Dear Missionary Lady,
Greetings in the name of the God who places people where He wants them to be. David acknowledged, “Thou anointest my head with oil.”
I have read that the meaning and translation may be best represented with the present perfect (have anointed) rather than the present tense (anointest). This would further clarify this reference to David being anointed as king. I think because of some of the passages in the New Testament, we tend to think of anointing with oil as a sign of refreshment or hospitality. I did a quick perusal of Old Testament passages that refer to anointing with oil. They refer almost exclusively to consecration – of priests, kings, or the tabernacle. I found two references to medicinal use and two to cosmetic use. Overwhelmingly, the Old Testament use of anointing with oil was for someone set apart for a very special task, as David was as king. I believe this phrase from Psalm 23 is David’s reflection on God’s choosing him for service.
David was very aware that it was God who had chosen him for his position. “But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head” (Ps. 3:3). In a few other psalms, David also speaks of God lifting him into his position as king and of raising him up in victory over his enemies. “Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. … Honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him” (Ps. 21:3b,5b). “Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me” (Ps. 18:43). “And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy” (Ps. 27:6).
The biblical narratives describe this. In fact, David was anointed three times: once as a young man by Samuel, once over Judah, and once over all Israel. “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward” (I Sam. 16:13). “And the men of Judah came, and there [Hebron] they anointed David king over the house of Judah” (II Sam. 2:4). “Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel. … And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake” (II Sam. 5:2-3,12; II Chr. 11:2-3).
The anointing ceremonies were just the beginning. It wasn’t enough just to be placed into his position, but David had to live out that service for forty years. There was no turning away from where God had placed him. “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah” (II Sam. 5:4-5; I Kings 2:11).
God chose David for service because of his heart toward God; in contrast, Saul was rejected because he did not maintain such a heart. “And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David” (I Sam. 28:17). “And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel” (II Sam. 6:21). “And [Saul] enquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse” (I Chr. 10:14).
David’s rise to power was gradual. Although God chose him early on, the working out of that plan took place over time. “Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker” (II Sam. 3:1).
David’s position was clearly by God’s design. David could not have put himself in such a position. Neither could he have made himself successful in his position. Both the designation as king and the success as king were directly because of God’s blessing. God put him there, and God helped him along the way. “Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: and I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. … and thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever” (II Sam 7:8-9,16; I Chr. 17:7). “And David perceived that the LORD had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel. … And the fame of David went out into all the lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations” (I Chr. 14:2,17). (II Sam. 3:17-18).
David’s position as king carried a responsibility and expectation. David’s sin with Bathsheba was a glaring violation of that divine expectation. In this situation, David did not act kingly and did not demonstrate a right response in light of all that God had done for him. “And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; and I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things” (II Sam 12:7-8).
God’s plan extended beyond David himself. God chose David’s line to continue as the kings of Israel. The impact of David’s legacy continued long after David was gone. “Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said … Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow” (II Sam. 23:1,5). “Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel” (I Chr. 28:4).
David had a sense of humility, both about being king and about the long-term legacy. After God gave the Davidic covenant, David expressed his wonder at this amazing blessing of God. “And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God” (I Chr. 17:16-17).
Finally, David is not the only one God has chosen for service. David recognized this to be true of the followers of God. God consecrates men to Himself and places them in His chosen places of service. “But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto Him” (Ps. 4:3). “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet” (Ps. 8:5-6).
From beginning to end, David’s anointing for service was all of God. God called him, God brought it about, God developed and prospered it, God strengthened him for it, and God was faithful to keep every promise regarding it.
I trust these meditations regarding David’s divinely established service will encourage you as you consider the place to which God has called you. He is faithful!
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
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