The Lord is the strength of His people, and He is the saving strength of His anointed. (Ps. 28:8 KJV).
To be anointed means to be chosen by God and endued with a measure of his Spirit to fulfill a specific ordained purpose. Our title-scripture reveals that God supernaturally strengthens and protects such blessed individuals. Consider a few classic examples—David conquering Goliath, Daniel surviving the lion’s den, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego emerging from the furnace of fire. In all of these cases and many others, God was the “saving strength” of His chosen representatives and by His Spirit, they supernaturally overcame impossible situations.
But what about those who were martyred, who lost their lives serving God—like Stephen, Peter or Paul? Did something go wrong? No, these consecrated persons fulfilled their appointed time on earth and when the greatest adversary of all appeared—death—they still emerged victorious. God’s “saving strength” enabled them to overcome what no human being can overcome on his own. Instead of death being a grievous end, for such anointed ones, it became a glorious beginning—a portal into a God-filled, eternal existence in a celestial sphere.
Concerning the patriarchs of old, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God adamantly declared, “Do not touch my anointed ones, and do no harm to my prophets” (1 Chronicles 16:22). As they passed through this world—often shunned, disregarded, opposed, persecuted, or outnumbered—still they were under God’s oversight, and received His provision and protection. Not only did they survive; they thrived, in what they were sent to accomplish—and often they faced, what seemed to be, impossible odds.
Under the Old Covenant, certain choice leaders, endued with God’s Spirit, were primarily those referred to as “the anointed.” They can be divided up into seven main categories:
- Patriarchs—(Psalms 105:15)
- Judges—(Judges 2:18)
- Kings—(1 Samuel 2:10)
- Governors—(Zechariah 4:14)
- Prophets—(1 Kings 19:16)
- Priests—(Exodus 30:30)
- Soldiers (supernaturally empowered in battle)—(Judges 6:34)
These exceptional individuals received the unction of God’s Spirit to be His representatives in this world and to champion His cause of ushering in the kingdom of God.
The entrance of the Messiah
Then the Messiah came (at this point, imagine the Hallelujah chorus playing in the background). That title “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew mashiyach which means “the anointed One”). The “oil of gladness” (also called “the oil of joy”—the supernatural oil of the anointing) rested upon Him in an unprecedented, unsurpassed way (Psalms 45:7, Isaiah 61:3). When He announced His ministry in the synagogue at Nazareth, He quoted from the prophet Isaiah’s writings:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19, original prophecy Isaiah 61:1-2).
He was the epitome, the most excellent expression, of all seven categories of “anointed ones” under the Old Covenant—for He was, is, and ever will be: the Supreme Patriarch (the Ancient of Days), the Judge of all the earth, the King of kings, the Governor among the nations, the Great Prophet, the Great High Priest, and the Captain of our Salvation (the exemplary soldier in this ongoing conflict with the kingdom of darkness). All seven “anointed” roles were fulfilled to perfection on the highest spiritual level in just one person: the only begotten Son of God. In the New Testament He is called “the Christ” (from the Greek word Christos, that also means the “anointed One”).
Peter explained “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” and as a result, He “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38). That’s probably the most concise way of describing the God-given purpose of all who are anointed in this era for the continuation of God’s work. All born-again believers are now among “the anointed,” for we have received the indwelling of His Spirit. Therefore, like Jesus, we “preach the Gospel,” “heal the brokenhearted” and go about “doing good”—delivering those who are oppressed by satanic influences in this world.
What “anointed ones” should expect
This may be a dangerous and deception-filled world, but the anointed can have absolute confidence. In his first epistle John encouraged New Testament believers with the following exhortation:
But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. (1 John 2:27).
Three primary promises are given to “anointed ones” in this passage:
- The anointing will abide in us.
- The anointing will teach us all things.
- The anointing will teach us how to abide in God.
Thank God, these three things will be our “saving strength” until we transcend into the heavenly realm and progress to the next stage of our destiny: reigning with Jesus as kings and priests in the New Creation. We will be “anointed” for that futuristic role as well.
The seven categories in us
As our eternal destiny unfolds, we should remind ourselves often that the seven categories of “anointed ones” have all been transferred to us also—first, from God’s anointed ones under the Old Testament, and second, from the Messiah who birthed the age of grace. For we are being “transformed into the same image” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Yes, all members of the body of Christ (the “body of the anointed One”) have been called by God to be:
- The Ancient People—(Isaiah 44:7)
- Judges—(1 Corinthians 6:2)
- Kings—(Revelation 1:5-6)
- Governors—(Revelation 5:10)
- Prophets—(1 Corinthians 14:31)
- Priests—(1 Peter 2:5,9)
- Soldiers—(2 Timothy 2:3)
The prototype is Jesus, the Messiah (Yeshua Mashiyach / pronounced yeh-shoo-ah maw-shee’-akh). Interestingly, the same word translated “Messiah” is also translated “anointed”: a word that refers to both the Savior of the world and those who are furthering His salvation cause in this world. We are His “anointed ones” (His mashiyach)—those who have inherited a “Messiah-mentality” from Him: a willingness to sacrifice our lives for the cause of reclaiming a lost human race.
Yes, we are, the anointed of the Lord!!!
_________________________________________________
Discover Your Spiritual Identity!
The Revelation of over 1,000 Names and Titles God Has Given His People
PODCAST—Subscribe to Mike Shreve’s weekly podcast called “Discover Your Spiritual Identity” for more teachings on the names and titles of God’s people. Check out the media page on this website for more information.
BOOK—This powerful insight is also the theme of Mike Shreve’s book titled WHO AM I? Dynamic Declarations of Who You Are in Christ, available in the store on this website and on Amazon.com.
VIDEO—This teaching on “The Anointed of the Lord” is also offered as a 29-minute video on our YouTube page:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzW-gkD590c