David Diga Hernandez - Hidden by the Anointing

I’m going to dive into this spirit church lesson now, and I’m excited to present this to you because I believe that there are those watching who, in their heart of hearts, know they are called to the ministry. However, as I mentioned at the beginning of this program, you may feel overlooked; you feel your gifts are not really being tapped to their fullest potential. We will examine the anointing of King David, gleaning from this portion of Scripture to discover keys for walking through that season of hiddenness.

In 1 Samuel chapter 16, beginning at verse 1, the Lord said to Samuel, «You have mourned long enough for Saul; I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.» But Samuel asked, «How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.» The Lord replied, «Take a heifer with you and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.»

So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. «What’s wrong?» they asked. «Do you come in peace?» «Yes,» Samuel replied. «I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.» Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

In verse 6, when they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, «Surely this is the Lord’s anointed.» Verse 7 states, «But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'» Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel, but Samuel said, «This is not the one the Lord has chosen.» Next, Jesse summoned Shammah, but Samuel said, «Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen.»

In the same manner, all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, «The Lord has not chosen any of these.» Then Samuel asked, «Are these all the sons you have?» «There is still the youngest,» Jesse replied, «but he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.» «Send for him at once,» Samuel said. «We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.» So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome with beautiful eyes, and the Lord said, «This is the one; anoint him.»

So 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.

Now let’s take a closer look at verse 1. First Samuel chapter 16, verse 1, states that the Lord commanded Samuel not to mourn for Saul, as he had rejected him as king of Israel. We see the context: Saul, the current king of Israel, has been rejected by God because of various acts of disobedience. This is not to say that it wasn’t God’s will for Saul to be anointed, as Saul was anointed by the same prophet. Though some translations say that David was anointed with a horn while Saul was anointed with a flask, in this translation, we see that a flask is also used for David. Thus, it’s possible that David was being anointed with the very same anointing oil or holder of the anointing oil that King Saul had.

But we see that the oil has drained; it is now gone. This represents a spiritual vacuum—there’s emptiness, and God wants to fill it. Whether or not Saul was disobedient to the Lord, and whether or not he was obedient, is not really the point. I believe that if Saul had walked in obedience toward God, there would have been a godly transition from Saul to David. However, because of Saul’s disobedience, the anointing was stripped from him and placed upon another.

Yet we see that it is God who initiates the call. David was not out seeking to be anointed as king of Israel. Perhaps God had given him visions of this, or maybe the Lord spoke to him during worship and prayer about being the next king of Israel. However, David focused only on what he was called to do; he was tending sheep and worshiping God. He was fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit. Yes, David was filled with the Holy Spirit, for the psalm says, «Cast me not away from thy presence, O Lord, and take not thy Holy Spirit from within me.» David was spirit-filled, but we see that God initiates the call, and it is up to us to respond.

Then in verses 2 through 3, we see that Samuel asked, «But how can I do that? If Saul hears, he will kill me.» The Lord tells him to take a heifer and say that he has come to make a sacrifice. «Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.» Verse 4 states that Samuel did as the Lord instructed. As the Lord instructed, God sent a prophet.