Time and time again I head of Christians surprised that I use anointing oils. When the question about the oil is turned back on these people the most common response is that they don't know enough about them to use them or that they are intimidated by them. Sadly I also often hear that because the church environment shies away from the use of oils, generally speaking, they felt that oils either where unnecessary or 'bad'. So today, I would like to help with this issue. Looking primarily to scripture about it and a bit about my personal take on how I use them.
We first get introduced to anointing oils in the Old Testament as Moses is preparing the Tabernacle and the Priesthood. Now, while oil is mentioned generically prior, the first mention of anointing oil itself is in Exodus 29:7, 7 Then take the anointing oil, and anoint him by pouring it on his head. Which is in reference to anointing the Priesthood. No special recipe or instructions had been given at this time, simply to pour this special oil over the Priest's head in anointing. Now Exodus 30:22-30 is what often gets used and sadly twisted to say that we are not to use oils outside of the Priesthood. Let's take a look. 22 Adonai said to Moshe (Moses), 23 “Take the best spices — 500 shekels of myrrh [12 1/2 pounds], half this amount (250 shekels) of aromatic cinnamon [6 1/4 pounds], 250 shekels of aromatic cane, 24 500 shekels of cassia (use the sanctuary standard), and one gallon of olive oil — 25 and make them into a holy anointing oil; blend it and perfume it as would an expert perfume-maker; it will be a holy anointing oil. 26 Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony, 27 the table and all its utensils, the menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar, 28 the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, and the basin with its base. 29 You are to consecrate them — they will be especially holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. 30 Then you are to anoint Aharon and his sons — you are to consecrate them to serve me in the office of cohen (Priests). 31 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘This is to be a holy anointing oil for me through all your generations. 32 It is not to be used for anointing a person’s body; and you are not to make any like it, with the same composition of ingredients — it is holy, and you are to treat it as holy.33 Whoever makes any like it or uses it on any unauthorized person is to be cut off from his people.’” Verse 32 and 33 makes it clear that the oil in question is indeed not to be used or even made outside of the Priesthood of the Tabernacle, or even on people at all! And by then we already have an issue in relation to the verse from chapter 29, because that was used on the bodies of the Priests. Because of this we have to recognize that it is the specific recipe given in chapter 30 which is forbidden for use or creation, and not anointing oils as a whole. We also see anointing oil used on Priests through out Leviticus and Numbers.
But it is not just the Priests who may receive a bodily anointing of oil, indeed if we where forbidden from it's use outside of the Priesthood than we could not see it being used to anoint Kings throughout 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, or 1 Chronicles. But we do repeatedly.
Now, all of those times it is used by a Priest however, so does that become a mandatory issue? Not according to Ruth 3:3, 3 So bathe, anoint yourself, put on your good clothes, and go down to the threshing-floor; but don’t reveal your presence to the man until he’s finished eating and drinking. Here we have a woman, which by all standards could not have been a part of the Priesthood, using oils to anoint herself, and not even another person.
And if that isn't evidence enough for our ability to use it let us look to 1 Peter 2:5, 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be cohanim (priests) set apart for God to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to him through Yeshua the Messiah. So with that, as followers of Yeshua the Messiah, we are all Priests and thus would meet the standard to use anointing oil if you applied that argument.
Now that we have established that it can be used, who can use it, and that it can be applied bodily in small instances and large let us look at if we Should be using it. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1 try to imitate me, even as I myself try to imitate the Messiah. giving us a path on which to follow, not just the steps of Paul himself, who calls himself the least of the Apostles in 1 Corinthians 15:9, but all the Apostles. Mark 6:13 says, 13 they expelled many demons, and they anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. So here we can see that the Apostles used anointing oils on the sick. Giving us something to follow.
But this isn't our only grounds for using anointing oils. James 5:14 (Come on you had to know this verse was coming.), says, 14 Is someone among you ill? He should call for the elders of the congregation. They will pray for him and rub olive oil on him in the name of the Lord. Which outright tells us a time to use it and how, not simply on the basis of following the actions of the Apostles, but in obedience to the Word of God.
So what is the big deal about anointing oil? After all, most of the time it is just glorified olive oil, isn't it? In it's physical sense, yes it is. That is the core of any scriptural anointing oil while fragrance oils may or may not be added. But there is in fact a big deal about it. All throughout Psalms we see anointing oil likened to the anointing of Adonai, which is of course of course in the New Testament being anointed with the Ruach HaKodesh. From this we can draw that the anointing oil is a physical representation of the Holy Spirit on an item or person, like within the tabernacle on the items within, or on the people being healed or blessed. So when we are applying anointing oil on a person and praying for healing we doing a symbol of the Ruach HaKodesh healing that person, when we apply it in a blessing it is a symbol of the Ruach HaKodesh issuing that blessing. Do we need to have anointing oil to have the presence of the Ruach HaKodesh? Certainly not! But it is told to us to do so in the Bible out of Obedience, and as we see throughout scripture Elohim loves his symbolism - so what reason do we have not to?
Which moves us into application of anointing oil. Now as we've already seen for the Priesthood the application method was put on the head, and this method of pouring is also used on the Kings throughout the books of Samuel, the Kings and 1 Chronicles. But it isn't the only method explained biblically for applying it on a person. Leviticus 8 shows us another method, which could for arguments sake be dismissed as applying solely to the sacrifice that precludes it. Verse 30 says, 30 Moshe took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aharon and his clothing, and on his sons with him and their clothing, and consecrated Aharon and his clothing together with his sons and their clothing. And additionally, with the same dismissive ability, Leviticus 14:17, 17 Then the cohen (priest) is to put some of the remaining oil in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the person being purified, on the thumb of his right hand, on the big toe of his right foot and on the blood of the guilt offering. So could there be any symbology within the application methods shown? While it is only conjecture to link what I am about to it is not an uncommon theory among those who have looked into anointing oils and I encourage you to search for yourself to see if this aligns scripturally. Firstly, a head of course being our minds. That the Ruach HaKodesh would come down with our mind, our entirety and be with us, fill us, lead us. The ear being our spiritual hearing, like in Jeremiah 5:21 or Matthew 13:15. The thumb being on the hand, our actions and what we do; Ecclesiastes 9:10 saying, 10 Whatever task comes your way to do, do it with all your strength; because in Sh’ol, where you will go, there is neither working nor planning, neither knowledge nor wisdom. And our big toe, how well could we walk and balance without it? Psalms 40:3 (2 in some versions) says, .....and set my feet on a rock, making my footing firm.
So in review we can see that I have covered who can use anointing oil, from Priests down to a lowly widow; on whom anointing oil may be used, Priests, Kings, the sick and in blessing (Ruth for Boaz is an example of this); how to apply it, poured, head, sprinkled, or applied to the ear, thumb and toe; and most importantly what it represents. I hope that this takes some of the mystery and stigma out of anointing oils for you and it encourages you to use one of the two physical tools within our healing toolbox.
If this post as encouraged you to go searching out some anointing oil and your pocket book is feeling a little empty do not be intimidated by the prices. As the core of anointing oils is olive oil I fail to see why you could not use some of that, pray over it, and use it. When you do feel like purchasing a more 'orthodox' oil there is a myriad of fragrance options open to you.
I, personally, do an anointing for my mind when I go into deep study of scripture and bless my children and my husband at large times or struggling in their lives. I have blessed my home, and my vehicles for safety and security and the presence of Adonai within them at any time I felt led to do so. While I do have a bottle of Rose of Sharon here, I do tend to hoard it for only the most special of occasions and use other oils more commonly.
