An Often Overlooked Picture of Christ in the Bible.

[mattfivefour]

I originally posted this a year and a half ago. But this Christmas, as I read it over (not to mention with the hundreds of new members who have joined since then), I wanted to post it again. At this time of year we, when we who are Christ's stop to consider this great gift of "God with us", we look to the Gospels to give us a picture of this Savior. But many of the rich pictures of Christ can actually be found inthe Old Testament. We all know the verses in Second Samuel, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hoseah, Micah, Zechariah and Malachi that directlypoint to Christ; but there are many others, beginning in Genesis. Some are found in the types and shadows of the Temple and its ceremonies. This is just one. And its beauty is exquisite. I pray you are blessed by its content.


Christ in the Anointing Oil

The Bible is so full of hidden treasures that a lifetime of study would not be sufficient to uncover them all. But some gems are laying right on the surface and are readily available to be picked up and added as great treasures in the storerooms of our heart.

This is just one.

My text is Exodus 30:22-33:

22Moreover, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, 24and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. 25“You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26“With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of thetestimony, 27and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. 29“You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. 30“You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me. 31“You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32‘It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33‘Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.’”

So why should you care about the recipe for anointing oil? Because—while it is placed in the Old Testament one thousand five hundred years before Christ, as God called His people out of bondage to in Egypt and led them toward the Promised Land—it is a beautiful picture of Christ, the Holy Spirit, and salvation.

First, note the ingredients. The primary one is myrrh.

Myrrh is a gum that exudes from a number of Middle Eastern shrubs, notably Commiphora gileadensis and Commiphora myrrha. It is a reddish, brown aromatic resin that is harvested by incision, cutting, of the bark. In color it reminds us of the blood, and in nature it typifies the sweet-smelling savor unto God that flowed from Christ's wounds as He was pierced and cut. (Isaiah 53:5; Psalm 22:16; Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34, 37; Revelation 1:7) Myrrh was also exceedingly precious. In fact in ancient Biblical times it was worth more than its weight in gold.

Cinnamon is next. It is also reddish brown in colour and comes from the dried inner bark of a tree of genus Cinnamomum. In Jesus's day it was very valuable because it was very rare. To obtain this spice, the outer bark must be stripped off the tree and then the inner bark ground up. Cinnamon thus also typifies Christ, who was flayed and pulverized ... for does scripture not say that Christ was beaten beyond recognition, His face beyond any other man? (Isaiah 52:14)

Calamus is next in order. It is the underground stem of Acorus calamus or “sweet flag" which is aromatic and yields a fragrant oil when crushed. Again it typifies Christ, yielding the Holy Spirit when He was crushed.

Cassia follows—a tropical Asian evergreen that is allied to cinnamon and, indeed, bears the Latin name Cinnamomum cassia. When its outer bark is stripped off and the inner bark is ground up the result is a fragrant spice long known for its healing properties. Was Christ's skin not flayed from his back and by those stripes were we not healed? (Isaiah 53:5)

Finally, comes Olive oil. This oil is made by crushing the fruit of the olive tree. Uncrushed, the olive is a healthy food; but when crushed it is yields a wonderful oil that feeds, soothes, and softens. Thus it typifies the Holy Spirit. A unique property of the olive is that the greater it is crushed, the finer the oil. The KJV says, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). However, the word translated in that passage as "bruised" is the Hebrew מְדֻכָּ֖א (medukka, pronounced med-uh-KAW). Literally, this does not mean "he was bruised" but, rather, "he was crushed". Indeed, Jesus Christ was crushed exceedingly finely, far beyond any measure of man.

What a wonderful picture, then, we find in the preparations for the Tabernacle! The anointing oil was so composed as to picture the suffering and the sacrifice of Christ mingled with His Holy Spirit. Indeed Christ's sacrifice yields an acceptable savor unto God and a healing, feeding, and softening Presence in us.

