Verse 1
Under these stars, I keep the flock
With worn hands, I count the lambs
Night lays its cloak on the hills of Israel
And still I wait in the silence
A Zion Council Sacred-Art Project
ANOINTED
From Shepherd to King
A song of calling, covenant, preparation,
and the sovereignty of the King of Kings.
An original sacred-art project of The Zion Council
The sacred interval
The shepherd was anointed
long before he was crowned.
David's story is not merely a story about becoming king. It is a story about what happens between calling and fulfillment.
Samuel poured oil upon the head of a young shepherd whom almost no one expected to rule Israel. Yet David did not immediately receive a throne. He returned to obscurity, hardship, service, danger, repentance, worship, and waiting.
Anointed explores that sacred interval: the distance between “you have been called” and “the time has come.”
The shepherd's staff and the royal scepter therefore belong to the same story. Before David learned to shepherd a kingdom, he learned to shepherd sheep.
Words & music
The Song
Pre-Chorus
You have marked me, set me apart
Oil on my head, fire in my heart
Not now, not yet, but I believe
Your promise stands in me
Chorus
Anointed to be a king and a priest
Not now, but one day
To rule and reign by thy ways
Washed clean for Your name
Clothed in power and light
All glory to thee, the King of Kings
Verse 2
You wash my hands from the blood and dust
You pull me close from the wreck of pain
My heart is lifted by holy mercy
My soul belongs to You again
Pre-Chorus
You have marked me, set me apart
Oil on my head, fire in my heart
Not now, not yet, but I believe
Your promise stands in me
Chorus
Anointed to be a king and a priest
Not now, but one day
To rule and reign by thy ways
Washed clean for Your name
Clothed in power and light
All glory to thee, the King of Kings
Bridge
So let me stay with the flock tonight
Let me learn thy truth in the dark
For every valley is a doorway
And every wound becomes a mark
Then raise me up in Your timing
Place the crown by Your hand
I will bow before the Holy One
Before I ever rule this land
Final Chorus
Anointed to be a king and a priest
Not now, but one day
To rule and reign by thy ways
Washed clean for Your name
Clothed in power and light
All glory to thee, the King of Kings
All glory to thee, the King of Kings
Calling · Covenant · Fulfillment
The Story Behind Anointed
I
1 Samuel 16:11–13
The Shepherd Is Chosen
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
David was anointed before he possessed the kingdom. Calling preceded fulfillment.
II
2 Samuel 5:1–3
The Shepherd Becomes King
Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David king over Israel.
David’s vocation changes in scale, but not in principle. The shepherd becomes the shepherd of Israel.
III
2 Samuel 7:12–16
The Davidic Covenant
And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
The promise concerns David’s house, dynasty, and throne—extending through his posterity. It does not mean that the historical David personally remained an earthly monarch forever.
IV
Luke 1:32–33 · Acts 13:22–23
The King of Kings
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: andthe Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; andof his kingdom there shall be no end.And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus.
Christians see the everlasting Davidic throne reaching its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ—the Son of David and eternal King.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
The years between
Not Now, But One Day
David's anointing and David's coronation were separated by years.
Between them were sheep, music, battle, exile, friendship, betrayal, caves, mistakes, repentance, prayer, leadership, and waiting.
That interval may be one of the most important parts of his story.
Anointing was not exemption from hardship. It gave hardship a different meaning.
The promise did not eliminate the valley. It gave David somewhere to walk.
The crown was therefore not simply a reward at the end of the journey. The journey formed the man capable of carrying the crown.
◜✦◆
King & priest
Called to Rule Under
a Greater King
The central paradox of Anointed is that true sacred authority does not culminate in self-exaltation.
David receives a crown, yet bows.
He receives authority, yet remains accountable.
He carries a scepter, yet remembers the shepherd's staff.
Human kingship remains subordinate to divine kingship.
The final declaration of the song is therefore not about David:
“All glory to thee,
the King of Kings.”
the King of Kings.”
About the project
The Zion Council
The Zion Council is an independent Latter-day Saint thought and applied-principles initiative exploring how covenant, stewardship, agency, consecration, moral responsibility, family, community, and faithful institution-building can contribute to the long-term work of building Zion.
It is an independent intellectual and creative project and does not claim ecclesiastical authority or official affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Correspondence
Contact
For inquiries regarding Anointed or The Zion Council:
[email protected]