Israel was always meant to be ruled by a king. This is indisputable due to the laws God handed down regarding the nature of a king (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). What is interesting about this, however, is that for centuries after the laws were handed down, Israel had no earthly king ruling over them. Rather, God Himself ruled as King over Israel. God expressed this to the prophet Samuel when the people demanded a human ruler: “They have rejected Me, that I should not rule over them.” (I Samuel 8:7)
The question was never whether Israel was to have a king, but rather, who should be their king – God, or a man.
Even though God had given them a set of laws to guide a king, when the people of Israel demanded said king, He still saw their desire for an earthly ruler as rebellion against Him. He gave those laws, not because he approved of their desire, but because He knew it would happen. He granted their demand, not because He thought it was a good idea, but as punishment for their dissent.
God chose Saul, and to mark his appointment as king, God had Samuel anoint the young Benjaminite.
When Saul fell to wickedness, God sent Samuel to anoint another man to rule as king: David, the son of Jesse.
In each case, the ruler was marked by an anointing at the direction of God Himself.
Eventually, God made a covenant with David, promising that David’s throne and kingdom would be established forever (II Samuel 7:15-16). He reiterated this covenant centuries later when He told Jeremiah David would never lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel (Jeremiah 33:17), despite the fact that, as He told Jeremiah these words, Babylon was practically at the gates, about to destroy Jerusalem and carry King Zedekiah, a descendant of David, into captivity and kill his sons.
After David, Solomon was anointed king (I Kings 1:39). From David onward, the Kings of United Israel – and then the kings of Judah – were anointed before taking the throne. When the kingdom divided, we do not read of Jeroboam being anointed as king of the northern kingdom. The only king of Israel whom we read of being anointed is Jehu in II Kings 9. However, the line of David, it seems, was regularly anointed, because the coronation ceremony included an anointing by the high priest (I Kings 1:39, II Kings 11:16). This, and the fact that David was God’s anointed with the promise that his throne would last forever, made David’s kingship almost inherently anointed.
Every king of Judah, and each priest, was anointed before taking office. As far as the Biblical record is concerned, Jehu, who was not of the line of Jeroboam, was the only one who was ever anointed – and though he was yet another wicked king in a long succession of wicked Israelite kings, God promised his line would remain on the throne for four generations (II Kings 10:30) – so one might be able to argue that the line of Israelite kings from Jehu to Zechariah were anointed to some extent.
What Is Anointing, Anyway?
The anointing of kings and priests for their office was never taken lightly. It was seen as a sign of the approval of God.
Noah Webster, in the definition for “anoint” in his 1828 Dictionary, observes:
“To anoint the head with oil, Psalms 23:5 seems to signify to communicate the consolations of the Holy Spirit. . . The use of oil in consecrations, was of high antiquity. Kings, prophets and priests were set apart or consecrated to their offices by the use of oil. Hence the peculiar application of the term anointed to Jesus Christ.”
Webster, being fluent in many languages, was aware of the definition of the Hebrew “messiah” and the Greek christos. Both words mean “anointed”. A king or priest in Jerusalem, when appointed to his respective office, was always anointed by a representative of God, whether a prophet or a priest, and thus considered “God’s anointed” (I Samuel 24:6, II Samuel 1:16). When we speak of “the messiah” or “Jesus Christ”, we are literally referring to Him as God’s anointed, our priest-king after the order of Melchizedek.
When Jesus went to John to be baptized in the Jordan River, we read of His anointing:
After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” — Matthew 3:16-17 (NASB)
John officiated the anointing (being a Levite), but God tossed the cherry on top with His declaration. There was no denying that Jesus was the Anointed One, the Christ. Of all the anointings we read about in the Bible, this is easily the most profound.
Jesus is repeatedly referred to as God’s Christ, or, God’s Anointed, in Acts 3:18, Revelation 11:15, and Revelation 12:10. In Acts 4:26 we read of the early Christians quoting Psalm 2:2. In most of our Bibles the Old Testament text reads that the kings of the earth conspire against “the Lord and His anointed”. In Acts 4:26 they say, “The Lord and His Christ” (christos in the Greek). Both mean the same.
Jesus Christ, the direct descendant of King David, was anointed King over Israel, and He remains as such to this day.
What is more, we are told in I Peter 2:9 that Christians are a “royal priesthood” – a dual office that has always required an anointing, as we see manifested in baptism into Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-7, Galatians 3:27).
God anointed King David. His descendant, Jesus Christ (Jesus the Anointed) now sits on the throne of David at the right hand of God (Luke 1:32, I Timothy 6:14-16). And those who have been baptized into Christ share in that anointing as kings and priests under Him (II Corinthians 1:21, Revelation 1:5-6).
