Topical Studies
Anointing
(From Forerunner Commentary)
|
Anointing is an act of consecration, an act of setting something or someone apart for a special use. Such a thing is consecrated for a particular service. It is also an act of ordination, or put another way, an act of "making holy." Holiness, in its most basic meaning is "to be different" but in a better way, transcendently. The Hebrew word for holy means "to cut out," like a sheep is "cut out" from the flock, a cow from the herd, or a piece of material from whole cloth. The thing that is cut out is no longer equal to what it was, for it is to be used for something different. In the case of God making a thing holy, the object is used in a way that is higher, on a godly plane. This is where the idea of transcendence is important to understand. A person or thing made holy goes beyond what is merely normal, and anointing is the physical act by which this is done. Anointing is the act that does the "cutting out." When a minister is ordained, he is "cut out" from the congregation and placed in service on a higher level—God's plane. His anointing does not make him better; he is merely separated from the laity so that he can do a specific task. In ancient Israel, anointing played a part in consecrating both the king and the high priest. In the church, we have used ordination many times in consecrating elders to service, though we do not anoint with oil. We do use the oil in the case of anointing for healing, a setting apart of a sick person for the special purpose of God reaching into that person's life and working a miracle, so that He can be glorified through him. Generally, each member of God's church has been anointed, as we see in I John 2:27, "But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you." We have the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We have been called by the Father and drawn to Christ to become His disciples, and so we were baptized. In that ceremony, we had hands laid upon us, which set us apart for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We, then, have all been anointed into that same Spirit, by that same spirit, which is the very thing that sets us apart as the sons of God (Romans 8:14). Those who have the Spirit of God are the sons of God, a concise definition of a Christian. Paul says in I Corinthians 12:13, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." All of us together have this thing in common: We all have been anointed into the Spirit, and made to drink into it. So as the body of Christ, the High Priest, we too have been anointed (see Psalm 133:2).
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
|
|
1 Samuel 16:13 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
In a sense, this is David's baptism, in which he was separated from all his brothers—in effect, from all the people of the tribes of Israel. This anointing consecrated him as "king," just as we, too, have been separated from the world and set apart as God's people. Like David, who did not immediately function as king over Israel, we are to be kings and priests of God in the resurrection, in His Kingdom (Revelation 5:10; 20:4-6; I Peter 2:9-10).
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
|
|
Psalms 133:2 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
Verses 2 and 3 describe what unity is like, comparing it to oil and to dew. David's choice of these two metaphors extends the idea of "good" and "pleasant." Oil, running upon Aaron's head and down into his beard and onto his garments, was good and pleasant. It was good in the sense that it was proper and fitting for a high priest to be ordained with oil. Our modern sensitivities may recoil at the thought of having oil poured all over us, but this oil was special, being mixed with many spices that gave it a very pleasing aroma. It was a sweet savor. In addition, it was reserved only for this one occasion, the anointing of the high priest. If one attended the anointing of the high priest, he would always associate this fragrance with that ceremony, and should he ever smell it again, it would bring back his memories of that time when a son of Aaron was raised to the rank of high priest. It was fitting, proper, and pleasant. Why did David choose to highlight Aaron and anointing with oil? These types have a deeper connection with the unity of the brethren than simply being "good and pleasant." Aaron is the prototype high priest. Who is the antitype? Jesus Christ, our High Priest, who now sits at the right hand of God and mediates on our behalf. In the Levitical ritual, it was in the person of the high priest that at-one-ment was made with the people on the Day of Atonement. Only he could go through the veil, after his and Israel's sins had been purged, to present himself before God and sprinkle the Mercy Seat with blood. The high priest is the vehicle of that oneness—unity with God. Is this not what Jesus Christ has done? Who else has gone through the veil to bring us into unity with the Father (see Colossians 1:19-22; Hebrews 9:24-28 10:19-22)? The picture that God trying to get us to understand is that unity comes from Him and His Son, and then down to us by His Spirit. A beautiful picture! He is the originator of unity, and without Him we cannot have unity. It is very interesting that there has been a debate for years about how far down the oil goes. Most people take it that the word translated in the New King James as edge and in the King James as skirts means "collar." It is literally "mouth" or "opening." What is the mouth of the garment? We have two choices: On a robe, it is either the collar, which goes over the head, or the skirt hem. Many, comparing this verse with the actual ritual, say that the high priest ws anointed with just a small amount that was ceremoniously put on his head and allowed to drip down his hair and into his beard and onto his shoulders. This is probably true. However, God may have inspired David to mean "skirt," the bottom hem down by the ankles, not the collar, because the whole of verses 2-3 is hyperbole, exaggeration. The dew of Hermon has never reached the mountains of Zion at Jerusalem; it is too far away. We must remember that the Hebrews frequently wrote in parallel units, and these verses parallel to each other. Since he exaggerates in one, he will exaggerate in the other. He does this to get his point across to us: We are covered with oil from head to toe, and the Holy Land is covered from north to south with dew. Both oil and water are symbols of God's Spirit. It covers the whole church, every member, not just the Head. The picture here is of the fullness or completeness of the Spirit. As the High Priest's body, we are united with Him, the Head, by His Spirit.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Psalm 133
|
Look up 'Anointing' in
Nave's or
Torrey's
XML RSS
feeds available
|
 |
The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment
Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. See what over 40,000 subscribers are already receiving each day.
Email Address:
|
We respect your privacy. Your email address will not be sold, distributed, rented, or in any way given out to a third party. We have nothing to sell. You may easily unsubscribe at any time. |
|
|
Printer-Friendly
E-mail this page