Self Appointed or God Anointed
Author Dawn Wilson
www.dawnwilsonminstries.org
We must walk in our ministries and our calls through God's anointing and appointment and
not in self appointment.
We will look at two scriptural examples of those who sought for position by self appointment
and by the appointment of man. These two did not seek their position by the anointing of
God. In fact they usurped those who were the anointed of God.
Absalom
We will first look at Absalom, the son of King David. Absalom walked in self appointment as
he sought to become the King of Israel by taking the kingdom from his father. He did not
seek this position as the anointed of God. He sought to take it in self appointment.
2 Samuel 15:1-6 Now it came about after this that Absalom provided for himself a chariot
and horses and fifty men as runners before him. 2 Absalom used to rise early and stand
beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment,
Absalom would call to him and say, "From what city are you?" And he would say, "Your
servant is from one of the tribes of Israel." 3 Then Absalom would say to him, "See, your
claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king." 4 Moreover,
Absalom would say, "Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who
has any suit or cause could come to me and I would give him justice." 5 And when a man
came near to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him
and kiss him. 6 In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for
judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel.
Absalom instituted a plan to steal the hearts of the people away from his father King David.
This plan was initiated by Absalom as a way to fulfill his self appointment as king in place of
his father.
Absalom rose early and stood beside the way to the gate. He would cry out in accusation
against the king to those who came to the city to the king for judgment. Verse 6 tells us in
this manner Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel.
There are those who will come to steal our ministries by hurling false accusations at us just
as Absalom did against his father. These false accusations are a ploy meant to steal the
hearts of those we serve as ministers away from us.
The self appointed come with false accusations against those who are God anointed.
2 Samuel 15:10 But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon
as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.' "
King David was anointed to this position of king by God. Absalom rose up to take this
position in self appointment.
Absalom motivation to seek this position by self appointment was bitterness. He was angry
at his father King David for not punishing Amnon for the rape of his sister Tamar. This held
bitterness led him to usurp his father and seek for his position through by self appointment.
Absalom bred his bitterness to the people when he brought false accusations against King
David to the people. In his bitterness he worked to turn the hearts of the people to him.
We can do likewise in the spirit of bitterness. We can work to usurp and take someone’s
God anointed position through bitterness because they have hurt us. We can work to
spread our bitterness to others and cause them to “love us” and be divided against the one
we are bitter at.
Held bitterness can cause us to self appoint ourselves into other’s God anointed positions.
Bitterness can cause us to try to destroy another’s ministry by false accusation and by
breeding division through accusation.
Absalom felt he had the right to move in self appointment because he had the hearts of the
people.
Let us not suppose because we have the hearts of the people that we can take the rightful
position of another. Let us not suppose we can take the place of the one who is in their
position by God’s anointing. Let us also watch for those who have stolen the hearts of the
people and would come to usurp our God anointed positions.
Verses 12 says, “…the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with
Absalom.”
Verse 13 says, “…The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom."
Having the hearts of the people does not mean you have the anointing of God to walk in
that position. We have many in ministry positions now who have the hearts of the people
BUT ARE NOT ANOINTED INTO THAT POSITION BY GOD.
The church has ceased seeking to sit under those who are the anointed of God. The
church seeks those whom it can love. They seek those who will speak to their itchy ears.
They seek for those who speak a message that does not convict of sin.
Church leaders have ceased to seek to walk in God anointed positions. They now seek to
be loved by the people. They seek after success before man. They seek their appointment
on a popularity basis, on a loved by the people basis, and not on an anointed of God basis.
Adonijah
We will look at Adonijah, another son of King David who sought the throne through self
appointment and not through God’s anointing.
King David was old at this time. The time had come to anoint his predecessor.
1 Kings 1: 5 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." So he
prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run
before him.
Adonijah tried to become king by self appointment. His motivation for self appointment was
self exaltation—pride and arrogance.
We can do likewise! In pride and arrogance, in exaltation of self, we can try and self
appoint ourselves to positions that are not ours.
We have all heard the self exaltation of ministers. These ministers think no ministry is good
but theirs alone. They are the anointed of God and no one else is as good or as important
as they are. These ministers in pride will take over the God anointed positions of others.
Adonijah exalted himself and appointed himself as the next king in Israel. He took this
position in self appointment and was not the anointed of God.
Verse 7 tells us that Joab, the commander of King David’s army, and Abiathar the priest
helped Adonijah with his plan to become King by self appointment.
Verse 8 tells us that Zadok the priest, Benaiah, Nathan the prophet and the mighty men of
David were not with Adonijah. These refused to help Adonijah in his plan of self
appointment to king.
Joab was the commander of David’s army. As the commander of David’s army he was a
close associate and a trusted friend. In this position of commander of the army Joab surely
knew that Solomon was the son of David that God had picked to be anointed as King David’
s predecessor. Joab despised the one who was to be anointed by God to this position and
he sought to help the one who was sought after it by self appointment.
Abiathar was a priest and he was also a close friend of David’s. In 1 Samuel 22 when King
Saul killed the priests for giving provision to David Abiathar escaped to David. In his
position as priest and friend of David he had to also surely know that Solomon was the one
who God had chosen to anoint as king in David’s place. Abiathar as Joab had done
despised the one who was to be anointed by God and chose to help the one who sought
the position of king by self appointment.
We see from this that when someone comes to unseat us from our God anointed positions
they may have those who once loved and supported us at one time helping them.
1Kings 1:11 Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, "Have you
not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not
know it?
Adonijah had become king by self appointment.
