The Anointing Oil

“Spices for anointing oil” (Exod. 25.6). Special spices were required by God, to be used in making the anointing oil. Please read the full description of these in Exodus 30.22-33. That oil could only be used in the temple and in the Sanctuary, and upon those who were serving in the Sanctuary. It could not be used for any other purpose. The spices called myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia were used, along with olive oil. Let us see what the Bible teaches us about the spiritual meaning of these spices.

Psalm 45 is a prophetic Psalm. The first seven verses tell us about the glory and the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ as our heavenly King—the King of kings. The second part tells us about the glory and the beauty which He, the same heavenly King, gives to the Church, His heavenly Bride.

We read in verse 8 that the garments of the King are saturated with those heavenly spices. Compare now with this the words in Song of Solomon 4.12-16. Here the Church is compared to a garden where those spices grow. Spices cannot be grown everywhere for they require much care and attention. Imagine a garden where frankincense, myrrh, aloes, cassia and calamus are all growing together. After much careful cultivation the bushes begin to blossom. Then the North and the South winds begin to blow, and the sweet fragrance of mingled spices flows out, giving great joy to the one who walks in the garden. ‘Let my Beloved come into the garden’; sang the Bride, ‘Let Him enjoy these pleasant things’. Can you sing that to the Lord Jesus Christ? ‘Come, Lord Jesus Christ, into my heart—Thy garden of spices’. If you are not living a life to the glory of God, the Lord can smell no spices; He can smell nothing but a very bad smell. But if you are living a life pleasing to Him, then like that garden of spices, your heart can give joy to Him. We read in 1 Corinthians 3.9 that “we are God's husbandry”—God's garden, and in 2 Corinthians 2.14-16 that “we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ”. That is how our lives ought to be, so that, when our Lord Jesus Christ walks in His gardens, He may smell their fragrance.

Let us mark now in the Gospel story six stages of Christian growth taught to us by the spices. In Matthew 2.11 we read of the wise men who came from a very far country, led by a moving star. They saw the Baby, and fell down and worshipped Him. They had brought with them gold and spices, myrrh and frankincense. They knew only that He was a great King and with the spices they expressed their adoration. That is how we begin. At first, we come to Christ like the wise men. We do not know much of Him. If we are questioned, we cannot tell what is faith, or sanctification, or redemption, or substitution, and yet we love the Lord Jesus Christ, and we have just begun to worship Him.

Again, in Luke 7.37-38, we read o£ a woman who knew something of the Lord Jesus Christ. She saw her sins, and came to Him, showing her repentance by her tears, and then she poured the ointment upon His feet, longing to do something to show her love for Him. She knew only that the Lord Jesus Christ could forgive her sins; and with that faith she brought ointment of spikenard, a precious spice. That is the second stage. We begin to see more and more what sins are in us when we begin to walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. The closer we live to God, the more we shall see how corrupt and sinful we all are, and how gracious He is, and that is why we have to thank and praise God for giving the Lord Jesus to us. And wherever we go we cannot help but testify: ‘I was a sinner, and the Lord Jesus Christ forgave me. I was in darkness, and the Lord brought me into light. I had no joy, and my Lord gave me joy. I had no peace, and the Lord gave me peace!’

Yet again, in John 12, we read of a woman who was very grateful because the Lord Jesus Christ had raised her brother from the dead, and who in her gratitude also brought spikenard, for she understood now something of the power of Christ in other lives. So thirdly, when we too see how, through our testimonies, our brothers are converted, and our sisters and our neighbours are brought into new life, then it is that we want to thank the Lord: ‘O Lord, Thou hast not only saved me, but also my brother or sister, mother or father, friend or neighbour’. So, with that zeal, we go to our neighbours and our friends, and say to them: ‘Please let me share my joy with you.'’

Fourthly, in Matthew 26.7-12, two days before the Feast of the Passover a woman brought “very precious ointment” and poured it upon His head. She did it for His burial, because she knew by faith that He was going to die, and be buried, for all sinners. The woman in Luke 7 could only see what the Lord had done for her personally, but this woman could see what He would do for “the whole world” (Matt.26.13). We also want to thank our Lord that He died for all sinners throughout the world, and throughout the ages. So we begin to want to know how our Lord is saving sinners in other parts of the world. Before our conversion, we never bothered to ask what our Lord was doing in other lands, but now we want to know how He is saving sinners in Japan, China, Russia, Asia, America, Africa, Australia, Europe, England everywhere. That gives an increase of joy: ‘Oh, my Lord is working everywhere, and I want to praise Him!’

