<\/p>
In 1 Samuel 12, Samuel gives his farewell speech to the people. He claims that he has not abused his position in any way, and asks the people to confirm this, citing Yahweh and \u201cHis anointed\u201d as witnesses in his defense. Who is the \u201canointed\u201d? Clearly, it is someone distinct from Yahweh, for Samuel is calling on a \u201cdouble witness\u201d to support his claim. Possibly Saul the Lord\u2019s anointed, since he is already king. But how could Saul confirm Samuel\u2019s claims? How could he know whether or not Samuel has abused his position as judge? I suspect that \u201cHis anointed\u201d in 1 Samuel 12 is the same as the \u201cAnointed\u201d of 1 Samuel 2:35, where the \u201canointed\u201d is one before whom a priest \u201cwalks.\u201d This is not the king, but a personage that both is and is not identified with Yahweh, a person whom a priest serves but who is distinct from Yahweh. He is the archetype of anointed king. Psalm 132:10, where David calls on God to \u201cturn not away the face of thine anointed,\u201d may be speaking of the same person. In short, the distinction between \u201cYahweh\u201d and \u201cHis anointed\u201d is an OT hint of plurality within the life of God. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In 1 Samuel 12, Samuel gives his farewell speech to the people. He claims that he has not abused his position in any way, and asks the people to confirm this, citing Yahweh and \u201cHis anointed\u201d as witnesses in his defense. Who is the \u201canointed\u201d? Clearly, it is someone distinct from Yahweh, for Samuel is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3021,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-ot-samuel"],"yoast_head":"\n