1 Samuel 16:1–13; Ephesians 5:8–14; John 9:1–41
Introduction
Imagine being sent into a dark room where nothing is visible. You move cautiously, uncertain about every step you take. But the moment a light is switched on, all your confusion disappears. Obstacles become clear, direction emerges, and movement becomes your act of confidence.
Beloved in Christ, the Bible repeatedly uses "light" as a metaphor for divine truth and spiritual transformation. Humanity without God is like a walk in darkness. Full of ignorance, sin, and spiritual blindness. Yet through God’s anointing, the indwelling and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, Christians are called out of darkness and enabled to walk in His light.
In John 8:12, Jesus declared, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” This indicates that the Christian life is not merely believing in the light; it is actually about walking in it.
This Sermonette gives us a profound truth of God's anointed. People of God are not merely for status or privilege, but a living proof of transformed lives that reflect His light in this dark world.
Anointing is Founded on God, Not Human Perception
The narrative of David’s anointing occurs during a national crisis. Saul’s kingship has failed, and God sends the prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king from the family of Jesse.
When Samuel sees Jesse’s eldest son Eliab, he assumes he must be God’s chosen one because of his appearance and stature. Listen to what God tells him,
“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
Your anointing is not founded on human preference or desire but on God's own initiative. Therefore, you are anointed to walk in the Light but not to conform to the darkness. It is from God, and Him alone it must please.
This text highlights a theological principle about divine election. God’s choices are rooted in inner character rather than external qualification. It is said that "Your charisma will take you up, but your character will bring you down." The world may project and hail your arrogance as boldness, your evil schemes as smartness, but it is just a matter of time, and you will have a great fall. David, the youngest and least expected, becomes God’s chosen king for ancient Israel.
The act of anointing symbolises divine empowerment (Acts 1:8). In ancient Israel, kings, priests, and prophets were anointed with oil as a sign that God’s Spirit rested upon them. Today, God has poured His Spirit upon all flesh so that we may be empowered to walk in the Light.
The chronicler ends this episode by saying, “The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.”
The passage opens to a broader biblical theme of God raising unlikely individuals to accomplish His purposes. The ultimate fulfilment appears in Jesus Christ, the anointed Messiah. Nathaniel even said, "Can something good come from Nazareth?" The Jews looked down on Him as "the carpenter's son."
God does not choose the qualified, He qualifies those He chose. That is to say that divine anointing initiates a life transformed by God’s Spirit and directed by His light.
Anointing Calls Believers from Darkness into Light
The apostle Paul reminds the church of its spiritual transformational journey from darkness into light.
"For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." (Ephesians 5:8)
From the statement, we notice the radical explicit language that the apostle uses, "...you were darkness..." Paul does not merely say believers lived in darkness before the anointing, but they were darkness. Sin is not simply an environment one lives in, but a condition of one's existence.
Living in sin is what you are, but not where you are.
Through Christ, however, believers become light when we fully participate in the divine light. The ethical and practical command that follows is, “Walk as children of light.”
This phrase suggests continuous conduct shaped by God’s truth. It is our consistent discernment of "what is pleasing to the Lord," taking no part in the unfruitful works of darkness." Remember, he tells us, "For the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true." (Ephesians 5:9)
The apostle connects identity with behaviour. Because believers have been transformed by Christ, their lives must reflect that transformation. Spiritual illumination leads to moral clarity. The anointing received is an enablement to walk in the light always, but not to raise excuses to switch to darkness and back to light.
Paul does not end with walking in the light, but also urges believers to expose the works of darkness, not by condemnation but by shining on the darkness. "But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible." (Ephesians 5:13).
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
(Ephesians 5:14)
Anointing Opens Spiritual Eyes to the Light of Christ
The healing of the man born blind provides one of the most powerful symbolic narratives in the Gospel of John.
When the disciples encounter the blind man, they ask whose sin caused his condition since he was born with it. Jesus rejects their assumption and declares that the man’s life will reveal the works of God.
Jesus then performs a miraculous healing, restoring the man’s sight. The deeper significance of the passage is about spiritual eye-opening. The disciples saw the man born blind as one who lacked and deserved pity. The puzzle connects when the religious leaders come onto the scene.
The irony of this is that the man who was physically blind comes to recognise Jesus as Lord, while the religious leaders, who can physically see, with prestigious social status, remain spiritually blind.
The narrative progresses through stages of revelation. John describes the healing in detail, as Jesus "spits on the ground and made mud with the saliva," and then "anoints the man's eyes with the mud." The healing is symbolized with the anointing of the man's eyes. Since the anointing opens the eyes to walk in the light, the Christian cannot remain as darkness.
Initially, the healed man calls Jesus “a man,” later “a prophet,” and finally worships Him as Lord, "Lord, I believe." The healing of this blind man demonstrates that walking in the light involves a progressive spiritual awakening. Our encounter with Christ opens the eyes of the heart to progressively know Him and to grow in faith.
"And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" After knowing Him, "He said, Lord, I believe," and worshipped Him."
The eyes of our hearts must be enlightened to see that Light which never fades and walk in Him. The psalmist will put it, "Your word is lamp to guide me and a light for my path."
This is to say, the anointed life is one in which Christ continually transforms perception, understanding, and faith.
Conclusion
Picture a single candle in a vast dark auditorium. At first, the light seems small and insignificant. But when it touches another candle, and another, and another, the darkness begins to flee. And soon the entire room glows with light.
This is the calling of the anointed believer.
God sees the heart and calls ordinary people like David to serve an extraordinary purpose. Christ opens blind eyes and reveals divine truth. And the Spirit transforms lives so they shine with righteousness.
The question is not whether the world is dark. The darkness is obvious. The real question is this: Will those anointed by God choose to walk in the light?
For when believers truly live in the light of Christ, the darkness cannot overcome it. Amen!
Shalom aleikhem...
