The Meaning of Christ: The Anointed

The Greek word “christos” (G5547) translated as “christ”, and the Hebrew word “mashiyach” (H4899) translated as “messiah” in English both mean “anointed”.

In the Old Testament, it was customary for men chosen by God to be anointed with oil to serve in either of two particular positions: priest and king.

During the days of Abram, Genesis 14:18 introduces Melchizedek as the king of Salem and the priest of the most high God. This was an example of a single man holding both offices.

¹⁸ And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. ¹⁹ And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: ²⁰ And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they (as a body of people) made a covenant with God at Mt Sinai.

God told them that if they obeyed His voice and kept His covenant, then they would be unto Him a kingdom of priests. And the people vowed to keep that covenant. (See Exodus 19:3-8)

But the people needed to learn what it meant to be His priest.

So, God chose a particular man (& his sons) from among them to serve in that capacity. He had Aaron and his sons (from the house of Levi) anointed to serve as priests. (See Exodus 29:1-9)

The roles of the priesthood would then be carried out going forward generationally by their physical offspring.

As for the role of a king, I believe it was God’s intention for His people as a whole to be subject to Him alone, given what is said in 1 Samuel 8:7.

⁷ And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

But the people wanted to be like the nations around them and have their own king. So, God chose a particular man from among them to serve as a king over them, with the expectation that His anointed one would obey His voice.

His first choice was Saul (from the tribe of Benjamin). (See 1 Samuel 9:16-17; 10:1) But given Saul’s refusal to obey God, he was rejected by God as king over His people. And another man was chosen, who was found to be a man after God’s own heart.

That other man was David (from the tribe of Judah), and he was anointed with a horn of oil. (See 1 Samuel 16:13)

¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So, Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

Later, it was prophesied that David’s throne would be established through his physical seed. (See 2 Samuel 7:8-16)

The priesthood and kingship were clearly established to continue through the physical seed of two men: the former through the line of Aaron and the latter through the line of David.

And in the first century of the common era, the covenanted children of Israel, who were inhabiting the land of Judea were anticipating a physical son of David to fill the royal role of the Anointed. 

They anticipated this because of what the holy prophets of old had said.