THE HOLY ANOINTING OIL: In Exodus chapter 30:30-34, the LORD tells Moses to make a very special and “holy anointing oil” of “the finest of spices”, including “flowing (liquid) myrrh”, “sweet-smelling cinnamon”, “fragrant cane”, “cassia”, and “olive oil”. This highly perfumed oil was used to consecrate (set apart) the articles used in Temple worship, including the ark of the testimony, the holy tabernacle, and all its furnishings, which made them “Holy” (Kadosh in Hebrew) unto the Lord. However, Yahweh gives an admonition NOT to reproduce the exact formula or use it on ordinary humans—an admonition that ABBA takes seriously. (We do not attempt in any way to reproduce this formula). THE LAMPSTAND: In Biblical times light was usually provided by oil lamps (or menorahs, a Hebrew word translated “lampstands”, “lamps”, or, less accurately, “candlesticks”). Often made of clay, brass, silver, or gold, these simple “lamps” slowly burned oil – typically olive oil. This explains verses such as Exodus 27:20 (“…order the people of Israel to bring you pure oil of pounded olives for the light, to keep a lamp burning continually”); Exodus 35:14 (“…the menorah for the light, … and the oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense…”); and Exodus 35:28 (“…oil for the light, and for the anointing oil…”). It also deepens our understanding of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins [Mat. 25:1-12]. PRIESTS: In Exodus, the LORD identifies anointing oil as an acceptable offering unto Him [Ex. 25:6]. Furthermore, He directs that Aaron and his sons be anointed, consecrated, and sanctified as holy priests to minister unto Him [Ex. 28:41 and that Aaron be anointed as Israel’s High Priest through the pouring of anointing oil on his head and garments [Ex. 29:7,21,29]. (Psalm 133:1-2: compare harmonious brotherhood to “fragrant oil on the head that runs down over the beard of Aaron…”). KINGS: In Scripture’s first kingly anointing, the prophet Samuel pours oil on the head of King Saul [1Sa. 10:1]. DAVID’S ANOINTING: David, the “man after God’s own heart,” is officially anointed with oil (by others) not once but three times [1Sa. 16:12-13; 2Sa. 2:4; 2Sa. 5:3]. In Psalm 23:5, he says to God, “You anoint my head with oil.” This is confirmed by Psalm 89:20-21, wherein God declares, “I have found David my servant and anointed him with My holy oil. My hand will always be with him.” In addition, David anoints himself while trying to shake off grief over the death of his child and just before entering the Temple to worship God [2Sa. 12:20]. TERMINOLOGY: To be “anointed” is, among other things, to be made sacred (consecrated); to be set apart and dedicated to serve God; to be endowed with enabling gifts and grace; to be divinely designated, inaugurated, or chosen for some purpose. We know this subject is important to God because the words anoint, anointed, and anointing appear in more than 150 Spirit-inspired Bible verses, including 22 New Testament Scriptures. Indeed, the English word anoint derives from the ancient Latin inunctus, meaning “smear with oil.” CONNECTION TO OIL: The Bible Dictionary mentions only two types of anointing: with oil or the Holy Ghost. In short, anointing and oil are much more integrally related than most people realize, which explains why Bible translators sometimes use anoint and oil interchangeably as synonymous verbs (e.g., Isa. 21:5). THE ANOINTED ONE: Both the ancient Hebrew form of Messiah and the ancient Greek form of Christ literally mean “anointed”; thus, “Jesus Christ” is more accurately rendered “Jesus the Anointed” (or as “Jesus, the Anointed One”, or “Jesus, His Anointed”). This is one of the reasons our Savior first publicly announced Himself as the divine Messiah [Luke 4:18] by quoting Isaiah 61:1: “The Spirit of Adonai ELOHIM is upon me, because ADONAI has anointed me…” It’s why Peter and John and the followers with them, inspired by the Holy Spirit, publicly refer to Jesus (Yeshua) as the “Anointed One” [Acts 4:26, NIV] and NKJ, NIV, and NAS Biblical versions translate: “Your holy Servant Jesus, whom you anointed”. WHY FRAGRANT OIL: God is obviously a lover of sweet-smelling fragrances and perfumes since those words (or forms of them) appear 41 times and 35 times, respectively. Spices – in the context of anointing oils, perfume, food, and incense – are mentioned throughout the Bible: 16 verses containing frankincense, 17 with myrrh, five with spikenard, and many others featuring cinnamon, cassia, calamus, camphor, stacte, aloes, onycha, cedar, honey, hyssop, henna, mandrakes, pomegranates, lilies, roses, and saffron. Our faith is deepened and we are enriched and brought closer to God as we begin to study and understand the spiritual meaning of these exotic biblical fragrances. FIRST SCRIPTURAL REFERENCE: The great Hebrew patriarch Jacob (divinely renamed “Israel”) makes a sacred vow to God after anointing a stone pillar by pouring oil on top of it [Gen. 28:16-22; 31:13; 35:14]. Jacob names the pillar’s locale “Bethel” (or Beit-El, meaning “House of God.) The editors of the Ryrie Study Bible comment that by pouring this anointing oil, Jacob “consecrated” the pillar, thereby rendering it an altar holy unto God.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 06:54:28 +0000
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