I just want to leave you with encouragement.
The anointing is for us all. Everything that you have heard the Holy Spirit do, was accomplished through ordinary people like you and I. You don’t need to be TD Jakes, you don’t need to be Craig Groeschel! I mean they are great, but it is the opposite to the Kingdom principle if you have perceived that you must be an extraordinary human! Even Jesus, though He was God and perfect, appeared to the world as an ordinary man. The scriptures tell us in Isaiah 53:2 that there was no beauty or anything about His appearance that screamed majesty or Messiah. He came from simple origins, a carpenter's son, born by a young woman that nobody knew. He wasn’t even born in a house, but a stable, placed in a trough amongst the animals. His circumstances were ordinary. And yet He was the very son of God, with the power to destroy the stronghold the enemy had over this world.
You don’t have to be special. You don’t have to be gifted or talented. You don’t have to be knowledgeable. You don’t have to be good looking. The kingdom resume is not like a worldly resume. God doesn’t need to see your credentials, nor see what you have achieved. You just have to be anointed, which you are the minute you receive the Holy Spirit and allow yourself to be led by that same Spirit. You are no longer the underdog when you have the anointing.
But, a warning...
We have a tendency in this modern world to be preoccupied with doing. The most empowering component of the Holy Spirit is not that He is able to work through us mightily, although that is spectacular. It is the fact that He can make us a new creation in Christ Jesus. No other force in the entire existence of this world could change the core of our hearts, except the Holy Spirit. Our greatest value to this world as the anointed children of God, is WHO we can be to it...not only what we can do. That we can be loving, joyful, peacemaking, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, self-controlled, WELL BEYOND human capability, is the greatest miracle of all! And maybe this has been part of the problem with this anointing theology...we have yet again presumed that the greatest value that can be added to this world resides in a position, a role, and a task. Today, I hope you are encouraged to see that the whole body of believers, anointed by the Holy Spirit to be transformed in our inner man...is what transforms the world in which we live. The Holy Spirit in us, is the hope of glory.