Prayer – Samuel was blessed to be used by You, Lord,
given the opportunity to anoint two men, Saul and David, with oil as You chose
them to be kings—thus fulfilling Your plan for Israel and the leadership of
that nation. May You guide leaders of nations around the world now that they
would seek You, Lord, and fulfill Your plans. We know that You have predicted
turbulent days in the end times—but we are trusting You for the future.
So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel
took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And
the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel
returned to Ramah. 1 Samuel 16:13
Meditate. Consider God’s relationship with David, a man
after God’s own heart.
This was the beginning of the Holy Spirit’s relationship
with David, but it is certain that God the Father was with him and blessed
David earlier. Remember that he was a shepherd, guarding his father’s sheep
from bears and lions, and then killing the giant Philistine Goliath.
Five small stones from Elan Valley.
The valley of the Philistine battle.
It only took one small stone
for David to fell Goliath.
He came into battle in the name of the Lord.
"Don't worry
about this Philistine," David told Saul. "I'll go fight him!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There's no way you can
fight this Philistine and possibly win! You're only a boy, and he's been a man
of war since his youth." But David persisted. "I have been taking
care of my father's sheep and goats," he said. "When a lion or a bear
comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the
lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club
it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this
pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD
who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this
Philistine!" Saul finally consented. "All right, go ahead," he
said. "And may the LORD be with you!" ... David replied to the Philistine,
"You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the
name of the LORD of Heaven's Armies--the God of the armies of Israel, whom you
have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off
your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and
wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And
everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not
with sword and spear. This is the LORD's battle, and he will give you to
us!" ... Reaching into his shepherd's bag and taking out a stone, he
hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank
in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed
over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then
David ran over and pulled Goliath's sword from its sheath. David used it to
kill him and cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was
dead, they turned and ran. 1 Samuel 17:32-37, 45-47, 49-51
Anointed with olive oil. There are references to using
olive oil to anoint people in the New Testament. Even Jesus spoke of the value and
curtesy of anointing guests with olive oil. Israel can be a hot and dusty place
to live and travel. When Jesus went to the home of the Pharisee Simon, He
expected to have a servant of Simon’s anoint His head, and possibly His feet,
with olive oil as was the custom at that time. It didn’t happen, although another
visitor washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and
anointed them with expensive, fragrant perfume.
Then he turned to
the woman and said to Simon, "Look at this woman kneeling here. When I
entered your home, you didn't offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but
she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn't
greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped
kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but
she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. "I tell you, her sins--and
they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person
who is forgiven little shows only little love." Luke 7:44-47
Anointing with oil or perfume gives a special blessing and
can be healing. Jesus disciples were taught to anoint with olive oil those who
were sick, mentally and physically.
And they cast out
many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil. Mark
6:13
Have you ever anointed someone with oil…or been anointed
with olive oil? It is a humbling experience to have others kneel and pray with
you—trusting that the Lord with hear their prayers and provide a healing touch.
God gave David a special blessing of the Holy Spirit that, unlike some others
in the Old Testament, lasted for all of his life. He may have made mistakes,
but he was repentant and honored God by seeking to please God in all that he
did.
Verse of Salvation ~ A psalm of David. The LORD
is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my
fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Psalm 27:1
© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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