Can an anointed chair give someone revelations from God?

Theology Questions
/ By Randall Johnson

Question: I have looked up anointing in the bible, but I don’t understand. What does it mean to be anointed? Can something be anointed, like a house or a chair? A friend thinks an antique chair in my house is anointed, possibly used by a former owner to pray in. She says things are revealed to her when she sits in the chair.

Answer: Things and people can be anointed. If you look up anoint in a concordance or an online Bible search program (like www.biblegateway.com) I think you will find that anointing served three purposes: (1) designation for service, (2) healing, and (3) grooming. People commonly anointed themselves for grooming purposes. The aroma served as a kind of perfume, I suppose. If you had a guest in your home, you honored him or her by anointing his or her head with oil (Psalm 23). Oil was a symbol of God’s presence and holiness, also, and so it was used to anoint the Tabernacle and other objects as well as people who were set apart for God’s purposes (kings, prophets, priests). And oil had healing properties, so was a symbol of healing (James 5:14).

It is quite possible that your chair was anointed and that someone could have a sense of God’s presence when in the chair. Just be careful that what she says otherwise squares with Scripture. We are told to test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 John 4:1). She may have wonderful insights into God’s word and work, but we need to test. If something sounds a little odd, go to God’s Word and check it out. Call someone you trust who knows the Scriptures well.

About the Author Randall Johnson

A full-time pastor since 1979, Randall originally graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM) in 1979 and from Reformed Theological Seminary (DMin) in 1998. He is married with four grown children and a pile of epic grandchildren.

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