Whose Anointing?
Now, as mentioned earlier, the Israelites in I Samuel 8 asked God to appoint a king over them. Although they were rebelling against God, they still looked to him to choose and establish that king. They at least understood that authority ultimately comes from God, not from man, and therefore a legitimate king had to have a divine anointing.
In fact, appointing leaders without God’s anointing or approval is a sign of rebellion as well. For example, in Numbers 14, after the ten spies bring back the negative report about the Promised Land, the people cry out in verse 4, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
They wanted a different leader than Moses and Aaron, whom God had appointed himself. This meant rejecting, not only Moses and Aaron, but the God who chose them. As a result, they were condemned to forty years’ wandering in the wilderness until every adult in that generation had died. God wasn’t being subtle about His opinion here.
The Bible never speaks positively about appointing leaders without God’s approval. Hosea 8:3-4 says of the Kingdom of Israel (who, as pointed out earlier, did not have divinely anointed kings outside of Jehu):
Israel has rejected the good;
The enemy will pursue him.
They have set up kings, but not by Me;
They have appointed princes, but I did not know it.
With their silver and gold they have made idols for themselves,
That they might be cut off.
David’s house had been appointed by God to rule over Israel, but in splitting away and rejecting the royal house of Judah, they had no kings who could be called “God’s anointed”, other than Jehu. In saying “… not by Me” and “… I did not know it”, God is saying He was never consulted and His approval was never sought. They appointed leaders by their own will, rather than God’s, and thus put themselves in the place of God.
It should also be noted that Israel had no righteous kings at any point in their history.
Should we be surprised?
God’s Anointing Today
I have lost count of the number of times I’ve heard that America’s leaders today are “God’s anointed”. Whether speaking of Obama or Trump or some two-bit senator, evangelicals are quick to point out that we should respect and obey them, because they’re “God’s anointed”. The phrase has become a blanket term for any and all people in governmental office.
It’s especially gotten thick since the Trump administration turned conservative evangelicals (and plenty other groups) into quivering lumps of sycophancy. Trump said himself, “I’m the chosen one”, and that accelerated the “anointed” silliness. Those who at least have enough sense to recognize that Trump isn’t exactly a great pillar of Christian virtue have claimed he’s the Cyrus of our time, appointed to set us free from the “deep state”, referencing Isaiah 45:1.
First, let’s look at the bigger picture. How many of the presidents, congresspeople, governors, etc that have ruled in America can truly be called “God’s anointed”? At what point have we ever seen any indication – other than a gaggle of half-screaming, half-swooning charismatic “prophets” – that Donald Trump has been anointed for anything (other than, perhaps, deceiving the foolish and leading them to destruction)? What true prophet has stepped forward and anointed any of them? What supernatural event has marked a single one of them so that we can see and know that this person has the approval and appointment of God Almighty?
Not a single one. Ever. At any time. They don’t even meet with the Biblical qualifications for leadership as found in Exodus 18:21, I Timothy 3, and Titus 1.
And we wonder why America has been steadily declining over the past 250 years. Gee, it’s a real mystery.
So, coming back to the Donald: Yes, Cyrus is described as God’s anointed, but God outright SAID he was anointed, and he was not anointed to be King of Israel, but rather king of Persia – a completely different nation – in order to conquer Babylon. He was a heathen king chosen to accomplish a specific task, not to rule over God’s people. And no, there is absolutely nothing to indicate that Trump is a modern Cyrus, no matter how hard we try to sledgehammer that round peg into the square hole. Recognize that notion for what it is – wishful thinking and nothing more.
Jesus told His disciples about the times leading up to the fall of Jerusalem in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. One of the signs of the impending disaster, He said, was false christs (false anointed ones), coming along and deceiving many, including the elect (Christians). Today, on the cusp of social and economic disaster in America, we not only have evangelicals hailing politicians as “anointed” (ie, Christ), but also guys like Trump coming right out and saying they’re “the chosen one”. I have a hard time imagining how much more obvious it could get. But people lap it up because they desperately want a savior, an anointed one to deliver them.
As long as it ain’t Jesus Himself, of course. I mean, that’s just crazy talk. Come on. Get real.
Christians need to be very careful about whom they call “anointed”. Call the wrong person “anointed”, and you’re calling them “christ”, and if you call the wrong person “christ”, you’re blaspheming.
The only anointing any American politician has ever received is the blasphemous anointing of the people’s will via the vote, a la Numbers 14:4.
And in God’s eyes, that’s the anointing of rebellion.
