WHAT DOES MESSIAH MEAN?

 
 
 
 As a Christian, it is very important to me to have a deep understanding of the “Christian” or biblical words that are part of my every day faith. Words like… faith, belief, worship, glory, repentance, hope, redemption, propitiation, pray, salvation, sanctification and  grace… just to name a few. No word is more important to understand than the word  MESSIAH…
 
 
From the time I was a small child until well into my adult years I didn’t know what the word Christ meant.  When I was young I thought that Christ must be Jesus’ last name…. you know, Jesus Christ.  
 
 It wasn’t until I got serious about really knowing the meanings of the Christian words that roll off my tongue so easily that the word “Christ” became alive with value and significance. 
 
I hope you are asking, “I thought you were going to talk about the word Messiah?”.  Great question!
 
The word Messiah is a Hebrew word… and ancient word.  The word Christ is a Greek word…old, but not as ancient. The two words are synonymous!  
 
 
Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew… and the New Testament was written in Greek. The word Messiah and Christ… mean “anointed one”. So Jesus Christ, means “Jesus the anointed One”.
 
Let’s turn to the word Messiah… “anointed one”. 
 
In ancient times sacred oil would be poured over a person’s head if God had a special task for them to to. The task was usually to be a king. Sometimes priests and prophets were also anointed, but anointing was primarily reserved for kings.  Oil was poured out of an animal’s horn literally covering the anointed’s head, flowing all over him. In ancient times, during a coronation a king was anointed with oil instead of being given a crown. 
 
In the bible we can see God’s prophet Samuel anointing both Saul and David as kings of Israel.
 
I especially love the story of King David’s anointing! God tells Samuel, the prophet to… 
 
 
“Fill your horn with oil, and go: I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons” 1 Samuel 16:1
 
So Samuel obeys God and goes to Bethlehem, the home town of Jesse.  He see Jesse’s son Elieb and thinks…
 
“Surely, the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” 1 Sam16 :6
 
But God says…
 
 “Do not look at his appearance or at his height or at his stature, because I have rejected him: for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”. 1 Samuel 7
 
Seven of Jesse’s son’s parade in front of Samuel and God rejects them all.
 
Samuel asks Jesse if he has any more sons… and Jesse says… yes. He has a son out tending the sheep~ a very lowly job. Surely his youngest son, a shepherd, could never be God’s choice… 
 
So, Jesse’s youngest son David is brought before Samuel and God says…
 
“Arise, anoint him, for this is he” 1 Sam 16: 13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward”.  1 Sam 16: 13
 
David was a great king… a human king… but a great king!  However, the Jews were waiting for another king. The One that was prophesied to come.  A promised king!
 
The Jews were waiting for a Messiah, an anointed king chosen by God for a special task. 
 
And what was that task? To save His people. But not only His people the Jews, but all people.  This Messiah would not only save His people  from the grip of bondage of other nations… but all people, who choose Him as their King. He would save them from the grip of sin and death!
 
 This One… anointed by God for a special task has come… he also was from Bethlehem and was an ancestor of great king David…He is called a shepherd, too. The Good Shepherd!
 
 This king is…
 
Jesus the Messiah!  Jesus Christ!
 
Jesus “the anointed king”!
 
The next time you hear the word Messiah or Christ I hope you will say to yourself… “The anointed king”! And bow before the Him!
 
Amen!
 

 This week’s memorization verse:

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

 
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33 Comments

  1. Thank you fortoday’s Lesson. I was not aware that the old and new testaments were written in different languages and enjoyed being reminded of the meaning of the anointed one. You are an inspiration.

    1. Ronald Gonthi says:

      It new testament was written in Greek language, why didn’t they change ather names as well? Like “Rabi ” which is a Hebrew word referring to a teacher,
      Eloyeloy lamasabbatican also took a Hebrew form.
      Why didn’t they changed everything, ?

  2. Cecile morgan says:

    Thank you Yvonne for the word this morning, and for boldly proclaiming it. Blessings on you and your family

  3. Very informative – learned something new. I so appreciate you sharing spiritual truths as well as decor ideas each week. Enjoying the pod casts too.

  4. Gail True says:

    Beautifully written. Now I want to research hymns that exalt “Messiah” and sing of his wonderful name. Thank you for sharing what is on your heart.

  5. So thankful for my anointed king … Jesus!

  6. Laura Harrie says:

    Yvonne, I so look forward to Sunday with your special messages. Thank you for sharing God’s word, you are a blessing!

  7. Your post really touched my heart! God Bless!!

  8. Jacqueline says:

    Thank you for your Sunday message about the word Messiah. We all get wrapped up in just loking at the pretty DIY stuff and forget the real purpose in our lives. May God Bless you in writing such a beautiful blog and sharing his word from the Bible.

  9. I hope you will continue your Sunday series. They are well presented and informative, and I look forward to reading them each week. Thank you for sharing your faith and your insights with us.

  10. Cindy Brewer says:

    I was unable to go to church today but after reading your post I am inspired. You are a voice God uses and I just want to thank you for your obedience to Him and the strength in which you carry out the gospel! I love Him, too!

  11. What a marvelous explanation of Messiah! You made such a good point when saying most often we think “Chrst” is Jesus’s last name.

  12. Thank you for this post. Such a great reminder that Jesus is the anointed one, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, a name above no other!! An even better message for the lost who are still searching for a king.

