Summary: THE IMPORTANCE AND COSTLINESS OF THE ANOINTING

ANOINTING

Exodus 30:23-33

• In the history of Hanukkah, the Jews only had enough oil to burn in the temple for one day, however the oil miraculously burned seven days longer.

• THE NUMERAL FIVE- the number of exercise and responsibility of weakness,

• And of grace in spite of weakness.

• Weakness clothed in the might of God.

• This describes the holy anointing oil in its five-fold composition speaking of pure grace.

Here is represented the moral graces and perfections of Christ

• The oil must contain only the most excellent spices.

• For He is the chiefest among ten thousand and altogether lovely!!

• 1. MYRRH- a fragrant spice, of bitter taste but of sweet aroma.

• It flows freely from the tree, so figures the grace of His lips.

• Song 5:13 His cheeks are like a bed of spices, banks of scented herbs. His lips are lilies, Dripping liquid myrrh.(NKJ)

• 2. CINNAMON- the inner bark sweet and fragrant,

• speaking of the Excellency of His character,

• as observed by those of the inner circle.

• 3. CALAMUS- forms the pitch of the tree,

• type of the sweet perfection of Christ in His thoughts and actions.

• 4. CASSIA- the outer bark

• Symbol of this same Excellency of character, but manifest in His public walk before men.

• 5. OLIVE OIL- denotes the Holy Spirit,

• In whose energy He continually acted.

• And speaks of the five fold ministry as a ministry of grace.

Eph 4:11

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, (NKJ)

• 1. Myrrh-His lips-word,

• 2. Cinnamon-Inner-character,

• 3. Calamus-thoughts,

• 4. Cassia-outer bark-character manifest-actions,

• 5. Olive oil-spirit energy

• I Jn 2:27

27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

• 5545 chrisma (khris’-mah);from 5548; an unguent or smearing, i.e. (figuratively) the special endowment ("chrism") of the Holy Spirit: KJV-- anointing, unction.

• Isa 10:27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. (KJV

• Isa 61:1

• 1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (KJV)

• Luke 4:18

• 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (KJV)

• 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. NIV

Ecclesiastes 10:1

Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a

stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.

[Dead flies]-- literally, flies of death.

[The ointment]-- a costly and precious ointment. The more excellent is the ointment, the sadder it is that so little a thing as dead flies should be allowed to spoil it. Sin begins with little things. Little inconsistencies, if not checked at the beginning, undermine the whole character.

[Him that is in reputation]-- e. g., David <2 Sam. 12:14>; Solomon <1 Kin. 11>; Jehoshaphat <2 Chr. 18; 19:2>; Josiah <2 Chr. 35:22>. The more delicate the perfume, the more easily spoiled is the ointment. Common oil is not so liable to injury. So the higher a man’s walk with God is, the more hurt is caused by a sinful folly in him. Bad savour is endurable in oil, but not in what professes to be, and is compounded by the perfumer ("apothecary") for fragrance. "Flies," being, small in appearance, answer to "a little folly" (sin) <1 Cor. 5:6; Gal. 5:9>

[To send forth a stinking savour]-- literally, `cause to stink (and) to putrefy; ’ i. e., cause to stink through putrefaction. The verbs are singular, the noun plural, implying that each of the flies causes the stinking savour.

(from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commen

ANOINT, ANOINTING

To authorize, or set apart, a person for a particular work or service . The anointed person belonged to God in a special sense. The phrases, "the Lord’s anointed," "God’s anointed," "My anointed," "Your anointed," or "His anointed" are used of Saul <1 Sam. 26:9, 11>, David <2 Sam. 22:51>, and Solomon <2 Chr. 6:42>. In the New Testament, all who are Christ’s disciples are said to be anointed; they are God’s very own, set apart and commissioned for service <2 Cor. 1:21>.

Priests, kings, and prophets were anointed. Oil was poured on the head of the person being anointed . Kings were set apart through the ritual of anointing, which was performed by a prophet who acted in God’s power and authority <1 Sam. 15:1>. The Old Testament also records two instances of the anointing of a prophet <1 Kin. 19:16; Is. 61:1>.

Jesus the Messiah is described as "anointed." This description is found in the psalms of the Old Testament which prophesy the coming of Christ and in the preaching of the apostle Peter in the Book of Acts.

In the New Testament, anointing was frequently used in connection with healing. The Holy Spirit’s activities in a believer’s life are pictured in terms associated with anointing. Jesus’ disciples anointed the sick , and James instructed the elders of the church to anoint the sick with oil . This anointing was for the purpose of healing.

Anointing in the New Testament also refers to the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which brings understanding <1 John 2:20,27>. This anointing is not only for kings, priests, and prophets; it is for everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. The anointing occurs physically with a substance such as oil, myrrh, or balsam. But this is also a spiritual anointing, as the Holy Spirit anoints a person’s heart and mind with the love and truth of God.

(from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

FEASTS AND FESTIVALS

Dedicatlon, Feast of. This feast, also known as Hanukkah and the Feast of Lights, is apparently mentioned only once in the Bible . It developed in the era of the MACCABEES and celebrated the cleansing of the Temple after its desecration by ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES.