I recently started reading more about the life of David, and especially about the fact that he is called a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). When you read about David’s life you find out that he was a very ordinary person, he had problems, his family had problems, he made mistakes, and he sinned in ways that most people have not done before. Still, he was a worshiper and very honest with God about his mistakes and failures. When confronted about his wrong relationship with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, he was quick to repent and confess (Psalm 51).
In the Old Testament, we read about several instances of kings, prophets, and priests being anointed. The Hebrew word for the “anointed one” is “Messiah.” In a real way, we can see that the Old Testament is preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One, in the person of Jesus Christ.
Back to the life of David, we can see several contrasts between David and Saul, who was anointed king before David. Saul was the first king of Israel after the period of the Judges and the rulership of Israel under the prophet Samuel. Samuel filled the role of ruler, priest, and prophet, also pointing out the coming of the final Messiah who would also be a King, Priest, and Prophet.
In the life of Saul, we learn one thing about the anointing: it can change a person, it can equip them, and allow them to move in the power of the Holy Spirit. Saul experienced a tremendous change in his life after being anointed king (1 Samuel 10:6-12). But it does not take long for us to learn that the anointing over Saul did not last very long. With the anointing came also some directives from Samuel that Saul was supposed to obey and wait for Samuel before sacrificing before the Lord. Later, Saul also disobeyed the Lord by sparing the king of the Amalekites and the best of the spoils.
“Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all night. Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal” (1 Samuel 15:10–12).
Saul not only disobeyed, he also built a monument for himself. He was little in his own eyes before being anointed (1 Samuel 15:17), but at some point, he started to become self-centered and look for the people’s approval instead of following the word of the Lord.
“But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.” As Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. “Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind”” (1 Samuel 15:26–29, NASB95).
Even after disobeying the word of the Lord, Saul was still looking to have Samuel to stay by his side to keep the right image before the people of Israel.
This is a very interesting pattern that we still see happening today when people start moving in the anointing of the Holy Spirit and think that they can retain the anointing without being obedient to the word of the Lord. We see later in the life of Saul that instead of the anointing, the Lord sent an evil spirit to Saul, and he became jealous of David and tried to kill him several times.
Acts 13:22
1 Samuel 13:14; 10:6; 15:17
John 1:32-34
The Importance of the Anointing – Part 1
