In preparing a Bible study on 1 Samuel 26 I came across David’s description of King Saul as the “Lord’s anointed.” David realised that God had anointed Saul to be the king of Israel and so he was not willing to kill the king, knowing this fact. King Saul had unjustly pursued David and had already attempted to kill him. However, David had been able to creep unawares into the camp of Saul’s army and had the opportunity to kill him as he slept. When his companion Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice” David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless? As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. 11 The LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” 1 Samuel 26:8-11. That is what they did and King Saul survived.
Saul had indeed been anointed by God to be king and David respected the fact that God had chosen Saul for this role. It was up to God to remove him when he ceased being obedient to God, not David. Of course, God later withdrew His Spirit from Saul and then David became the Lord’s anointed king over Israel. But it shows that God anointed some people for certain tasks by giving them His Spirit to fulfil the roles he had given them. So in the Old Testament times, it was mainly prophets, priests and Kings who received the Holy Spirit to equip them for their ministries. If they were disobedient to God, He could remove the Holy Spirit [their equipping] from them. That is what happened to King Saul and what David prayed would not happen to him after he had sinned with Bathsheba, “Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:11.
What does that mean for us in today’s world? God foretold through the prophet Joel that there would be a change in His anointing of people, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” Joel 2:28-29. Here was a massive change. Instead of a few special people being anointed by God for certain tasks, He was going to pour out the same Holy Spirit on all His people, both young and old and even on lowly servants. The only qualification they needed was the desire to belong to Him.
Because there is a lot of misunderstanding around the topic of God’s anointing I may write a couple of blog articles in the future to try to bring some balance on the topic. However, if you hear some individual urging you to follow them because they say they are the Lord’s anointed, take care! We all, as believers, have an anointing from the Lord. He wants us, by His equipping by His Holy Spirit, to fulfil the roles He has for us to accomplish in His eternal purposes. It may be that some believers are anointed by God for certain leadership roles such as a pastor or a teacher and for that they bear a greater responsibility before God. But it is not that they are God’s anointed ones who have to be followed no matter what, whilst the rest of us have no anointing.
Every believer has been anointed by the Holy Spirit of God to fulfil a role He has planned from eternity for us to follow and every role has significance when it is God Himself who is working through His people by His Spirit. Paul referred to that in Philippians 2:12-13 when he wrote, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Praise God that every believer throughout the world has received an anointing, the gift of the Holy Spirit to make them willing and able to do the Master’s will to His glory!
You are anointed! By God himself! By giving you His Holy Spirit! To do His will!
Blog No.472 posted on Wednesday 29 March 2023.
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About Jim Holbeck
Once an Industrial Chemist working for the Queensland Government but later an Anglican minister in Brisbane, Armidale and Sydney. Last position for eighteen years before retirement in 2006 was as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney.
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472. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ANOINTED BY GOD?
In preparing a Bible study on 1 Samuel 26 I came across David’s description of King Saul as the “Lord’s anointed.” David realised that God had anointed Saul to be the king of Israel and so he was not willing to kill the king, knowing this fact. King Saul had unjustly pursued David and had already attempted to kill him. However, David had been able to creep unawares into the camp of Saul’s army and had the opportunity to kill him as he slept. When his companion Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice” David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless? As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. 11 The LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” 1 Samuel 26:8-11. That is what they did and King Saul survived.
Saul had indeed been anointed by God to be king and David respected the fact that God had chosen Saul for this role. It was up to God to remove him when he ceased being obedient to God, not David. Of course, God later withdrew His Spirit from Saul and then David became the Lord’s anointed king over Israel. But it shows that God anointed some people for certain tasks by giving them His Spirit to fulfil the roles he had given them. So in the Old Testament times, it was mainly prophets, priests and Kings who received the Holy Spirit to equip them for their ministries. If they were disobedient to God, He could remove the Holy Spirit [their equipping] from them. That is what happened to King Saul and what David prayed would not happen to him after he had sinned with Bathsheba, “Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:11.
What does that mean for us in today’s world? God foretold through the prophet Joel that there would be a change in His anointing of people, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” Joel 2:28-29. Here was a massive change. Instead of a few special people being anointed by God for certain tasks, He was going to pour out the same Holy Spirit on all His people, both young and old and even on lowly servants. The only qualification they needed was the desire to belong to Him.
Because there is a lot of misunderstanding around the topic of God’s anointing I may write a couple of blog articles in the future to try to bring some balance on the topic. However, if you hear some individual urging you to follow them because they say they are the Lord’s anointed, take care! We all, as believers, have an anointing from the Lord. He wants us, by His equipping by His Holy Spirit, to fulfil the roles He has for us to accomplish in His eternal purposes. It may be that some believers are anointed by God for certain leadership roles such as a pastor or a teacher and for that they bear a greater responsibility before God. But it is not that they are God’s anointed ones who have to be followed no matter what, whilst the rest of us have no anointing.
Every believer has been anointed by the Holy Spirit of God to fulfil a role He has planned from eternity for us to follow and every role has significance when it is God Himself who is working through His people by His Spirit. Paul referred to that in Philippians 2:12-13 when he wrote, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Praise God that every believer throughout the world has received an anointing, the gift of the Holy Spirit to make them willing and able to do the Master’s will to His glory!
You are anointed! By God himself! By giving you His Holy Spirit! To do His will!
Blog No.472 posted on Wednesday 29 March 2023.
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About Jim Holbeck
Once an Industrial Chemist working for the Queensland Government but later an Anglican minister in Brisbane, Armidale and Sydney. Last position for eighteen years before retirement in 2006 was as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney.