The Anointing and the Anointed One

The Anointing and the Anointed One                                      Tom Clark

Members often ask the leaders of a congregation to anoint them with oil, especially if they are unwell.

In the book of Ya’akov/James 5, we read that “the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ So confess your offenses to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person is very powerful” (James 5:15-16).

We have the example of the disciples doing this in Mark 6:13, and we follow the instructions for ourselves in James 5:14.

I have anointed people thousands of times over the years, and it is always such a special and meaningful thing to be able to bow before the Creator of the universe and ask Him to be involved in our health. It is not a light thing to ask Him to apply the stripes of Messiah Yeshua for our healing (1 Peter 2:24).

Anointing is also an expression of our faith in God as our Healer (Psalm 30:2). Our total trust and faith is in our Father to heal when, where and how He knows is ultimately best. God always honours anointing when we come to Him with humble faith.

Sometimes He responds with an immediate healing right then (which is what we always desire). Sometimes He allows us to deal with problems for a long time, perhaps the rest of our lives, as Paul had to endure his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

And sometimes God decrees it’s time for us to lay down this physical life, knowing that healing will come when we are resurrected. This is the ultimate healing. To be released from our mortality and ascend to what is immortal.

However, no matter God’s decision, we humbly come before our Father in love and faith through the ceremony of anointing.

In the Bible, anointing was also used for other purposes. In fact, good quality fragrant oil was a common toiletry item and considered a blessing. It soothed skin burned by sun and wind, and the fragrance was pleasing. Consider Naomi’s advice to Ruth, who worked hard in the fields, to bathe and “anoint yourself” with oil before going out to meet with Boaz (Ruth 3:3).

Anointing was also used to set a person apart for special service to God and His people. We see in 1 Samuel 16:13, Samuel anointed young David with oil to be king of Israel. And God responded by working with him from the time of that anointing onward. His son, Solomon, was later anointed to be king (1 Kings 1:38-39). God honoured these anointings, and so long as these kings remained faithful to Him, God blessed them with wisdom and success.

But there is a greater and prophetically more significant element to anointing that I’ve been thinking about recently. It has to do with the One that Scripture calls “His Anointed” (Psalm 2:2). In the 70-weeks prophecy of Daniel, we read of “Messiah the Prince” (Daniel 9:25), which literally means “the Anointed One, the Prince.” This is none other than our Savior, Yeshua.

The world today is deteriorating at a pace almost beyond belief, and in directions none of us could have imagined just a few years ago. Peace and safety are less common, and non-existent in many places today. And the Bible promises these things are only going to get worse before the end.

And this brings me back to anointing and the prophecies of the Anointed One — the Son of God. We are promised He will come as Lord of Lords and King of Kings (Revelation 17:14; 19:16). He is the One with the power and authority to judge the people and nations that are bent on sin, greed, deceit and depravity.

The Anointed One will intervene and completely turn things around. This is the only

hope of mankind!

I hope we all pray that day comes soon. “Thy Kingdom Come”!