Thursday 4 March 2010

The Anointing



The Anointing

Introduction to the Anointing of Jesus—A Recap

Christ is a word which means Anointed. Jesus demonstrated this anointing as He taught, prophesied and healed people, raised others from the dead, fed thousands with just a few loaves and fish, changed water into wine and rebuked the wind and waves. This same anointing is available for all those who are in Christ ( after all we are Christians who have the opportunity to move in the presence of the anointing. The gospels and the book of Acts show us the results of being in that anointing. The Holy Spirit is the source of this anointing made available to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The anointing blesses us, but this is not the primary focus. The anointing brings about God’s purpose in us and through us. We as creatures align to the Creator through the anointing. We also bear the family likeness as the anointing changes us from glory to glory. We are all in process and there is always more to discover, but over the next few pages, I hope to write section by section about the ingredients of this anointing.

In Genesis 49 we see that the anointing of God has a 12 -fold nature which relates to the Hebrew meaning of the twelve sons of Jacob (Jacob was God’s choice to found the community of Israel and in this chapter He is giving a fatherly blessing over this community and in so doing bringing prophetic revelation about the anointing which is given to the people of God by the Holy Spirit)

Name (Hebrew Meaning)
Reuben (Seeing)
Simeon (Hearing)
Levi (Intimacy)
Judah (Praise)
Zebulan (Dwelling)
Issachar (Reward)
Dan (Assessment)
Gad (Gathering)
Asher (Joy)
Naphetali (Struggle)
Joseph (Fruitfulness)
Benjamin (Sonship)



1. Seeing (Reuben)

The first ingredient is Seeing. The anointing breaks through veil satan has placed over our minds
(2 Cor 6); the veil of death which tries to keep us from seeing the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus.

Without the anointing we have no light and thus no sight. The anointing brings revelation to our hearts. Scripture becomes astoundingly clear and relevant. Life also looks different. We also find what we see has a relational dimension with God and when that happens it becomes precious to us. Jesus by contrast described those moving in scriptural truth without anointing, as being blind guides who lead themselves and others into a ditch. Without God’s revelation, everything is supposition. Seeing is the first thing we need to move in.

Jesus could only do what he saw the Father doing (John 5:19). We as Christians should expect to see what others cannot see, and this comes not from our rational intelligence but from our relationship with God in which the anointing flows to us and through us. In this context we will also see with words of knowledge, words of wisdom, prophecy as well as seeing some of the supernatural dimensions around us. In the fathers house we all have a room with a view

This month we look at Hearing and Intimacy


2. Hearing (Simeon) & 3. Intimacy (Levi)

Genesis 49:5-7
Hearing and Seeing are designed to go together. Simeon and Levi are brethren..

In general, we hear in the intimate place with God, and we are intimate with God when we are hearing from him. Abide in me and if my word abides in you....

But this is not all Jacob says about this, they are brethren because they have the same result ...zeal.. Our self life can easily skew this anointing from the Lord (see verse 6).. The following verses are often only explained in the behaviour or Levi and Simeon in Genesis 34, but I think this misses the point about the lessons from this aspect of the anointing.

The human spirit receives zeal through hearing and through intimacy, and it is zeal through which the government of the Lord is seen (Isa 9:6). But this can easily become anger or wrath. Instead of building God’s Kingdom we do the opposite. It is because of the dangers zeal can bring that Jacob continues with some helpful reminders when we are in the place of intimacy and hearing from God.

(a) Intimacy and hearing can bring about zeal which destroys rather than builds up. instruments of cruelty are in their habitations . We can be attackers of those who have not heard what we have heard or who do not belong to us. Our soul, whilst it will abide in private communion with God and hear from him, must have a focus beyond just hearing and intimacy (for example mission, or serving or relationships) my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly.

(b) God’s glory is not carried on our hearing or intimacy. It is on our obedience and character
O, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will
they digged down a wall. Many church divisions or wars over religion started with genuine
hearing from God and intimacy with God, but the response was in our self will ..e.g. the wars resulting from the reformation or the putting down of one church or Christian by those who are spiritual and moving with God.

(c) Being angry or wrath does not bring a blessing. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: For example someone can go to a conference and hear from God or be close to Him and come back in fierceness or wrath at the shortfalls in the worship or teaching and achieve little.


I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
In the church of God both in the times when church is weak (Jacob) and when it is moving in authority (Israel), this aspect of the anointing (hearing or intimacy) are not concentrated, but present in every resultant manifestation of the anointing ( i.e. part of church life and mission). In the anointing there are times when God speaks and times when God overwhelms us by His presence. These rarely are together. We can be close to God in our Bible Study and then hear God while we are about our daily chores, or we can hear God without being overwhelmed by Him. This is deliberate so that we can continue to move in the anointing.

When Ezekiel is overwhelmed by God’s presence, so he falls over (Ezekiel 1: 28—2:1), God refuses to speak to Him until he stands up, thus moving out of that place of intimacy. By contrast in Ezekiel 3, when he is intimate with God and God speaks to him, he describes his emotional state as “ I went in bitterness in the heat of my Spirit, but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me (Ezekiel 3: 14). We cannot forget that when Jesus had an intimate encounter with the Spirit and heard God speak together at his baptism, it is no surprise that He was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness. This is why in most cases intimacy and hearing are separate in our experience as we move in the powerful anointing of God
Jonathan Couper

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