1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 88(89):20-22,27-28;Mark 2:23-28
A God of Surprises! Through Samuel, God chooses the young child David to be the anointed King of his people. Not the most obvious choice - but then that simply means that we did not look upon the many older, wiser, stronger candidates in from the same viewpoint as God did! This often happens in our world today. One good example is the election of a new Pope - often surprising us, and at least in my lifetime, always completely the right person for his time!
David's anointing is recorded three times in the Old Testament - and this one, in Bethlehem, is not referred to again in scripture. The other two are later, and take place when David is anointed King over the Southern Tribes (at Hebron, 2 Samuel 2.4) and later, the Northern Tribes (2 Samuel 5.5). Why might David have been anointed three times? This is an example of Typology - the Old Testament foreshadowing the New. David was anointed by Samuel, foreshadowing the baptism of Jesus by John, at which God says this is my Son, the Beloved. (David means Beloved, and Samuel means taking the name of God). The second anointing, by Joshua (praise) foreshadows the recognition of Jesus as King by his followers. And the third anointing, by Jabesh-Gilead (perpetual fountain) foreshadows Jesus' promise of perpetual nourishment (for example, offering the woman at the well, a drink that will never leave (us) thirsty again.
Each one of us, at our Baptism, was anointed with oil, as was David, and washed with the same water of life from the eternal spring Jesus set for us. Let us rejoice and be glad!