1 Samuel 10:1 Anointing

”Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.“ 1 Samuel‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

a. Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head: This was a literal anointing of Saul. The word “anoint” means to rub or sprinkle on; apply an ointment or oily liquid to. When Samuel poured it on his head, Saul was anointed with oil.

i. But the idea of anointing is much bigger. What happened to Saul’s head and body was a picture of what God did in him spiritually. The Holy Spirit was poured out on him, equipping him for the job of ruling as king over Israel.

ii. As Christians under the New Covenant we also have an anointing: But you have an anointing from the Holy One (1 John 2:20). In the New Testament sense, anointing has the idea of being filled with and blessed by the Holy Spirit. This is something that is the common property of all Christians, but something we can and should become more submitted and responsive to.

b. And kissed him: This was not only a greeting; it was also a sign of Samuel’s personal support of Saul. It was important that the king of Israel felt the support of the man of God.

c. Is it not because the LORD has anointed you: God anointed Saul and there were many aspects to this anointing which were especially memorable to Saul.

i. It was a secret anointing because it was not yet time to reveal Saul as king to the nation. As Christians, our anointing often comes in just such a private way, not in a flashy or public ceremony.

ii. It was a memorable and evident anointing because Saul’s head was drenched with oil. Psalm 133:2 describes how messy an anointing could be: It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard…running down on the edge of his garments. As Christians, our filling and empowering of the Holy Spirit should be memorable and evident. Saul could look back on this event and know God called him to something special as the king of Israel.

d. Commander over His inheritance: Samuel reminded Saul that Israel belonged to the LORD, that they were His inheritance. At the same time, Saul had an important job to do, because God placed him as commander over His inheritance. Saul should try to be the best king he could because he had the care of a people who belonged to the LORD God. (Guzik)

Anointing 

When we surrender to Jesus and become a Christian, the Holy Spirit enters us and our body becomes His temple.

”Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,“ 1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Slowly we begin to change and become more like Jesus. 

If you knew me before Jesus you wouldn’t recognize me. I was the sinner of sinners and did too many things I’m ashamed to mention here. 

Jesus said, 

”A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”“ ‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Are you His disciple?

Blessings