The First Anointing of David

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. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. (I Samuel 16:13,14)

David was anointed king on three occasions.

The first anointing is described in the above passage.

The second anointing occurred immediately after the death of Saul, when David was anointed king over the house of Judah (II Samuel 2:4).

The third anointing installed David as king over the nation of Israel (II Samuel 5:3).

The three anointings of David typify the gradual extension of the power of the Lord Jesus in each of us, and also the extension of the power of Christ over the earth.

Samuel and Saul. Perhaps most of us are acquainted with the history of Judge Samuel and King Saul. The Israelites were not content with the rule of their judges and so they demanded of Samuel, the last of the judges and a prophet, that he anoint a king to rule them.

Samuel complied with their request but he did not approve of it. God mentioned to Samuel that Israel had not rejected Samuel but had rejected God Himself (I Samuel 8:7).

Saul, a type of the rule of the flesh and soul, was anointed by Samuel and set up as king over Israel. Saul never was able to please the Lord. He was a rallying point for the people and provided them with someone to idolize and serve in place of their invisible God.

Saul managed to keep himself in trouble with God and with Samuel. His rule was wholly unsatisfactory, just as the rule of the human mind in the Christian churches is wholly unsatisfactory and always in opposition to the Spirit of God.

God rejected Saul as king over Israel and picked David as the Divine choice. David of Bethlehem was anointed by Samuel. God told Samuel that this was a royal anointing and that David was to be king over Israel. However, Samuel did not announce the significance of what he was doing when he anointed David in the midst of his brothers because Saul was the ruler at the time. Saul would have put David to death immediately had he realized that Samuel had anointed David king over Israel.

When we first become saved we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, not just as Savior but as Savior and Lord. It is a while before some of us understand what we have done—that we have chosen to become a bondslave of Christ.

We may acknowledge Jesus as Lord (or else we could not enter salvation), but several years may pass before we become willing to allow Christ to rule our conduct and our decisions. Many Christians live out their lives without allowing Christ to rule them.

When we begin as a Christian, the Lord Jesus has been anointed King over our heart, soul, mind, and strength, just as David was anointed king over all Israel by the prophet, Samuel. Yet our flesh and soul still may be dominating our behavior just as Saul remained in command over Israel even though David had been anointed king.

As was true in the case of Samuel and David, the anointing of the Holy Spirit has come upon Christ who has been born in us, although our flesh remains in the bondage of sin, and King Self is enthroned in our heart. We may attempt to use the things of Christ to bless our fleshly, self-centered rule, just as Saul used David as a captain and a court musician. We maintain Saul (our self-will) as lord of our life while endeavoring to use the Lord Jesus to help us accomplish our own ends.

From the moment Samuel anointed David, Saul's removal from the throne was in sight. From the moment we accept the Lord Jesus Christ, our self-centered first personality is doomed. Our "old man" may cling to power for quite a while and cause our new nature much confusion and trouble. But from the time we accept Christ our natural life is scheduled for destruction.

After we receive Jesus as Savior and Lord we find that we now have two natures in us. There is the proud Saul, the flesh, who loves the praise of men. At the same time there is that "King David" in us who has been anointed and who is God's choice as ruler over us. Saul prevails for a season but David is destined to emerge as the permanent king.

Early in our Christian experience it appears that Christ never will achieve His purpose of being Lord over us. We become aware of the powerful hold our fleshly nature has on us. But in spite of what may be true of our nature, God wisely and powerfully is moving us toward the place where Christ is not only our Savior but also our personal Lord.

After David had entertained Saul for a while by serenading him, there came into view a giant by the name of Goliath. In spite of Saul's height and imposing personality he was not able to overcome Goliath. All Israel trembled at the daily challenges and the armies of Israel hid in their trenches.

David did not tremble. He placed his trust in the God of Israel and killed the giant with a simple weapon, using no conventional armor.

