Appointed and Anointed. The ‘Who’, ‘What’, ‘Why’ of the anointing can be found in Isaiah 61:1-3, AMP
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed and commissioned me
To bring good news to the humble and afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation] to the [physical and spiritual] captives And freedom to prisoners,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance and retribution of our God,
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:
To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],
The oil of joy instead of mourning,
The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God], The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.’[This scripture is repeated by Jesus in His first public message in His home synagogue:]
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (the Messiah), Because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent Me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy), to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the favor of God abound greatly].” [Luke 4 18-19]
The Who – The Spirit of the Lord, The What – preach, forgiveness, sight, set free, proclaim. The ‘what’ tells us the purpose of the anointing. The ‘With What’ (How) is indicated in every scripture that talks about anointing… it is done by pouring oil on the head.
Of all the Christian areas, I would surmise that anointing is the least understood. What, How, When, Why quickly jump to mind. However, do you remember what Jesus experienced the moment after His baptism by John? Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1: 9-11. Luke 3: 21-22 all record the same experience.
“When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw )the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” [Matthew 3:16-17. NKJV]
All 3 Gospels say, fundamentally, the same thing. One version says that God shouted – not just ‘said’. Anointing is never a ‘small thing’, it’s a form of sealing, a confirmation. The Old Testament has many examples of anointing and what it means and who receives it. The New Testament, according to ‘Got Questions’ says:
“There is also a sense in which Christians today are anointed. Through Jesus Christ, believers receive “an anointing from the Holy One” (1 John 2:20). This anointing is not expressed in an outward ceremony but through sharing in the gift of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). At the moment of salvation, believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and joined to Christ, the Anointed One. As a result, we partake of His anointing (2 Corinthians 1:21–22). According to one scholar, this anointing “expresses the sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit upon Christians who are priests and kings unto God” (Smith, W., “Anointing,” Smith’s Bible Dictionary, revised ed., Thomas Nelson, 2004).
“The New Testament also associates anointing oil with healing and prayer. When Jesus sent out the disciples to preach the gospel, “they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil” (Mark 6:13, NLT). James instructs believers to “call the elders of the church to pray over them” when they are sick “and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord” for healing” (James 5:14).
This provides a context regarding anointing, anointed. They sum up their discussion and position by saying:
“Rather than chase after a new anointing, believers should remember they already have the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not given in part, He does not come in portions or doses, and He is not taken away. We have the promise that “his divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3).”
I don’t believe we should ever approach anything spiritual with carnal intent including understanding. I also don’t believe we can separate the Holy Spirit and anointing. And, among other qualities/attributes, I believe that the anointing is primarily for the one anointed to inspire, confirm, establish in the mind of the anointed – just who he/she is.