1Kings 1:13 "Go at once to King David and say to him, 'Have you not, my lord, O king,
sworn to your maidservant, saying, "Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he
shall sit on my throne"? Why then has Adonijah become king?'
It was known that Solomon was to be king after David. It was known that Solomon was the
one who was the anointed of God.
2 Samuel 12:24-25 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay
with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved
him 25 and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the
LORD'S sake.
The name Jedidiah means “beloved of the Lord.” This name marked Solomon as the
predecessor to the throne of David. This name marked Solomon as the one who was the
anointed of God.
1 Chronicles 22:9-10 'Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I
will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name shall be Solomon, and I
will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 'He shall build a house for My name, and
he shall be My son and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over
Israel forever.'
1Chronicles 28:5 "Of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons), He has chosen
my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.
Solomon was the God anointed predecessor of King David.
Adonijah sought to usurp Solomon’s God anointed position by self appointment.
1Kings 1:24-27 Then Nathan said, "My lord the king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall be king
after me, and he shall sit on my throne'? 25 "For he has gone down today and has
sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons and
the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and
drinking before him; and they say, 'Long live King Adonijah!' 26 "But me, even me your
servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and your servant Solomon,
he has not invited. 27 "Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not
shown to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"
Nathan asked King David, “Have you said Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit
on my throne?”
I believe this verse 27 proves that Joab and Abiathar knew full well the plan of God to
anoint Solomon as King in David’s place. Nathan is saying in effect have you changed your
mind from what you have showed us to be God’s wishes earlier.
1Kings 1:30 surely as I vowed to you by the LORD the God of Israel, saying, 'Your son
Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place'; I will indeed do
so this day."
King David now oversees a plan to place Solomon as God’s anointed King of Israel.
The plan is laid to remove the one who is self appointed and raise up the one who is God
anointed.
I believe God will also do so for each one of us. I believe those who have come in to usurp
our rightful God anointed positions will be removed by the hand of God.
1Kings 1:32-35 Then King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet,
and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." And they came into the king's presence. 33 The king
said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on
my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. 34 "Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the
prophet anoint him there as king over Israel, and blow the trumpet and say, 'Long live King
Solomon!' 35 "Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne
and be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah."
King David set forth a plan to anoint Solomon as the rightful King of Israel and Judah.
1Kings 1:39 Zadok the priest then took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon.
Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, "Long live King Solomon!"
King Solomon was anointed by God into this position. We also must be anointed by God
into our positions. We must not be self appointed or man appointed.
It was told to Adonijah that Solomon has been anointed King by his father David.
1Kings 1:43-46 But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, "No! Our lord King David has made
Solomon king. 44 "The king has also sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet,
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him
ride on the king's mule. 45 "Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him
king in Gihon, and they have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar.
This is the noise which you have heard. 46 "Besides, Solomon has even taken his seat on
the throne of the kingdom.
Adonijah as the self appointed king had not sat upon the throne of the kingdom. He had not
yet made the kingdom his. Solomon as the anointed of God took his seat on the throne and
made the kingdom his. Taking the seat or sitting in the seat shows the authority of the
position.
Adonijah’s life is spared by King Solomon. After Solomon’s kingdom is established Adonijah
comes and speaks to Bathseba, Solomon’s mother.
1Kings 2:15 So he said, "You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel expected
me to be king; however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, for it was
his from the LORD.
Let’s look at the claims of Adonijah. He states clearly that the kingdom was removed from
him because it was Solomon’s from the Lord. Yet, he still lays claim to it through the love
and the expectation of the people.
Adonijah is now saying, “it may not be mine through my self appointment but it should be
mine through the expectation of the people.”
Adonijah still claimed the kingdom through the expectation of the people. He was in effect
saying, “Solomon step down from the throne.” “God may have anointed you and given the
kingdom to you but the people love and want me.” and “They expect me to be their king.”
Many are in positions in church today because of popularity and not because of being
God’s anointed. We are not in a popularity contest. Our positions are not by popularity---
they are given by God and God’s anointing.
When this report is told to King Solomon Adonijah was put to death that very day.
We must never move into a position by self appointment or the appointment of man. We
must walk in our positions as God anointed.
You may be saying this message does not affect me. I’m not a minister and I do not have a
ministry so this has nothing to do with me. NOT SO!!
We all have positions and places of serving in the Body of Christ. Each of these positions
is a God anointed position.
1Corinthians 12:12-18 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all
the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by
one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or
free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but
many. 15 If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for
this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, "Because I am not an
eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing,
where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed the members, each one of
them, in the body, just as He desired.
God has anointed each on of us with a position in his body. We all must walk in these
positions by the anointing of God and never in self appointment.
1Corinthians 12:27 Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.
Ephesians 4:16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every
joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of
the body for the building up of itself in love.
We must walk in our God anointed positions in the body of Christ for the growth of the
body. Each member must work according to the proper working of its individual part.
My personal function in the body of Christ is an elbow. God has shown me this by personal
revelation of a vision and by Words of Knowledge through others. As an elbow my job is to
grab others and throw them up into the higher realms of the kingdom of God.
If I tried to be a toe, I would be out of place. If I tried to be the hand, I would be out of place.
If I try to be anything else but the elbow God anointed me to be I would be out of place. If I
try to be something else than an elbow I am taking someone else’s God anointed place and
leaving my God anointed place vacant—it’s work undone.
God has given each of us a God anointed place in His body. Let each of us function in our
God anointed positions in the body of Christ.
Author: Dawn Wilson
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