So it is with us. The newly-born Christ in us is able to accomplish with ease the deeds that our puffed-up fleshly nature cannot perform although it is full of self-confidence and boasting. Our old nature begins to understand that its end has come and that there is a new nature in us.

It is this way with Christian churches. There has come an anointing of the Holy Spirit on the churches in the present hour. God has rejected the fleshly attempts of man to bring about the Kingdom of God and is teaching us and directing us to lay aside our own wisdom and resources and to look to Him for the building of the Church.

The flesh and the Spirit may dwell together in the churches for a season, but eventually it will be demonstrated in the members of the Body of Christ that the Holy Spirit of God can perform the works of the Kingdom that never were accomplished by human efforts.

Then persecution will come because religious flesh will not tolerate the removal of its own prestige and the giving of all the glory to Christ.

Christ will not dwell in peace with the rule of men. He is our King today and also our coming King. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. The day of the rule of flesh in the world and in the churches is rapidly coming to a conclusion.

We as individuals may attempt to use our experience in Christ to better our fleshly position. We may not be doing this deliberately but sometimes this is the case. Our religious endeavors may be serving self rather than the Spirit.

Jesus intends to be our Lord as well as our Savior and He demands unswerving allegiance and obedience from us. No longer are we to attempt to use Christ merely as a beneficial addition to our life. He is to become our life and we are to lay down our own plans and ambitions so His needs may be serviced.

There are many people in our day who have received Jesus as Savior but never have accepted the lordship of Christ.

Apparently Saul had not really given serious consideration to David until the victory over Goliath. Then he suddenly woke up to the fact that David existed. He asked: "Whose son art thou, thou young man?" (I Samuel 17:58). It began to enter Saul's mind that David was a challenge to his preeminence.

After we have been Christians for a season and have entertained our flesh and soul with the things of Christ, our self-centeredness wakes up to the fact that Christ will interfere with our desire to build ourselves up and to adorn ourselves with the praise and approval of men.

"Whose son are you?" our flesh asks.

The answer returns: "I am the Son of God. I am your Lord."

Soon after this the daughters of Israel began to sing about the "thousands" of Saul and the "ten thousands" of David. Saul exploded with envy and hurled his javelin at David. From then on Saul was determined that David must die.

We come to seasons in our pilgrimage of faith when our old self-seeking nature begins to realize that either it or Christ must prevail in our situation. There can be only one master of the house.

As Christ begins to come to maturity in the Christian churches, the denominational governments and forms may be pleased for a season. The gifts of the Spirit are attractive. The religious institutions will seek to use the things of the Spirit to serenade themselves. Eventually, however, the fleshly rule of the denominations will understand that it has its "thousands" but Christ has His "ten thousands."

When the leaders of the denominations, and of the independent churches as well, recognize that Christ Himself intends to command the undivided allegiance of His saints, they may turn their attention to the task of attempting to destroy the Spirit of Christ. They may reject the Seed of Abraham, the elect of God who are in the Christian churches but who are not married to the churches.

The days ahead of us will witness the persecution of the saints by the religious organizations, by some of the men and women who today are prominent in Christianity. The Lord's followers are not to be alarmed but are to stand fast in Christ. They are to keep their gaze steadfast on Him, knowing that the final, glorious victory has been assigned already to Christ and His true Church by the Lord God Almighty. We are more than conquerors through Christ.

David was forced to flee from the cities of Saul. He came to the cave Adullam (I Samuel 22:1). There David gathered to himself the distressed, the debtors, and the discontented—about four hundred men. Four is the number of the anointing.

The feast of Pentecost was the fourth of the Levitical feasts.

The Lampstand was the fourth of the holy vessels of the Tabernacle and dominated, by its light and its ornamentation, the Holy Place of the Tabernacle.

These four hundred men were the beginning of David's army, his mighty men, those who were trained by him in the wilderness and who later came into power with him.

Notice that it was the distressed, the debtors, and the discontented. So it is in the churches today. Many are at ease in Zion. Then there are those whose hearts yearn toward Christ, toward the Life of the Spirit of God.

