We did something really special and fun with our kids this weekend that we’d never done before but definitely will do again – we gave them a blessing and anointed them with oil. It was simple and sweet and our whole family loved it. I felt funny about it at first and thought it might be kind of weird, but it was really the most special thing. We are trying our best to teach our kids about Jesus and bring the bible to life for them using the Jesus Storybook Bible, and this was another way to accomplish that. We simply read the story of Samuel anointing David as God chooses him as Israel’s future king and then gave our kids a blessing. I’ll share with you how we did it so you can try it with your family. Be sure to check out the entire Jesus Storybook Bible Activity Series here at My Mundane and Miraculous Life.
We read the story, “The Teeny, Weenie… True King – Samuel Anoints David, from 1 Samuel 16”, from the Jesus Storybook Bible
After reading the story we told the kids we were going to give them a blessing and anoint them just like Samuel did for David. We told them that God loves them and that they are His beloved children, just like King David. Speaking a blessing over children can be as formal or informal as you want. We simply read the Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6:24-27 over our kids and told them how much God loves them. The kids and I go to Bible Study Fellowship and we are studying the life of Moses this year, and this was one of our memory verses. The words were originally God’s blessing over Israel, and still are so relevant to our lives. You can grab a copy of the blessing below on my Free Printables page.
Why did we anoint them with oil? Biblical anointing is not something I’ve experienced often in church, but is mentioned throughout the bible. The word anoint simply means to pour, cover, or smear the body, person, or object with oil. I’ve been learning lots about essential oils as we’ve begun using them for our family and I was excited to delve in to the spiritual side of them. Often in the bible anointing was done with LOTS of oil, but we stuck with a teaspoon full spread among 4 people.
I added two drops of frankincense essential oil to one teaspoon of olive oil and it was more than enough for all of us. We all breathed in the sweet smell and talked about how the three wise kings brought Frankincense as one of the gifts for Jesus when He was born.
Anointing is a way to shower a person in blessing. Historically, guests were anointed as the visited a home, children were when they received a blessing, or were chosen for a special task like David in our story. We wanted to bless and anoint our kids to really bring the story to life for them AND show them that they are beloved children of God just like King David. We used frankincense essential oil because of the historical and biblical links to its use for spiritual blessing.
Jed put the anointing oil on his fingertips and spread on the kids foreheads as he read the blessing over them. The Bear also wanted it spread on his feet, so we were happy to comply. We then talked about how a woman once did that for Jesus (Mark 14/Luke 7/John 12) and how she blessed him by doing it. She used nard, an oil I’m hoping to add to my collection soon.
The kids then wanted to do it to us, so we let them take the oil on their fingertips and spread it on our foreheads. We taught Bear the scripture and he said it to us as he put the oil on us. It was so precious. I hope you’ll try it with your family. Anointing and blessing your kids is just another way to show them your love and God’s love.
We are loving this series of interactive play ideas to go along with the Jesus Storybook Bible. Read our activity for Moses and the Red Sea here, and the Tower of Babel here. Check out the entire Jesus Storybook Bible Activity Series here at My Mundane and Miraculous Life.
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I got all teary-eyed as I saw the photo & read about your little ones anointing you with oil & pronouncing the blessing over you! You must have had a real sense of being on holy ground. What a blessing for you as a family to experience these precious moments together! Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you Denise! It really was holy ground. I didn’t expect it to be half as special as it turned out. My husband told me later that he was surprised how much he loved it and wanted to do it again.