There appears to be deep seated controversy in biblical interpretation among bible scholars whether or not the statement in 1 Chronicles 6:22 as well as Psalms 105:15 that touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm in deed and in truth refers to all who are perceived or known as men of God . The answer can be found in the scriptures.
Examples of God’s anointed
Examples of those that God anointed included Aaron’s sons, Exodus 40:14-15; Aaron, Leviticus 8:12; Saul, 1 Samuel 10:1; David, 1 Samuel 16:13; 2 Samuel 2:4, 5:3; Psalms 89:20; Solomon, 1 Kings 1:39; Jehu, 2 Chronicles 22:7; Cyrus, Isaiah 45:1; and Jesus, Isaiah 61:1. Jesus’ body was also anointed for preservation before burying, Mark 14:8. Jesus was anointed by God to preach the good news of salvation, Luke 4:8, 7:46; Acts10:38. Every God’s anointed has a divine mission for that purpose.
In the case of Abraham, he was God’s chosen to fulfill God’s promises to the people of Israel. It was also to protect them personally by God because they were weak without inheritance. For Saul it was for leadership. For David it was for battle. For Jesus, it was for salvation. For Jerusalem, it was for preservation of God’s city, Ezekiel 16:9. In each and every situation of God’s anointed, it was and is still for a purpose and not imaginary. We are not anointed in vacuum. What are we anointed for?
God always helped his anointed provided they remained faithful to him, Psalms 20:6, 28:8. God can anoint us for any mission at any location at any time if we are faithful so we need not be choosy or be envious of another’s anointing. Hebrews 1:9 says thou hast loved righteous and hated lawlessness; therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with oil of gladness beyond thy comrades. 1 John 2:20 also says that but you have been anointed by the Holy one, and you all know. We are all anointed by God in one way or the other for a respective calling if we discharge the responsibility as doing it for God.
God’s anointed after Jesus Christ
After the death of Jesus and by his resurrection, we are differently anointed from the approach in the Old Testament. The formal approach though continues to be symbolic. We are now anointed by the Holy Spirit directly by God’s choosing. We are anointed by faith in Christ Jesus and upon being faithful to his call however the mission. In confirmation, Paul says in 1 Peter 2:9 that we are God’s chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, to declare the wonderful deeds of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.
God’s anointing must be factually correct and true and backed by divine approval. We cannot qualify for divine insulation or God’s identity as His anointed without approval though we may claim the title as God’s anointed. It is however difficult to prove sometimes judging externally without knowledge of the spiritual standing which only God can tell because He judges from the heart. We must thus be extra careful in assessing or rejecting one as God’s anointed without factual basis though the conduct of many betray their heresies, motives and contrary agenda to God’s word.
The seal of God’s anointed
Jesus said in John 20:21-23 that as the Father has sent me, even so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Jesus knew the task ahead for us in carrying out his instructions, so he gave the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the breath of Jesus Christ which anoints us and not by man’s action or strength. It is only by the Holy Spirit that we can overcome the challenges in our mission and remain faithful to our mission.
To the extent that most of the challenges of mankind are predicated on sin or originate from sin, Jesus gave the authority to forgive sin because it is the root cause of our affliction. Jesus proved this fact when he healed the paralytic by saying, take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven, Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20. Jesus also said to the sinful woman who brought an alabaster flask of ointment, wept at Jesus’ feet, wiped them with her hair, kissed Jesus’ feet and anointed them with the ointment, your sins are forgiven, Luke 7:37-48. She was saved instantly from sin.
Are we marked by the Holy Spirit and with God’s seal as God’s anointed to rescue the souls of the perishing; to care for the dying; to set the captives free; to mend the broken hearted; to heal the sick; to pray for the downhearted; to give company to the lonely; to give hope to the hopeless; to build faith with the faithless; to share with the needy; to love those who hate us; and to intercede for the perishing?
This is the work of God’s anointed and not by word of mouth. Let us begin with confession, ask for forgiveness, desire God’s gifts, ask for God’s power and authority and commit to intercessory prayers for the body of Christ Jesus. The Lord be with us all in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Tomorrow may be too late for tomorrow is not ours but it is only a borrowed time. Waste not God’s anointing.
Prayer
Fill us, O Lord with thy spirit that as God’s anointed, we may in humility remain faithful to you and discharge my duty in your great commission to touch lives positively in your holy name, Amen!!
