Exodus 30: 22 – 33 “Once again, The LORD said to Moses, “Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh,(approximately 12.6 pounds or 5.7 kilograms of myrrh), half as much (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, (approximately 6.3 pounds or 2.9 kilograms of cinnamon), 250 shekels of fragrant cane, (approximately 6.3 pounds or 2.9 kilograms of cane), 24500 shekels of cassiah (approximately 12.6 pounds or 5.7 kilograms of cassia), —all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. (A hin is approximately 0.97 gallons or 3.67 liters of olive oil.) Prepare from these a holy anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a holy anointing oil.
Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them will be holy. Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.
And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘This will be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. It must not be used to anoint an ordinary man, and you must not make anything like it with the same formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you. Anyone who mixes perfume like it or puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”
Anointing oil – the recipe is fairly straight forward, and body oils and lotions of various kinds were already well known to the Israelites. But this oil is to be special and to be used only as God has directed. Although this is the first use of this oil, it will continue to be used to anoint prophets, priests, and kings, as well as to consecrate subsequent temples. (The term “messiah” literally means “the anointed one.”) This oil was to have a very distinctive odor, one that would be intimately identified with holiness and consecration to the Lord. Once this oil had touched an object in the tabernacle, anyone touching that same object would also be considered as holy. With a pentratingly sweet odor, this oil would mark anyone who came into contact with it. But this oil came with a warning: it was to be used ONLY for holy purposes. Anybody compounding this oil for any other use or misuing it would become an outcast, a person without a tribe, cut off from friends, family, and most sources of support. Considering the fact that the Israelites were still in the wilderness, that threat might spell a lingering death for any transgressors.
What is the “sweet cane” referred to in the recipe? There are several explanations. The Hebrew word, qaneh, indicates a fragrant plant with an upright aspect. … The first is a widespread plant of wetlands in the northern hemispheres of both the Old and New Worlds, Acorus calamus L. (Araceae). The rhizome has a peculiar sweet, lingering aroma suitable as a “carrier” in a perfume. Other suggestions include a plant imported from India. Some have even suggested that a form of cannabis might have been used.
APPLICATION: The composition of the anointing oil ensured that it would have a unique flavor that peple would instantly identify with holiness and holy things. The use of anointing oil also symbolizes the power of God’s Holy Spirit as He poured it out on those who believed.
Christians today speak of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Even without the application of sacred oil, God still marks people for holiness. Those who were blessed to encounter the late Mother Teresa came away impressed by two things: her simplicity and her holiness. One late pastor friend of ours carried the scent of holiness with him wherever he went. Pastor Stan had served in the military and was a skilled craftsman. Stan loved to hunt and fish and was great company wherever he was. But the biggest thing you noticed if you were with Stan was the quiet holiness that was a part of his character, holiness gained from years of prayer, reading the Bible, and being quiet before the Lord.
God doesn’t play favorites; any one of us can gain the scent of holiness if we wish. The key to personal holiness is spending time with God, being quiet before Him, reading His Word and meditating on it.
“But,” you say, “I don’t believe in your God.” No problem. Try doing the things I have just suggested and see what happens. What do you have to lose?
PRAYER: Father God, help all those who read this to have such a desire for holiness that they will long to know You. Thank You that You don’t play favorites and that anybody can become holy, because it’s up to You and not to them, as long as they will listen to You. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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