Uni-verse 228/10,000 For better through verse
Psa 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.


One of the foremost attributes of a citizen of the Kingdom of God is a love for righteousness and a hatred for evil. Once we understand the absolute holiness and power of God, we will develop a deep respect or reverence for Him. That respect is reflected in our love for His goodness and an abhorrence of evil. We cleave to what is good and let go of what is evil, resist its allurements and at times even flee from it. Since we live in a grossly imperfect world, it is a kind of a tight rope walk but it is certainly better to walk a rope than to have it hanging around our neck. But, the Lord gives us the grace, the wisdom and the power to complete our walk successfully. In case we fall, He holds the safety net of forgiveness under us and puts us back on our feet.

Our God has anointed us as priests and kings before Him. In Old Testament times only the priests and kings were anointed as a sign of divine appointment, favour and empowerment. When we are redeemed by confessing our faith in Christ, we are anointed or sanctified by the Holy Spirit. This anointing makes us holy and blameless before God. This is the oil of purification of sinners. Then, we are anointed as priests. This is the oil of sanctification. We can offer worship on behalf of the whole of humanity. We intercede for those who are not saved. We are also anointed as kings to execute righteousness on earth, to exercise power and authority over the spiritual realms as suzerains of God on earth. What we bind on earth is bound in heaven, what we release or free on earth is released in heaven. This is the oil of empowerment.

But, this uni-verse speaks of the anointing with the oil of gladness. This comes with a harvest of righteousness. The word "oil" brings up the image of "oozing". We need to be oozing with gladness and joy in all that we say and do: Glad that we are saved, that we will not perish in the second death; joyful that we are victorious in Christ. The Lord has removed our sackcloth of mourning that comes from a life of sin and a guilty conscience and replaced it with the spirit of gladness and joy. As a result, we are far more glad and joyful than our contemporaries, colleagues and fellow beings who are still mixed up in the ruling passions and obsessions of the world. We may not keep up with the Joneses but we are happier by far than them.

Prateep V Philip