New Testament Anointing

New Testament anointing

1Samuel 10:1,16:1-13

Prophet Samuel had the privilege of anointing the first two kings of Israel. In 1 Sam.10:1, we see that Samuel took a flask of oil to anoint Saul. But in 1 Sam 16:13 he took a horn of oil to anoint David. Does the FLASK and the HORN ring a bell in your ears?

The book of 1 Samuel 16:1 says "Then the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”

Here God is saying, ‘move over the past and move on to something wonderful.’ The time of the 'flask of oil’ is over and the time of taking the ‘horn of oil’ has come. What does the horn symbolize? Horn symbolizes strength, power and vitality. Wherein a flask sumbolizes a container, which can be anything from a metal to an earthen vessel. When the Lord said, "Take up the horn", He is saying the time of flask is gone and the time of the horn has come. We can say the FLASK and the HORN symbolizes two dispensations. They typify the Old Testament and the New Testament.

In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was just a visitor and would occasionally come down to empower His chosen vessels to do exploits but in the New Testament He is a resident in every one who confess Jesus as Lord and Saviour. We are called for continuous exploits. What we see in the Old Testament is just the shadow of things to come (Heb.10:1) and so the anointing from the flask of oil was just a shadow of things to come.

The horn time of anointing began on the day of Pentecost. We are a special people. We operate in the strength of the Spirit of the Lord. In Him, we are strong, powerful and spiritually invigorated.

The first two kings of Israel represent the Old Testament and New Testament. Saul was the choice of people whereas David was the choice of God. Saul followed the crowd but David chased after the heart of God. Saul was man's time and David was God's time. Saul was law and David was grace. So on, so forth, we can see a typical law and grace manifested in these men.

Being a New Testament Church we clearly depict David's descriptions mentioned in verse 1 Sam. 16:12 "So He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes and good looking. And the Lord said "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!"

Let's learn some lessons from here.

1. He was ruddy

David was "ruddy", means healthily red. Just the way David depicts the New Testament church, in Christ we are healthily red, because we are washed by the blood of Jesus. We are a red church. Unlike the Old Testament church ( i.e. People of the covenant) we don't need to go year after year with the blood of the rams and bulls to appease God. We are washed once and for all through our faith in the Lord Jesus and His blood speaks better than the blood of any animal brought for sacrifice.

2. He had bright eyes.

David possessed bright eyes. The same way the New Testament church has its eyes opened to the truth and the enemy has been exposed to it. If someone has been kept in the dark and all of a sudden he is brought to light, he cannot open his eyes because light hurts his eyes. But if someone lives in the light, has the ability and the power to withstand more light, such a person has great sight. As a New Testament church we have a great sight and our sight is not corrupted. We can see good and evil and through the help of the Spirit Of God can walk in the truth.

3. He was good-looking.

David was good looking. Similarly the New Testament church which has the truth and walks in it, is bound to look good. What makes a person to look good is the nutritious food he consumes. Mal-nutrition leads to sickness. That was the state of Old Testament church. Commoners were not walking in the covenant of God. The result was spiritual mal-nutrition leading to sinful life style. But thank God for today's generation there is so much exposition of the Word of God. This makes us look good as the glory and grace of God is on us. His Spirit lives in us.

Demons, sickness, poverty and the devil has no business with us. God has anointed the New Testament church not just with the flask of oil but with the horn of oil. Saul's sins were not greater than the sins of David. Saul did not commit adultery nor murder. Still Saul failed to please God but David managed overcome sin. Because Saul, while in sin ran away from God but David instead ran to God. Eventually David's attitude saved him. We too are grave sinners. We lived in darkness and outside the covenants of the Most High God but God was faithful in forgiving us of our sins. Let's make up our mind to live a life like David who ran to God and not away from God in both good and bad times of life. Let's live in the empowerment of the New Testament Church and not fall in the attitudes of Old Testament church.