Anointed by The King

David brought murder charges against the Amalekite messenger who killed king Saul.  The charges were able to stick, and the sentence carried out, for two reasons.  1) God had specific commands about murder, which this Amalekite had broken by killing king Saul.  His actions against Saul are, by God’s definition, murder.  2) David is already anointed by Samuel, a prophet of the LORD, as the next king of Israel.  It is David’s job as the new king to make sure justice is served.

Those who fight against the LORD will be shattered. He thunders against them from heaven; the LORD judges throughout the earth. He gives power to His king; He increases the strength of His anointed one." (1 Samuel 2:10 NLT)

Saul and David aren’t the only anointed ones in Scripture.  You and I can be as well.  God’s anointing has to do with being set apart for a special purpose or role.  Saul and David were set apart for the role of king.  We are set apart for the role of disciple.  We are Christ-followers.  We declare, and then live, with Jesus as our Lord.

Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. (James 5:14-15 NLT)

The sickness that James is talking about here is not limited to the physical.  It has a spiritual component as well.  You see, many of our physical ailments are rooted in spiritual problems.  You’ve experienced this if you’ve ever had trouble sleeping because you were worried about something.  Following James’ instructions here, you could call an elder over to pray over you.  When this elder anoints you with oil, you are being set apart from the world and dedicated in a special way to the Lord.  The elder might listen to what has you worried and then remind you of God’s promise:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)

The prayer, the anointing, and the Scripture all serve to help you remember, refocus, and re-dedicated yourself to Jesus as Lord.  This brings peace.  All of a sudden, you can sleep.  God heals you physically as you are healed spiritually.  We may not be anointed as kings, but we are anointed (set apart) by The King.

How about you?  Are you set apart by the LORD to do your part of God’s Plan? Are you anointed by The King?