“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.” 1 Samuel 17:13
There is no doubt that as a young boy, and into early manhood, the Spirit of God was working in the heart of David. But what occured the day that Samuel anointed him was most significant. The same would be true, and moreso, of the Lord Jesus Christ when He was baptized, and the Spirit came upon Him. For the Lord Jesus this would be not only a sign to John the Baptist that Christ was the Messiah, but it would be the gracious delight of the Father to give the Spirit in His fullness to the Lord Jesus, in whom He was well pleased. This specific anointing of the Spirit would signify the beginning of Christ being equipped for His ministry. Thus He would say before everyone in the synagogue in Nazareth, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor…” (Luke 4:18) For David, the same principle is seen. He was anointed by Samuel with oil. However, it was in this act of faith, that the Father anointed David with the Spirit for the accomplishment of His will and purposes. All things then became possible to David, as for Christ, by the Spirit, in the will of God. Perhaps the most important words to grasp with respect to both of these illustrations concerning the anointing, is that it came and were to be lived, “…from this day forward.”
How complete then is the anointing of the Spirit? How does this apply to the believer today? In Psalm 133, we have a picture of what the anointing was intended to be. David writes: “It is like the precious anointing upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments.” (v.2) Why does David use this illustration? He is speaking on the subject of unity among brethren. Where that unity exists and is maintained, the picture of the complete anointing of God is given to encourage and strengthen believers to lay hold of the blessing of God. The anointing ointment, or oil, is a picture of the Spirit of God, coming in the completeness of His power and graciousness, to bless, intervene, and manifest the glory of God. The extent of the blessing is “beyond what we could ask or think,” as it is entire, complete, whether we grasp it fully or not. So, the anointing of the Spirit is an “entire” act of God to give to the believer every resource in Christ for the accomplishing of the will and purpose of God.
These thoughts and truths are further illustrated by David speaking of the dew of Mt. Hermon, and the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion. Dew is almost impercetable. It comes quietly, softly, and yet extensively. For Jesus, the Spirit came in the the bodily shape like a dove, softly and tenderly. It is important to note that the quiet presence of the Spirit in no way diminishes His power as God the Spirit, to give life and power to the one who is consecrated to God. The God who waits to be gracious is the One who comes with all the power of God, to give to the believer all that he needs, to conquer the enemy and do the will of God.
What about the certainty of blessing? Scripture tells us that where the conditions are met for the Spirit to move and work, though His presence is quiet and peaceful, it is there and then that “…the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” (Ps. 133:3) Here is the power of God revealed in the communication of the Life of Christ by the Spirit. The anointing is the presence of God, the committal of His power and resources, to the believer who will truly trust God for it.
Dear Father, Anoint us afresh with fresh oil every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.