“The 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 16:13
From the moment Samuel anointed David, and the Spirit of God came upon him, he was not only different in his heart, but even those around him saw a change. It was one of the servants of Saul who made this observation of David: “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite that is cunning (or skillful) in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, prudent in matters, and a comely (or agreeable) person, and the Lord is with him.” (v.18) This is quite a description when we consider that David is still a very young man, and yet, there is seen in him something that is exceptional. HIs qualities of character and demeanor rise above those of his peers. He stands alone, singular, and elevated, yet he is humble, and mostly, there is the testimony that, “…the Lord is with him.” How is this so? From David’s anointing with oil, and the coming of the Spirit of God upon him, there was the action and working of God in and through his life. There was something of heaven about him, something that was very evidently given to him by God, so that he should be, and become, the exceptional individual, lover of God and king of Israel. By virtue of the Spirit of God, David is a different person, even though he is gifted, strong , and intelligent. It is the Spirit of God that propels and leads him forth, unveiling to him the very heart of God, the knowledge of God, which he would in turn, communicate to those believers of his day, up until this present day. The Spirit of God made David holy, not only set apart unto God by choice, but blessed in every way by the sovereign design and purpose of God. As long as David lived in this perspective, dwelling in the very presence of the Holy God, he was blessed of God. And though the spiritual training which God gave him, was not an easy experience, especially as he fled from Saul, the Spirit of God met him at every turn, to sustain, lift up, strengthen, and give him the necessary wisdom to go forward, to see the will of God done.
When Jesus was conceived and born later in the Bethlehem, Scripture reveals to us that it was by the Spirit of God. His life as a child, and young man, were lived in obscurity. We do not see Him exit that obscurity, except when He was seen in the temple in Jerusalem at the age of twelve, when he was “…sitting in the midst of the doctors (teachers), both hearing them and asking them questions.” At the age of thirty we find him coming to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist. It is just following the baptism of Jesus, that the Holy Spirit comes to visibly rest upon Him, like a dove. For thirty years the Spirit of God has meet every need of Jesus’ heart, and life. Now, at the commencement of His ministry, the Spirit moves again, coming upon Him, anointing Him, equipping Him perfectly and entirely for the ministry, the work that He has been called to do.
After Jesus’ experience of the temptation by Satan in the wilderness, Scripture tells us that he returns to Galilee, “…in the power of the Spirit.” (Luke 4:14) He goes up to the synagogue in Nazareth to worship on the Sabbath. There the book of Isaiah the prophet was delivered into his hands, so that He would read it in the hearing of all present. He read the following: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Lk. 4:18-19)
Dear Father, Fulfill in us Thine eternal purpose. In Jesus’ name, Amen.