They are distressed because the Presence and power of Christ are not more in evidence in the churches. They are debtors because they have not succeeded too well under the present regime. They are discontented because their own lives are coming short of the holiness and fruitfulness they desire and hope for.

These are people who do not fit the present system of Christianity. They gather themselves together with their Lord, who also is out of the camp of acceptability at this time. It is from this group of misfits that Christ is forming His mighty men, His heroes of faith. When He comes into glory they will come into glory with Him.

It always has been so. There was a large, well-established religious organization in Israel while John the Baptist and Jesus were bearing witness of the Person and will of God. The priests and Pharisees did not run out to join themselves with Christ. They were succeeding well in their society. They made sure that they were not in distress, in debt, or discontented, even if it meant robbing widows and orphans in order to maintain their own prosperity. Those whom Christ called were not, for the most part, prominent in the social structure of Israel.

Saul made several attempts to destroy David but to no avail. God watched over David. God through Samuel had anointed David king over Israel. Fleshly Christianity, whether of an organization or of an individual, eventually will fail. Christ who is being formed in us is destined to reign at the right hand of God for eternity.

Christ must remain "in the wilderness" for a season even though He has been anointed King. Let us go outside the camp with Him, bearing His reproach. When He is revealed we shall be revealed together with Him.

There is much to be accomplished while we are wandering in the wilderness. The army of the Lord is being formed and trained now in preparation for the return of Christ to the earth.

Saul drifted further and further from the Presence of the Lord and finally was slain in battle. Saul was not slain by David but in a war with the Philistines. We Christians are not to fret ourselves concerning the conduct of the wicked of the earth or the blind religious people. We are not to attempt to harm other people. God will execute all judgment in His own time and in His own manner.

David could not return to receive his rightful kingdom until Saul had been slain. Christ's lordship over our lives cannot be established until our old nature has been brought down to defeat by the circumstances into which the Holy Spirit leads us. The reign of human nature over the Church of Christ is coming to an end. Saul, the flesh, has had his day. The head of man cannot be placed on the Body of Christ.

Our Lord Jesus stands at the door of our heart, requesting that we receive Him as King. Will we do it? Will we open up the everlasting doors that the King of Glory may enter?

The anointed King approaches. God has chosen the Lord Jesus as the rightful King over all God's creation. Christ has been anointed King. Even though it appears at times that Christ always will remain on the fringes of the affairs of the earth, God cannot be mocked. The King that God has anointed is waiting patiently until His enemies have been made His footstool.

When the Day of Christ arrives there will be no authority or power in the heavens or on the earth that will be able in any manner to prevent Christ from ascending His rightful throne.

In our hearts Christ has been anointed King. Now He may be in exile in the wilderness of our life, abiding in the cave Adullam while Saul, our self-centered nature, rules our motives, words, and deeds. Our fleshly nature may be reigning over us but Christ is our God-appointed Lord.

How long will we permit this unlawful state to continue? Why do we not "speak a word of bringing the King back?" Why don't we choose now to go outside the camp with Him and become one of His mighty men? If we do, we will sit at His table in His Kingdom just as Christ promised His mighty men, His apostles.

Sooner or later every other leader, every other rulership, must yield to Christ, whom God has appointed. The yielding will be either voluntary or by the force of His iron rod of righteousness. David was terrible in battle because God was bringing his enemies under his feet. Saul made a strong start but proceeded to lose in battle because his heart was not steadfast with God.

Christ also is terrible in battle, as His enemies soon are to discover. Let us not be enemies of Christ. Let us gladly and willingly accept His lordship over our life. Then we shall be able to rejoice when He receives the nations for His inheritance and the farthest reaches of the earth for His possession.

Christ will receive His Kingdom just as certainly as David received his. One day He will be King of kings and Lord of lords over this earth. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father.

Back to Three Deaths and Three Resurrections: Vol 1