Now fifthly, in John 19.39, Nicodemus at last understood by revelation the power of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had been following the Lord very closely; he had seen His miracles, and came to Jesus by night. But when he saw Him dying, and saw how they pierced Him and reviled Him; when he saw how He forgave them, and how, when He died, the sun became dark and the earth quaked and the graves were opened, then he began to see the power of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ to defeat, crush and confound the devil. With the spices with which he anointed Him, Nicodemus expressed the fragrance of that service of the Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of all sinners. We too see by faith how our Lord is working in the universe, and understand how, in His Cross, we too can defeat and confound the devil. In this way also we bring the spices of praise: ‘O Lord, Thou art wonderful I We rejoice to see how Thou art confounding the devil.’

Lastly, in Mark 16.1-3, we read that, after the Resurrection, some women prepared spices with which to anoint Him. They had worked very hard, but, when they were on the way, they remembered that there was a big stone before the sepulchre and that it was impossible to have it removed. Yet they believed somehow that the stone would be rolled away. Their faith was answered by the unexpected power and glory of the Resurrection. The power of resurrection takes away every stone from every sepulchre. So, as God's children, we proclaim in naked faith God's message that the Lord Jesus Christ has conquered death. To bring people out of bondage and limitation, we preach the simple truth that our Lord will remove every stone, and as we do so the miracle happens and He is highly exalted.

Our value to God as His servants will increase as we grow spiritually. Spices tell us about spiritual growth. So, when God commanded the people to bring spices. He did so that they might learn the meaning of divine service the kind of service that can please Him—the kind of service that brings forth an abiding and eternal harvest.

Now note that the spices which were demanded by God to be used in the preparation of this very special anointing oil were not found in Egypt. The story in Genesis tells us how Joseph was sold by his own brothers to the Ishmaelites. He had come to enquire about the welfare of his brethren, and, because they were very jealous of Joseph, they wanted to kill him. Instead they cast him in a dark and deep pit, and later, when they saw a caravan of camels passing, they sold him to the Ishmaelites. Those camels were carrying spices to Egypt (Gen. 37.25). Joseph found it hard to understand why he had been sold by his brethren. He had done no evil to them, yet all the time they were trying to kill him, and to do him harm. Joseph had suffered much from his own brethren, of hatred, enmity, jealousy and cruelty, and must have been feeling downcast and dejected. But the camels were carrying spices! When the North wind and the South wind began to blow on those spices and when their sweet fragrance was carried to Joseph, God began to speak to him: ‘Joseph, I will use all these sorrows one day to bless you’. And as that sweet fragrance of the. spices began to bring to him a message from God, how he began to exult in Him!

Now we find the children of Israel bringing back spices from Egypt to Canaan. The Egyptians never knew the real value of the spices, because they used them for earthly purposes. Now they were to be used for a heavenly purpose in God's Sanctuary, and now their heavenly meaning would be displayed.

Leviticus 8 tells us how that anointing oil was used. Aaron was the first High Priest, and as such he had to serve God on behalf of all the people. Thus he had to be set apart and prepared for a very special service and ministry. We see here in what way this was done. First of all Aaron was brought forward before the whole congregation; then he was washed; thirdly, he was clothed; fourthly, he was anointed before everybody; fifthly, the blood was put upon his ear, and his hand, and his foot, to consecrate his ear to hear the voice of God, and his hands and his feet to move in God's service. Sixthly, his hands were filled; and seventhly, by the blood and the oil of anointing, he was sanctified to God's service.

That is how God works among all of us. First of all, by God's Word we come under conviction, and find the hand and power of God drawing us towards Himself and into His light (1 Pet. 2.9). As we see, Aaron was brought forward before the whole congregation, and before such a large number of people he had to be washed and bathed. Now, why was this done? Because if there was any blemish in him he could never be High Priest and have that service (Lev. 21.16-21). There must not be any blemish of any kind on his body. Suppose he had very good health, yet had a blemish in one eye, then he was disqualified for God's service. If he had any blemish in the nose, or teeth, or lips, or ears, then he was disqualified. If he had an extra finger he was disqualified, or if he had a flat nose. Any blemish, however small, would disqualify him for God's service. Surely that is one reason why the Priest had to be washed publicly before so many people. He might deceive some people, but not all, and when so many lakhs of people were watching Aaron, someone would surely see whether he had a blemish or not.

Our Lord wants us to be without spot and Without blemish before Him (Jude 24). He not only forgives our sins, but He takes away every spot and every blemish from within us. That is true salvation. Do you think that our Lord forgives, and that is all there is to it? Whatever the ugly spot may be, He exposes it, for it will have to be removed completely.