The Sin of Absalom
David was anointed King of Israel, but when his son Absalom decided he wanted to steal his father’s throne, he went about it by winning the hearts of the people (II Samuel 15:6), circumventing the approval and anointing of God. Instead, he sought popular opinion, the approval and anointing of the people. In fact, in II Samuel 19:10, the people refer to “Absalom, whom we (the people) anointed over us.” God’s anointing wasn’t involved. And what do you know . . . the whole affair ended with God catching Absalom and hanging him by the hair like a sitting duck for Joab to put down as a rebel and traitor.
Jesus Christ has been openly, roundly, and positively declared King of Israel by divine decree. And yet the sin of Absalom remains alive as His subjects anoint “kings” (presidents, congresspeople, governors, etc) through the anointing of the popular vote. At no point is God consulted – if He were, we’d find that there’s nary a candidate who meets His qualifications of leadership.
They’re all a bunch of Absaloms, and those who vote for him are Absalom followers.
Do we truly believe Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the King of Israel? If so, then why do we continue to reject His kingship, if not in word, then in deed, by appointing kings over us in the same manner as the northern kingdom of Israel? Whenever we Christians set up kings other than God’s Christ, God’s Anointed, we follow in the footsteps of Absalom and Jeroboam, rejecting the anointed Son of David, Jesus (Matthew 1:1). Sure, we claim in word that He is King, but in our actions we pointedly state that His kingship is insufficient, symbolic or ethereal at best. He’s just an idea, a concept, and nothing more.
That’s insulting to our King. Either He is really and truly King, or He isn’t. Let’s stop our doublemindedness.
We Already Have The Perfect King!
It’s been said in defense of voting in new leaders that the great reforms in Jerusalem were carried out by the kings. True. So who is our King now? He is of the exact same line as those kings of Judah, and He is the Word made flesh! He is perfect, infallible, and all-powerful, unlike the reforming kings of ancient days, so why don’t we follow the reform He has laid out for us to undertake in following His example? Why are we continuing to elect kings and leaders who are nowhere near that family tree, nowhere near as righteous as Jesus, and hoping at least one of them will lead us to some great reform? None of these elected leaders have ever started a great reform – what fantasy makes us think things are going be any different this time around? Are we insane? Stupid? Just plain stiffnecked? Or perhaps a deadly combination of the three?
We shouldn’t put an iota of hope in any “leaders” who’ve been set up by the blasphemous so-called “anointing” of the popular vote. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a ReBloodlican or a DemoCrip. None of these people will deliver us any more than the wicked kings of Israel ever did. God says in Psalm 2 that HE has set up HIS King on HIS holy mountain – Jesus Christ – and HE will deliver His people (Isaiah 33:22, Luke 1:68-79). HE is the Son of David and the Son of God. HE has been declared King of Israel. That’s everything we should need.
No leader we’ve ever elected in America has met all the Biblical leadership qualifications. In fact, not only is violating those standards a sin on the part of those elected, but voting for and supporting individuals who fail to meet those qualifications is as grave a sin on our part. We give our approval and share in their sin.
Jesus Christ, in contrast, not only meets every single one of the Biblical leadership qualifications, but He is the very essence and embodiment of them. There is no mortal king who could possibly come close to that. In turn, Jesus anoints Christians as fellow kings and priests in His Kingdom, washing them clean of sin and lifting them up to sit in the high places with Him (Ephesian 2:5-6).
But apparently that doesn’t scratch our itch. The way some have spoken to me about it, that standard is too high – which I find utterly baffling. How can our standard for leadership be too high? It’s like throwing aside a flawless diamond in favor of a piece of gravel, because it’s just too valuable. But then again, the ancient Hebrews had a penchant for rejecting the God who delivered them from Egypt and smelting golden calves to worship instead, so I suppose it meshes. We’re like gambling addicts who constantly lose to the casino but keep yanking the one-armed bandits in hopes that this time – this time – they’ll win big. Never mind that it’s well established that the house always wins. We keep playing the game anyway and when we end up ruined we fire up that ballot slot machine yet again, hoping for a different outcome. What’s the definition of insanity again . . . ?
The allure of humanist rebellion is a sweet siren song luring us onto the rocks.
If Christians want to continue setting up false christs in their elected golden calves they can go right ahead, but if they’re reading this they can consider themselves warned. Don’t blame me when you wake up one day burning right along with your idols. I and others like me tried to talk sense into you.
The lines in the sand are being drawn as we approach the day of God’s wrath.
You call yourself a “Kingdom Christian”?
Great.
The question is: Whose kingdom are you about?
Think about that really carefully.