But we also see a warning in this passage. in verse 32 we see that the oil is not to be counterfeited. Only the genuine can accomplish God's purpose. And, allied with this, is the warning that it is not to be used on the flesh. In other words the anointing oil is a special oil to be offered up to God, not to be consumed for the pleasure of the flesh ... in other words for the pleasure of self. Let that be a warning to those in the pentecostal and charismatic movements for whom the "anointing" is largely a thrill and an excitement that must be chased. It is not. It is the very Presence of God and it was not given to provide entertainment or a puffing up of the flesh. It was costly beyond measure. It came only at the price Christ paid for it. How dare anybody treat it as something they can use as they will! The next verse plainly states that those who do will be cut off from among the people.

And before I leave this topic, it is worth noting the use of the oil.

Only on the high priest was it poured without measure over the top of the head, running down his body and his clothing. We know this from Leviticus 8:12 "And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him", the extent of which is described in Psalm 133:2 "It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments." Aaron was the first High Priest ... and as such was a type of Christ, our eternal High Priest (Hebrews 6:20b). This occurred when the High Priest was first dresssed in the rich garments of his High Priesthood and before the sacrifice for sin was slain. As such, Aaron typifies Christ as the eternal High Priest from everlasting to everlasting, needing no sin sacrifice for Himself.

But on the priests themselves, the oil was placed by measure ... and only after the sacrifice for sin had been made. In Exodus 29:6 we see that after the sacrifice was slain (representing Christ's sacrifice for sin), the blood from that sacrifice was mixed with the anointing oil and then sprinkled (not poured) on Aaron and his clothing, in order to sanctify Aaron (and all succeeding high priests) as the earthly and temporal high priest. Then, for the very first time, it was sprinkled on Aaron's sons and their clothing. Unlike the High Priest, this was the only anointing that the priests receive. The priests represent us. We are indeed a priests unto God, as it says in Revelation 1:6. Thus this anointing by the mixture of Christ's blood and the holy oil typifies the provision of the Holy Spirit by the blood of Christ in our lives, equipping us for service. Let us never forget that that is the sole purpose of the anointing in our lives— to equip us for service. All of the sideshows of angel feathers, gold dust, holy clouds along with all of the purported miracles are an abomination and a counterfeit of the real thing. We already know the judgment of God on those who do such.

(And, for those who do not know me and might presume that I am anti-gifts, I have received the pentecostal Baptism in the Holy Spirit, I do speak in tongues, I do believe in miracles today and I categorically reject the unscriptural doctrine that the age of miracles is past. God put no limit on the length of the operation of the gifts in the Church. They were provided as means for the members of the Church to build one another up, a task that continues today and will continue until the Church is taken up. With utter dismay and complete disgust I look upon today's so-called pentecostal and charismatic scene and see outrageous, ungodly, and disgusting displays of the flesh claiming to be the Holy Spirit. SHAME! SHAME! Fortunately the Word of God gives us the proper use, the proper purpose, the proper balance. Yet another reason why Christians must be solidly rooted in the Word, not in experiences.)

Anyway, I pray this meditation upon the composition and the purpose of the anointing oil which God commanded Moses to have made will create an even more beautiful picture of Christ in your minds and provide a greater appreciation of the Presence of the Holy Spirit in your heart.

God bless you all.

[HISDaughter]

Thanks for bring this up again! I hadn't seen it before..very interesting indeed.

[IamPJ]

Thank you so much for sharing this!! It is a beautiful picture of Christ! There is so much to learn in the Bible...every day I learn something new. God's Word is so awesome!

[king'sbloomingrose]

This reminds me of Psalm 45:7-8

Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

We just studied myrrh and cassia, but aloes?

Aloes grow in harsh, arid environments and when its leaves are torn off and squeezed they release a healing, soothing gel that is applied to externally or internally to burns and other skin wounds.

I'm literally standing in amazement over the riches found in Jesus Christ. How exceedingly precious He is!