There is some wonderful imagery in Psalm 133, about the effect of the unity of the people of God. We’re talking unity amongst the people of God, here, just not tolerance, or mere inclusion. These are not the same thing. Unity in the people of God is a precious, sacred thing to which God powerfully responds …
Psalm 133:1-3 (NIV)
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.”
The psalmist here, David, describes a unity by which a powerful and beautiful anointing comes upon the people of God in an almost cause and effect kind of way. When righteous unity is the genuine state of togetherness for God’s people, God lets loose a very powerful blessing on us – and we can feel it – it’s tangible.
In Old Testament times when a person was anointed with oil by the prophet or priest, this was a symbol pointing to the fact that Holy Spirit was setting someone apart for a purpose and supernaturally empowering them to function in that purpose. Oil was used to visibly ‘speak’ of this. The Hebrew word for ‘anointing’ is ‘mischah’ which means ‘smearing’. And when someone was anointed, literally the oil flowed down from the head onto the garments. It soaked right into the garment and onto the skin. Looking at what David describes here in Psalm 133 we are quick to see that he is not talking about a few drops of sacred oil. No, he is talking about a lot of oil being used. We use a small amount of oil when we anoint someone for prayers of healing – it is a symbolic act, and fragrant, too. It’s a tangible reminder of the anointing being released beyond the visible. But a whole flask of oil being poured out? That’s a lot of oil. Why so much?
Well, there’s this explanation that I heard the late Derek Prince once offer, and I think it is sound. It was so that the recipient can release his/her faith as they tangibly feel the oil upon them, believing that the Holy Spirit’s anointing is now upon them. Derek made the point that anointings were not handed out willy-nilly. They meant something incredibly important and were to quicken faith in specific ways. There was a spiritual reality occurring and the anointing oil was a tangible thing that “quickened” (triggered and encouraged) faith. Consider this for a moment. When we pray – as the prayer ministry team prays during worship and so on – some of you very clearly sense an anointing on you for someone else, or upon someone else as they are ministering with you, or are about to minister. It’s real. And we make room for it.
Some are not used to sensing the presence of a particular anointing, it could be a new thing to you. That’s OK. But a season of greater anointing is here, and we will become more and more acquainted with different anointings for different purposes, and we’ll learn how to use them carefully. The role of pastors and elders is to help people connect with the anointing when it is present. When the words of release of that anointing are spoken in prayer, it is quickly imparted. Some of you feel it leave you, as Jesus did when the woman with the haemorrhage touched the hem of His garment. Jesus felt the power of it leave Him. Others have felt the anointing when it was imparted onto them. These were real experiences, and when some of you have felt the anointing imparted to you, it helped you activate faith. When it left you, it encouraged faith. That’s what is underneath many of these pictures of anointing we see in the Old Testament. When the anointing oil was poured out, one of its functions was to quicken faith so as to enable someone to move confidently in that anointing and function – this is not about wishing and hoping!
The NT Greek word for ‘anointing’ is ‘chrisma’ (not “charisma”) which means ‘a rubbing in’. There is a ‘rubbing in’ effect, a tangible impartation of the substance of the anointing upon a person when they are anointed – whether that’s by means of your ministry anointing coming upon you, or the person to whom you are ministering receiving something – it is kind of massaged into them. That is, it is not an uncertain, whimsical thing, it’s real. The anointing quickens faith in the one ministering and in the one receiving! We need to know and understand that. Why?
Because a new season is upon us where we are being given, as God’s called out people, anointings to use in specific ministry moments. But there is more. Some anointing is for the moment and it is all used up in the moment – it is all poured out in the moment. The flask is emptied, nothing is held in reserve. But get this. The anointing on a person and their call in God can be stored, like electricity can be stored in a battery, as Derek Prince has often said. The anointing in itself is a substance of the power and presence of God. And it can be stored and it can be transmitted. One amazing picture of this is the substance of the anointing that was so ‘rubbed into’ Elisha that even after he died, his bones still contained the substance of that anointing. When a dead man touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man was resurrected! (2 Kings 13:21). No, this is not folklore, or myth. Elisha was dead and so was the man - neither of them could have been exercising faith. (Which is why don’t hesitate to pray for someone who does not have faith – we trust the anointing on us will still work.)
Neither man was able to exercise any faith at all since both were dead, but the stored anointing was awesomely powerful. Nor was the resurrection of the man prayed for by others. This miracle took place and was solely a result of the power inherent in the substance of the anointing which was still resident in Elisha’s bones. So, what’s the point here? Two things. One, it is better to work with the anointing (the power of God) than without it. The anointing is a supernatural thing that points to God’s power going to work, and it also draws us into God’s activity in his particular way – and it accomplishes exponentially more than humanly possible. Two, as we walk in righteous unity, as a community of the people of God, right there, God commands fresh blessing. The context of Psalm 133:1-3 in the Hebrew text indicates that the blessing here is daily fresh anointing – this is not just in the general blessing category, either. The condition for continuous, fresh anointing, is the righteous unity of the people God. The dew of Hermon falling on Mount Zion happens every morning without fail. That was David’s point.
In other words, we can rely on the daily fresh anointing of God on us as a ministry people, when we take the unity of the Body of Christ seriously, and refuse to let any unrighteousness harm or diminish it. This is more than tolerance and inclusivity. It’s about the anointing … and the environment in which it is active; this ultimately for God’s glory.
That’s what I reckon anyway …
Ps Milton
[Sources: DPM Int., John Wimber conference notes, 1988, Sydney]