In the Bible, “appoint” generally refers to the act of designating someone for a specific role or task, often by divine authority, as seen in passages such as 1 Samuel 10:1, where Samuel appoints Saul as king. It signifies a purposeful selection for leadership or service in accordance with God’s will.
Scripture
33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years.
35 They should gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.
36 And that food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”
37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.
38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are.
40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.”
41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”
Biblical Significance of Appointing
The concept of “appoint” in the Bible carries profound implications about divine authority, purpose, and the establishment of leadership roles. In 1 Samuel 10:1, we see the prophet Samuel appointing Saul as king, a moment that not only marks Saul’s elevation but also signifies God’s active involvement in the governance of His people. This act of appointment suggests that leadership is not merely a human endeavor but is ultimately rooted in God’s selection and purpose. The idea of being appointed extends beyond mere designation; it implies a divine calling to fulfill specific roles that contribute to the broader narrative of God’s redemptive plan.
Further emphasizing this notion, we see in other scriptural contexts, such as Exodus 28:1, where God commands Moses to appoint Aaron and his sons as priests. Here, the appointment signifies a sacramental role that mediates between God and the people, reinforcing the idea that such roles are ordained to fulfill sacred duties. In the New Testament, the theme persists with Jesus appointing apostles (Mark 3:14), emphasizing that appointing is not only about authority but also about service and the responsibilities that come with it. Each appointment reflects God’s intentional design, highlighting that individuals are chosen for specific tasks that align with His broader purpose for humanity, all underscoring the belief that God actively orchestrates history through selected individuals.
The biblical understanding of “appoint” extends to the thematic richness of leadership and stewardship found throughout both the Old and New Testaments. In the context of the Israelites, the appointment of judges during the time of the judges illustrates this principle. Judges like Deborah and Gideon were raised up at God’s direction to lead and deliver His people from oppression. Their selection reflected the need for divinely commissioned leaders who carry the weight of moral and spiritual integrity, reinforcing that such roles are an extension of God’s will and often arise in response to communal need and divine timing.
Additionally, the concept of appointment can be seen in the selection of leaders within the early church. The calling of specific individuals to roles such as elders and deacons—borne from community consensus coupled with prayer and discernment—demonstrates a continuation of the divine intent behind appointment. Leaders were to shepherd the flock and administer the needs of the community, thereby aligning their actions with God’s mission on Earth. This aligns with the broader understanding that appointments serve to manifest God’s purposes through human agency, suggesting that each appointment is a unique intersection of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Thus, the biblical theme of appointing reminds believers that they are called to fulfill their roles in a way that honors God’s supreme authority and integrates seamlessly into His redemptive narrative.
Divine Selection and Authority
In the Bible, the act of appointing often signifies a divine selection process where God chooses individuals for specific roles or tasks. This underscores the belief that authority and leadership are not merely human constructs but are ordained by God. The appointed individuals are seen as vessels through which God’s will is executed, emphasizing the importance of obedience and faithfulness in fulfilling their designated roles.
Responsibility and Stewardship
Appointing also carries the connotation of responsibility and stewardship. When someone is appointed, they are entrusted with a duty that requires accountability and care. This reflects the biblical principle that leadership comes with the expectation of serving others and managing resources wisely. The appointed individuals are called to act in the best interest of those they lead, highlighting the moral and ethical dimensions of their roles.
Community and Collective Purpose
The concept of appointment in the Bible often relates to the idea of community and collective purpose. Appointments are made not just for individual benefit but for the edification and growth of the community as a whole. This illustrates the interconnectedness of believers and the importance of working together towards a common goal, reinforcing the notion that each member has a unique role to play in the body of Christ.
How to Embrace God’s Call in Your Life
Embracing God’s call in your life is a deeply personal journey that requires both introspection and action. Start by cultivating a prayerful attitude, inviting God into your daily decisions and seeking His guidance in every aspect of your life. Reflect on your passions and the unique gifts He has bestowed upon you; these are often clues to your divine purpose. Surround yourself with a supportive community of fellow believers who can encourage you and help you discern His voice amidst the noise of the world. Remember, God’s call may not always be a grand revelation; it can manifest in small, everyday moments of service and love. Trust that as you step out in faith, even in uncertainty, He will illuminate your path and equip you for the journey ahead. Embrace the adventure of following Him, knowing that each step you take is a testament to your commitment to live out His will.
Bible References to the Meaning of Appoint:
Exodus 18:21-26: 21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.
23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”
24 So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.
25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
26 They judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.
Numbers 27:18-23: 18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.
19 and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight.
20 You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey.
21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.”
22 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation,
23 And he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the Lord directed through Moses.
Deuteronomy 1:13-15: 13 Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.
14 Then you answered me, ‘The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.’
15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes.
1 Samuel 8:1-5: 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah
5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
1 Kings 12:31-33: 31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.
32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.
33 He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings.
2 Kings 12:4-8: 4 Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things that is brought into the house of the Lord, the money for which each man is assessed—the money from the assessment of persons—and the money that a man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord,
5 let the priests take it for themselves, each from his donor, and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered.”
6 But by the twenty-third year of King Joash, the priests had made no repairs on the house.
7 So King Joash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the house? Now therefore take no more money from your donors, but hand it over for the repair of the house.”
8 And the priests agreed that they should take the money to repair the house, each from his donor, and that they should repair the house of the Lord.
1 Chronicles 15:16-24: 16 David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.
17 So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brothers Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari, their brothers, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;
18 and with them their brothers of the second order, Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.
19 The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound bronze cymbals;
20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps according to Alamoth;
21 but Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead with lyres according to the Sheminith.
22 Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music, for he understood it.
23 Berechiah and Elkanah were to be gatekeepers for the ark.
24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, should blow the trumpets before the ark of God. And Obed-edom and Jehiah were to be gatekeepers for the ark.
2 Chronicles 19:5-7: 5 And he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
6 and said to the judges, “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment.
7 Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.
Nehemiah 7:1-3: 1 Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed,
2 I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.
3 And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.”
Esther 2:3-4: 3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women.
4 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.
Psalm 105:20-22: 20 The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21 He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions.
22 to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.
Isaiah 42:1-4: 1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
Jeremiah 1:4-10: 4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Be not afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Ezekiel 3:16-21: 16 And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me:
17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.”
18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.
19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand.
21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”
Daniel 1:3-7: 3 Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility,
4 youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
5 The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king.
6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.
7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.
Matthew 24:45-47: 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?”
46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
Mark 3:13-19: 13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him.
14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach
15 and have authority to cast out demons.
16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);
17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);
18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean,
19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Luke 12:42-44: 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?
43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
John 15:16-17: 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
Acts 6:1-6: 1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.
3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.
6 They set before the apostles, and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
Romans 13:1-4: 1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
1 Corinthians 12:28-31: 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
Ephesians 4:11-13: 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
1 Timothy 2:7-8: 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;
Titus 1:5-9: 5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—
6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.
7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,
8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Hebrews 3:1-2: 1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,
2 He was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.
Revelation 1:17-20: 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,
18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.
20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Reverend Ogunlade is a seasoned Church Minister with over three decades of experience in guiding and nurturing congregations. With profound wisdom and a serene approach, Reverend Ogunlade has carried out various pastoral duties, including delivering uplifting sermons, conducting religious ceremonies, and offering sage counsel to individuals seeking spiritual guidance. Their commitment to fostering harmony and righteousness within their community is exemplified through their compassionate nature, making them a beloved and trusted figure among the congregation.