The Tabernacle Anointing Oil
All that we as believers possess of the lord comes to us via the Cross as seen in the holy anointing oil of the O.T. Tabernacle and its service. The Compounded Anointing Oil as seen in Exodus 30:32-25 is symbolic of the All-Inclusive Riches of the Spirit of Christ. The elements of the anointing oil typify:
- His incarnation as The Son of Man
- His suffering
- His Death
- His resurrection
The resurrected Christ brought His humanity and experience into the eternal God-Head (Rom 1:3-4). The Spirit of God, typified by “Olive Oil” is now fully Compounded to be all that man needs… for eternity.
Now let’s read God’s formula for the Holy “anointing oil” taking it by its phrases in Exo. 30:23-25:
23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices,
- of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and
(Speaks of Jesus’ death – Note: Wise men brought (500 shekels - Used to anoint dead bodies)
‘gold,’ representing His kingship, ‘frankincense” a symbol A shekel in weight equals 11 grams or 0.4 ounces.
of Jesus’ priestly role, and the ‘myrrh’ here prefigures
Jesus’ death, as used in His embalming (Jn. 19:39).
- of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and
(Speaks of the sweet fragrance of His life offered) (250 shekels; the offering and sacrifice of His life is a sweet-
smelling savor unto God (Ephesians 5:2)
- of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, 24And
(A sweet reed or cane that grows up out of muddy estuaries. (250 shekels; the dried reed was pulverized beyond
It speaks of His death that released His essence as a sweet recognition for its use in the Holy ointment.
Smell of the Spirit)
- of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and
(Speaks of His humble life offered, from which He rose, (500 shekels; “Cassia” in Hebrew means “to bow down
Head” as Jesus “humbled Himself to death of the cross.”
destroying all the power of the Devil (Heb. 2:14)
Used as a remedy for 'snakebite.'
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746536/
- of oil olive an (one) hin: (One (1), Symbolic of God’s One Spirit)
(Olive Oil here speaks of “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” that came by Jesus being “crushed” to death for its release to us. The fact that all the spice elements that were added into the oil speak of what is included in the Spirit.
Thus, the Oil speaks of the divinity of God into which the elements of Jesus’ incarnation, suffering death, burial and resurrection were added or compounded.)
- 25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound (of more than one component) after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.
- (“Compounded” together, these are the one All-Inclusive Ointment now within every believer)
Since, Christ brought His humanity and entire human experience into the eternal Godhead Spirit;
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15 (KJV)
The Significance of The Holy Ointment Spices (As adapted from a writing by Witness Lee)
Let us now consider the spices in more detail. We must note the quantity of each of the spices.
Exodus 30:23 says, “Take thou also unto thee finest spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of fragrant calamus two hundred and fifty shekels”
The quantity of the first spice, myrrh, is five hundred shekels.
However, the quantity of the second and third spices, cinnamon and calamus, is only two hundred and fifty shekels. Put together, the cinnamon and the calamus make one complete unit of five hundred shekels.
Like myrrh, cassia, the fourth spice, is in the quantity of five hundred shekels. These three complete units of five hundred shekels signify the Triune God, and the hin of olive oil signifies the unique God who “is Spirit” (John 4:24). Hence, in this compound we see the three in one.
The second of the three complete units of five hundred shekels was split. This points to the fact that the Son, the second of the Godhead, was split on the cross. The splitting of the second unit of five hundred shekels thus implies the death of Christ.
The number “four” (four spices) indicates ‘Christ’s humanity.’ Jesus is God who is 3, plus 1for man. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh (man)” (John 1:1, 14). When the Word became flesh, the Triune God became involved with humanity. The Triune God was involved with the man Jesus. At a certain time, Christ, the second of the Trinity, was crucified, split, put to death as noted by the “half so much” of the cinnamon and calamus in the Holy Ointment.
Myrrh signifies the sweetness of the death of Christ.
Cinnamon, differently, signifies the savour or aroma of the effectiveness of His death. The death of Christ is both sweet and effective. In this compound ointment, we have not only divinity and humanity, but also the sweet death of Christ and the effectiveness of the death of Christ. This means that when we receive this ointment within, it there is the effectiveness of Christ’s death in putting off the Old Man of the flesh.
Calamus is a type of reed that rises high, even shoots high, into the air out of muddy ground. It surely indicates the power of Christ’s resurrection, for Christ resurrected from the mud of death into the heavenly air as the Spirit. Jesus Christ is the real calamus.
Cassia signifies the flavor of the power or effectiveness of the Lord’s resurrection. According to some lexicons, in ancient times cassia was used not only as a spice, but also as a repellent to repel insects and snakes. Satan, the snake, is afraid of the crucified and resurrected Christ who has freed mankind from their sins and the Sin-nature and judgment... if they receive Him by faith.
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:12 (KJV)
Today Christ’s Spirit is seen as the Holy Anointing Oil that every believer possesses within.
“But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” (1 John 2:20 (KJV)
“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.” (1 John 2:27 (KJV)
By these spices, we see the fragrant odor of Christ’s work that pleased God the Father.
“Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour (odor) of his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For we are unto God a sweet savour (odor) of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16 To the one we are the savour (odor) of death unto death; and to the other the savour (odor) of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (KJV)