After Aaron had been washed he had to be clothed with his “holy garments ... for glory and for beauty” (Exod. 28.2), signifying the glory and beauty which our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to have through Him. These are described for us in Exodus 28. First, he had to put on a white linen coat, and over the white coat a blue robe, at the bottom of which were pomegranates in blue, and purple, and scarlet round about the hem, and bells of gold between each one (31-35). Then they put on him what is called an ephod, worked with blue, purple, scarlet and gold thread (6-8), and in the ephod was the breast-plate. In the breast-plate were twelve stones, and on the twelve stones were the names of the twelve tribes (15-21). Besides the twelve stones, were two other stones called the Urim and Thummim (30). With the help of those two stones, the priest could find out God's will (Num. 27.21). On the shoulders were two onyx stones. These also had the names of the twelve tribes, in the order of birth (9-12). Then the holy mitre was put upon his head, and upon it the golden plate bearing the words: HOLINESS TO THE LORD (36-38).

When he had put on all these clothes, then the holy anointing oil was poured upon them all. Having been prepared by examination, by washing, by clothing, and anointing, he was now ready to serve God. Do not think it is an easy task to serve God. Some people think that by going to a Bible School they are made ready to serve Him. Others think that by carrying a Bible under the arm they can serve Him. You cannot serve God in that way. There is no such short cut. The holy anointing oil was a symbol of the kind of service that God wants. God has made a divine plan by which all of us can serve Him acceptably with reverence and godly fear, and for service which is thus acceptable to God, there must be the preparation which He has appointed.

But note that, before the oil could be poured upon Aaron, it had to be poured upon the Tabernacle, the ark, the table of incense, and the altar. Lastly, it was poured on Aaron also (Lev. 8.10-12). In other words, the service of the priest should be for the edification of the whole Sanctuary, and the fragrance of the anointing oil should be found everywhere. He was not to serve just one man, or just one tribe he was to serve the whole nation.

But note, too, that the oil spoke of a service which was to be fulfilled within the borders of the Sanctuary only. You say, There are so many buildings and institutions that have been built by so many godly people, and that are doing a good work. What about them? Were they all wrong? I ask you, Is your service devoted to God's Sanctuary? If not, it cannot bring forth any harvest. The high Priest could not go anywhere he liked with the people's sacrifices. He might have said: ‘I could offer sacrifices in that man's tent, or in that compound, or over there’, but God told him that every sacrifice must be offered in the court of the Tabernacle for all the people and that the blood must go into the presence of the Lord Himself.

In the same way, only service that can bring ah increase in the whole Church of God is acceptable to Him. That thought will answer for you many questions. He wants only such service as will bring fragrance into the Most Holy Place of His holy Sanctuary, a service by which the whole Church of God is edified. Not only the Church of God in one city, nor yet in India, nor even in all Asia, but the whole Church throughout the world, and throughout the ages.

But such a service will demand much suffering, and much sacrifice. We saw that the garments of our Lord Jesus Christ are full of spices. “All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes and cassia” (Psa. 45.9). How did the garments of the Lord Jesus Christ get that smell of spices?

Firstly, He became man for us, and suffered as a man for us. He became humble and bore for our sake all reviling. Then He died and the third day rose again. That is how His garments gathered spices, and we too have to share His sufferings. It is only such suffering that gives our lives the sweet smell of those same spices (1 Pet. 2.21-24). That is why Joseph had to suffer so much. If God had so-wanted, Joseph could have escaped suffering, but God allowed that suffering for a purpose. Joseph was hated, despised, forsaken, and cast out by his own brethren. He was taken away from home, lived as a slave for many years, and was continually tempted by all the temptations of the flesh. He lay in the prison house, forsaken, forgotten, and falsely accused. Then God raised him to the throne. From that throne he was able to give service to the whole nation. And God showed him this by means of the spices on those same camels which carried him into Egypt.

There are some spices which can be grown only in very lonely places. You may be wondering: ‘Why has God kept me in this lonely, hard, difficult place, with no one to talk to, no one with whom to worship, no one to pray with. I am all by myself. I am the only man in my family. Mother and father are against me, and so is every one else. O God, why hast Thou allowed things like this?’ Are you going through that kind of experience? Are you being sold by your brethren? Are you being cast out by them? Are you being thrown into the same deep dry well? Is it a lonely and far off place that you are in? Are you going through some temptations of the flesh? Then remember that in this way you are gathering spices for God's House. Your garments will be soaked and permeated with the fragrance of these spices, and even when you are promoted to heaven, you will carry them with you there.

Yes, spices are generally found in difficult and lonely places. But you are God's husbandly, and when the North wind blows, and the South wind, then you will know why you were there for such a long time. The same anointing oil that was used for the High Priest, was used also for the cleansing of the leper, and by your earthly service of consecration even spiritual lepers can be cleansed. May the Lord teach you how to serve Him, and how to gather spices for Him.