This anointing is used as a figure in Psalm 133, where the differences between Israel (Mt. Hermon) and Judah (Mt.

Zion) vanish under the unifying anointing of the High Priest:

`Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment'

This `oneness' is referred to in Hebrews 2, where speaking of sanctification, the apostle says:

`Both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call

them brethren' (Heb. 2:11).

We naturally think of David as the anointed king (1 Sam. 16:13; 2 Sam. 5:3), and Aaron as the anointed priest

(Exod. 30:30). For an example of the anointing of a prophet we turn to 1 Kings 19:16 and 2 Kings 2:9. It is

interesting to note that Elisha desired a `double portion' of Elijah's spirit, and that, whereas Elijah performed eight

miracles, Elisha performed sixteen. There is possibly an allusion to this in the Saviour's words:

`Greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father' (John 14:12).

We read that the Lord, before His baptism of suffering and death, was `straitened' (Luke 12:50), but after

Pentecost, 3000 were convicted in one day according to Acts 2:41, and 5000 in a few days time (Acts 4:4). As Mark

16:20 says, `The (ascended) Lord working with them'.

We must now turn to the New Testament and learn what terms are employed to convey the conception of

anointing and its consequences. The Greek word chrio (Luke 4:18) `anoint' gives us the word Christos, The

Anointed, The Christ or the Messiah.

Two variants of chrio are used enchrio `to rub in'(Rev. 3:18); epichrio `to rub on' (John 9:11). Three other words

are used, murizo `to rub with aromatic ointment' (Mark 14:8); and aleipho `to anoint with oil' (Mark 6;13), and

chrisma, the anointing by the Holy Ghost in the shape of spiritual gifts. We give an example of the use of these

words in the Septuagint to make our survey complete:

Aleipho (Ruth 3:3), enchrio (Jer. 4:30), chrio (Exod. 30:26).

While many other lesser details could be added, we must now leave these side issues and concentrate our

attention on the relationship of the Holy Spirit with the Saviour, for Anointing is a type or symbol of the enduement

of the Spirit. First a note on this from Isaiah 11:1,2 :

`And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of His roots: And the

spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,

the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the spirit of counsel and might,

the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD'.

Christ has a twofold relationship with David:

He is the Son and Seed of David by human birth (Rom. 1:3).

He is both the Root and the Offspring of David, by reason of His twofold nature (Rev. 22:16).

It is as the `rod' out of the `stem' of Jesse, as a `branch' that grows out of his `roots', that we see Him endued

with the Spirit of the Lord. The `rod' is a twig or sucker, and the `stem' is the `stock' of Job 14:8. The word

`branch' must not be confused with the Messianic title `The Branch' as found in Isaiah 4:2 or Zechariah 3:8, that

employs a totally different word in the original. The antichristian parody may be seen in Daniel 11:7 where we read

`But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up'. The word `rest' in Isaiah 11 is interesting, for it is used for the

`rest' for the sole of the foot of `the dove' sent out by Noah (Gen. 8:9), and anticipates the baptism by the Spirit in

the shape of a dove (John 1:32; Matt. 3:16) which was seen `abiding' or `lighting' upon Him. The reader will notice

that in the margin of Isaiah 11:3 `quick understanding' is Hebrew scent or smell. The figure possibly is borrowed

from the rapid moistening of the nostrils by a deer, when startled, to make the scent keen. This enduement of the

Spirit upon the Saviour affected His judgment. (1) He would not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither (2)

reprove after the hearing of His ears. He `needed not that any should testify of man: for He knew what was in man'