Section 884
IV. David is here described as the anointed of the God of Jacob
That is, anointed by the order of the God of Jacob. Samuel was ordered to anoint him, and he did: and he was afterwards anointed king over Judah; and after that he was anointed to be king over all Israel. The anointed of the God of Jacob. He shewed himself to be the God of Jacob and Israel, by appointing such a king to rule over them.
In this also David was a type of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is anointed with the Holy Ghost. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost (Acts 10:38), called the oil of gladness with which he is said to be anointed above his fellows (Hebrews 1:9), for he received the Spirit without measure. Anointed he is said to be by the Lord, therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee (Psalm 45:7). Jehovah hath done it, who also anointeth all that believe. And do you ask when he was anointed? I answer, he was anointed from all eternity. In Proverbs the eighth it is said, I was set up from everlasting: it is in the original text, I was anointed. The phrase expresses his being appointed unto, or invested with, the office of Mediator. He might be said to be anointed from everlasting as such. All the grace of his people, all that was designed to be bestowed upon them, were put into his hands. He was possessed in the beginning of God's way with a fulness of grace for all his people: hence we are said to have grace given us in Christ Jesus before the world began (2 Timothy 1:9). He was anointed with the Holy Ghost from his birth; for if John the Baptist is said to be filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb (Luke 1:15), our Lord Jesus Christ may well be thought to be so. At his baptism it was more apparent when the Spirit of God rested upon him, whereby John knew he was the Messiah. This was the sign given him whereby he should know that he was the Messiah. He was declared to be Lord and Christ, or more manifestly anointed when he received the gifts and grace to be bestowed upon his people in future ages and generations.
He was anointed with the Holy Spirit, his gifts and grace as man and mediator, as prophet, priest, and king. The Prophets used to be anointed: hence Elijah had orders to anoint Elisha (1 Kings 19:16). Christ is anointed as a prophet. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me, for what ? why to preach glad tidings to the meek (Isaiah 61:1): and his people, who have their anointing from him, are taught all things. Christ as a priest, consecrated for evermore, was anointed with gifts and graces of the Spirit above measure. The oil or ointment poured upon Aaron's head, which ran down to the skirts of his garments, was an emblem or type of the abundance of the gifts and graces of the Spirit bestowed on Christ as our great high priest. Kings also were anointed to their office, as David, Solomon, and others; so Christ was anointed as king, I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion (Psalm 2:6): it is in the original, I have anointed my king. Hence it is that Christ has the name of the Messiah, or anointed one; and his followers have the same, receiving from him that anointing which teacheth all things.