    1. A name above all names is what I meant to say 🙂

  13. I’m not surprised that i was drawn to your decorating and then finding out you are a child of God. Your love for Christ, the anointed one, is shown through your pages. Bless you for sharing that!

  14. I love your Sunday blog. I always learn so much. Thank you for sharing the Lord’s word with us. The Lord has given you so much knowledge and wisdom. Thank you for sharing your gift.

  15. You always add to my bank of spiritual & scripture knowledge and I thank you! You are such a blessing to those of us who follow you!

  16. Norma Rolader says:

    Thank you for this message of the Messiah “The anointed king”… You amaze me with such amazement of the knowledge of our Messiah messages I so enjoy and look forward to your Sunday messages Thank you for inspiring us

  17. You are truly a blessing. Thank you as always for an inspiring message.

  18. Laura Corbett says:

    Amen! I love and look for your blog!

  19. Angie Chadwick says:

    Hi Ynonne,
    Like Margo, I too was very drawn to your blog and when you started sharing on your faith I could understand that it was more than just your beautiful, decorating skills that attracted me. I live in Australia and have been involved in ministry over many years. Sadly the state of the churches here leave much to be desired and my husband and I left church ,but not God. Reading your Sunday blog is part of my fellowship and I look forward to your word. I too love words and their meanings in the bible and have been reading a wonderful devotional by Rabbi Cahn, a messianic believer. He explains words and meanings so wonderfully that really open the word of God up. The title is, The Book of Mysteries and I have had the privilege of sitting under his teachings when we visit the US. We are going to Israel with him in October and we are looking forward to his teachings and perspective on things. This will be our fourth trip and we are always deeply impacted by the Holy Spirit there. Blessings, Angie

  20. Thank for sharing that good word.

  21. Thank you Yvonne for these wonderful words of wisdom. Love your testimony! ???

  22. What a great lesson. You are truly a Proverbs 31 woman. I have such admiration for you; from sharing the Word to sharing your lovely home ideas and life lessons. You are a Blessing to so many! I tell so many women about your blog; and I feel as if I know you personally. There is so much influence in my home from your blog. Thank you. Thank You Father for this precious lady!!!

  23. Amanda Jenkins says:

    I enjoyed reading this and am thankful for your on-line fellowship. This memory verse that you posted is one of my favorites, and I needed to be reminded of it right now. Thank you for being a blessing!

  24. Lorie Undewood says:

    Thank you for sharing your spiritual thoughts. It is so refreshing and uplifting and encouraging to follow a blog because of it’s beauty, then find the true beauty of it is in it’s message of faith and hope and of our Savior Jesus Christ. Your wise words have help me on many a day. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormon and I love to feel the Spirit where ever it is and learn from others. Thank you again for touching my life. And your designs and decor lift my soul also!

  25. Richard Brown-Low says:

    Yvonne,
    Based on this amended posting, perhaps you can explain how “Jesus” could be a descendant of King David when Mary told her family and Joseph that she was pregnant and that Joseph was not the father. Joseph also said that he was not the father and tried to divorce Mary since it was obvious that she was pregnant.

    If Joseph was not the father, how could Jesus be a descendant of David and become the Messiah (Mashiach).

    Your words:
    *****
    This One… anointed by God for a special task has come… he also was from Bethlehem and was

    “an ancestor of great king David>…

    He is called a shepherd, too. The Good Shepherd!

    This king is…

    Jesus the Messiah! Jesus Christ!

    Jesus “the anointed king”!

    The next time you hear the word Messiah or Christ I hope you will say to yourself… “The anointed king”! And bow before the Him!

    Amen!

    1. Richard, I have a feeling you know the answer to this question. God the Father was Jesus’ Father. Joseph adopted Jesus giving his all the right and privileges of a natural born son. God is amazing because in doing this He overcame the curse of Jeconiah.

  26. Please enlighten me.
    1. How come Jesus is ancestor to King David since chronologically He was born 1000 years after David.
    2. David and Saul was anointed by Samuel. Jesus was anointed by whom?

    1. Great question Sonny. We need to understand first-century Jewish to understand much in the bible. Just like you have ancestors, so did Jesus. His mother was Mary and was an ancestor of David. And his earthy father was Joseph, from whom Jesus inherited all the rights of a firstborn son because he was adopted by Joseph, was also a direct ancestor of David. And it is this line that Jesus has claim to David’s throne. All rights of a flesh-born child were given to him just like any other adopted Jewish boy. You too have a long ancestral line. We all do. It does not matter how far back your line goes.

      The Anointing of Jesus is another great question! Jesus was not anointed in the traditional sense. Anointed means to be set apart for a specific job. It is God Himself who chooses who He will Anoint. There were three times Jesus was anointed with oil. Anointing is a sign! It points to something. What bigger sign of Anointing when God Himself spoke at the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist! He said, “This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well-pleased”. Matt. 3:13-17. Immediately Jesus started the 3-year ministry He was destined to fulfill, ending with His death and then resurrection.

      Also, Jesus’ miracles were a sign of who He was. John 20:30 says it best, “Many other signs therefore Jesus performed in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (Anointed One), the Son of God; and believing have life in His name”.

      I’m so happy to answer Bible questions for those who are true seekers. May your eyes be open to the truth so you can study from the scripture and find the answers you seek.