by Angie Jarratt
“You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.”
2 Samuel 1:21 ESV
“Not anointed with oil.” The shield of Saul was made of leather and without the oil to care for Saul’s shield it would be torn apart; it wouldn’t be able to serve its purpose, to protect the king in battle. And therefore Saul died without the protection of not only his shield but God’s anointing on his life.
The word anointed occurs over ninety times in Scripture. It is important to understand how this word is used in our study of the book of 1&2 Samuel, other places in the Bible and how it can be used in the lives of God’s people today.
Anoint: to smear or rub with oil, typically as part of a religious ceremony to make someone or something sacred. To consecrate, sanctify, set apart for divine use or make holy.
Now that we have the definition of anoint let’s look at some places it’s written in Scripture. We see priests and items made sacred in the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy). We see kings anointed in the Historical books (Joshua-Esther.) We find mention of the Anointed Messiah in the book of Prophets (Isaiah-Malachi). The authors of the Psalms echo mention of the word in the Poetical Books (Job-Song of Songs). And in the New Testament the Word is a promise to all believers in Christ (Matthew-Revelation).
We are so privileged to have access to the complete and perfect Word of God. We can take one word, in this case “anoint” and see it interwoven throughout God’s precious Word. One word that amazingly leads us on a journey to Jesus, the Anointed One. Jesus says in the book of Luke “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of the sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61:1) Jesus is sacred, consecrated, sanctified, set apart; He is holy, Anointed.
As God’s people we are also anointed. The Spirit of the Lord opens our eyes to see that we are sinners in need of a Savior. When we surrender ourselves to Christ we are sealed by the Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13) The Spirit comes to live inside us, anointing us with His presence. We are justified in Christ. All of our sin is covered in the blood and we are acquitted of all charges of sin and death. We are sanctified in Christ. We are made holy and righteous; yes, we can be holy and righteous in this life. This doesn’t mean we are without sin but our lives are forever transformed by Jesus’ love. We reciprocate that love by honoring Jesus with our actions. Lastly, we will be glorified in Christ. In the second coming of Christ His people will be made whole, there will be no more pain, and finally no more sin.
God’s anointing protects His people. After we find our salvation we are anointed into the family of God. We become heirs of the throne in the Kingdom of heaven. We become the sheep of the LORD’S pasture. (Psalms 100:3) A shepherd pours or rubs oil on his sheep to protect them from harmful parasites. The anointing of the Shepherd in our lives protects us too. The Spirit of God keeps us from straying and falling for the lies of the enemy. And if we allow it, He places people in our lives to come alongside us to keep us focused too. The anointed family of God should be a priority in our lives, we are a flock that work together for one purpose, to glorify God. We are prepared and empowered by the Spirit for service. ALL OF US. (1 Corinthians 12:11) Being anointed is not set apart (no pun intended) for some superstar Christians. It is poured out over every sheep in the flock.
God’s anointing teaches His people. I really want you to hear this. You CAN study God’s Word and have a great understanding. You CAN read God’s Word and hear Him speaking. You CAN do it without second guessing yourself. You know why? Because you are anointed. The Spirit of God lives inside of you. 1 John 2:20 says “You have been anointed by the Holy One and you all have knowledge.” 1 John 2:27 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.” Open your Bible right now and highlight those verses. Circle them, underline them, HEAR them. I’m not saying it’s wrong to learn from others, great things happen when we come together. As believers we SHOULD come together to share God’s Word and encourage one another. But no one is going to speak to you like the Spirit of God speaks. The Word is anointed, Jesus is the Word. You are Anointed. Believe it.
