Fragrant Oil of Anointing

These beautiful topics, Fragrance and Oil, are touching the very heart of our walk with the Lord. We saw last month how God has made us the aroma of Christ and how our prayers and our worship are a sweet-smelling offering to Him, all a stunning, beautiful fragrance. And now we learn of God anointing us with Holy Spirit oil to empower us for service. The Bible simply oozes with references to oil and it speaks of anointing—the choosing, appointing and empowering for service. 

Exodus 29:21

Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Now Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments shall be consecrated (dedicated, made holy, declared sacred for God’s purpose).

We read of God’s command to anoint Aaron with blood and oil and later the priests in Exodus 40:15, with oil, as they are set apart, made holy for God’s service. To be made holy is not about being made “good” but about being separated, taken out from the secular and used for God’s purposes, His work only. 

Hebrews 10:10

And in accordance with this will [of God] we [who believe in the message of salvation] have been sanctified [that is, set apart as holy for God and His purposes] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) once for all.

Translate that to the New Testament…We are no longer of this world; we are in it yet not part of it. We are made holy through the anointing of the Holy Spirit and set apart to do the works of Christ. We are not anointed to do “any works," we are anointed for purpose. Works are good; however, we can lose our true calling by becoming so busy doing the work that we miss what the Lord is calling us to do. A whole fellowship (Church) can become so focused on doing things that they see as needed, doing them properly and with excellence, all good, yet not Spirit-led, that they lose the anointing power of God. They miss out on the ministry that changes lives, sets captives free and brings in the lost. Without the anointing of God on our lives, our efforts will be in our own strength and we will miss the mark of truly glorifying God.

The Holy Spirit working in and through us glorifies and magnifies Jesus, which then glorifies the Father. We cannot boast because it is all the work of the Holy Spirit. I mention this because it is a common trap, easy to fall into, so that we need to be aware and regularly check in with the Lord. Are we obeying Him or doing things because we think they need doing? I have fallen into that one and have had to step back, confess and ask the Lord to put me back on track…His track, not mine.

1 Samuel 16:1

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve for Saul, when I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for Myself among his sons.” 

Just as priests were anointed with oil, so too were kings; look at King David. Here is a man called out and chosen by God to be separated for God’s work. He was to rule over Israel. Samuel was commanded to fill his horn with oil and pour it over the one God chose out of the seven brothers. Of course it was young David, the youngest and least one expected to be chosen. This calling and anointing set this young shepherd boy apart for all the days of his life. How is this relevant to our lives, to our daily “walk” as believers? What does that “walk” look like in 2024—the year of AI and extraordinary technology, rising anti-Christian, antisemitic sentiments, wars, and rumors of war? We may read about this in Matthew 24. What does the anointing mean to you and I?

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 

Christ is The Anointed One, we are the little anointed ones……. We are chosen and called to bear fruit, to represent Jesus as His Ambassadors and to do the works that He did, all and more. We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, so that we may reveal Jesus, who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. We are chosen to be priests and kings in His Kingdom, and as such, we are anointed for service. When we are born again, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and baptized in Him also so that the Holy Spirit can manifest (display) the love, the power, and the life of Jesus through us. Our lives are a testimony to the truth that Jesus is alive and lives in us. He changes us. Our desire is no longer to live for ourselves, doing things our own way, but instead we want to imitate Jesus, doing as He did.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Slowly we begin to understand what Paul meant when he said we must be crucified with Christ. Our lives belong to God. Our will, our desires are to die so that the will of God can replace our own. Our lives become the desire and will of Jesus ….not my will plus Jesus. All Jesus, 100% Jesus. In 2024, God is calling believers to a surrendered life of obedience to Him no matter what is going on around them.

I found that so hard when I was younger. I was full of energy and lots of ideas, and I believed so strongly. All I wanted to do was GO! Like everyone else, I have had to learn, not always without really bumping my head, that God has anointed me to serve Him. A servant does what his master says, not what he thinks will be good for his master. King David is a special example to us; look at the reason God appointed him and removed King Saul.

1 Samuel 13:14

But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man (David) after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as leader and ruler over His people, because you have not kept (obeyed) what the Lord commanded you.”

Acts13:22

And when He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king: of him He testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart [conforming to My will and purposes], who will do all My will.’

In both scriptures from the Old Testament and New Testament, we learn how Saul was disobedient, but David would do everything that God asked. A man after God’s own heart is not a man who is without sin; he is a man who, when called, will obey God. Obedience is better than sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15.22)

Psalm 23:5-6

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

King David gives us a beautiful example of a friendship and deep relationship with God; he loved being in the presence of the Lord and celebrated an intimate relationship with Him. David is so moved by God’s love shown to him. He knows the Lord is with him and he is overflowing with joy. God has anointed his head with oil. This gesture of anointing someone’s head in the days of King David was to honour the guest, to refresh him, to make him feel welcome. In a similar way, God’s oil of anointing strengthens us. It refreshes us as He shows His Love for us, honouring us as His servants, daughters and friends.

We are so much more than a servant who obediently does what he is told; because we love the Lord, we want to do only that which pleases Him. We want to do everything His Way because we know that His Will, His way, is best. His Way is the safest, the most productive and will ensure the very best outcome.

Philippians 2:13

For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.

Jesus said that He would give us the gift of the Holy Spirit and it is He who anoints us; He is likened to oil. Many times we think of Him in terms of oil being poured out over us, especially when we sense the presence of the Holy Spirit on us. We don’t need to use special oils to anoint someone today; the anointing comes from the Holy Spirit and that anointing empowers us with the ability to do all that we need to do. As we yield to God and obey Him, the Holy Spirit is able to work through us. We get out of the way and become the vessel through which the Holy Spirit can work, for it is God who works in us to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Luke 4:18-19

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (the Messiah), Because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy), to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the favor of God abound greatly].”

I am always amazed at the work of the Holy Spirit. He reaches into hearts with healing, touches our bodies with strength, gives clarity to our minds, and binds and casts out demons. Luke describes it this way as he quotes Isaiah. The same Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is on you and I as He empowers us to do what Jesus did and more. The Person of the Holy Spirit is in us and with us all the time. He is there to teach us, guide us, and manifest His Power through us so that Jesus and God the Father are glorified. As Katheryn Kuhlman said….He, the Holy Spirit, is the greatest friend I have ever had.

Let's go into our prayer closets and spend time with the Lord. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to open our understanding and make this teaching a reality in our everyday lives. Let us ask Him to help us fully grasp that we are each called to service. We are ministers of reconciliation and are called to reveal Jesus, not in our own strength but in the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit. Meditate on the scriptures that are mentioned in this piece and allow them to become truth in your innermost being.

Let’s Pray:

Father, may we love You with pure hearts, seeking Your purpose alone. Father, open our spiritual eyes and ears so that we can see and hear the Holy Spirit as He leads and directs us. Enable us to die to all selfish aims and ambitions so that our lives become malleable in Your hands. We long to serve You and impact our community, our Nation, for You.

We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.