“And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil” (Ex. 30:25).
The oil mixed with precious perfumes and spices, as described in today’s passage, was a type of the Holy Spirit. The metaphor of anointing in reference to the Spirit can be found throughout the Scriptures, such as in John’s statement: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One” (1 John 2:20). When God spoke of anointing kings, He testified to His desire that they submit to the work of His Spirit by living lives of wisdom, prudence, justice and clemency—all necessary for the governing of a nation. And so, by sprinkling the tabernacle and the priesthood with oil, the Israelites learned that all the religious service in the world would mean nothing if done without the secret operation of the Spirit of God. This ritual also showed that the efficacy and grace of the Spirit were active in the shadows and types themselves, that the Spirit reigned in the Old Testament even as He reigns now. Whatever good was to be derived from the symbols and types of the tabernacle and the priesthood would be applied by the gift of the Spirit.
Everything in redemption is made effective by the Spirit. Christ’s sacrifice would not have been efficacious to appease God’s wrath if not for the work of the Spirit. The benefits of Christ’s sacrifice would not be applied to the church if not for the work of the Spirit. Our souls would not be washed with the blood if not for the work of the Spirit. Our prayers would not be consecrated if the Spirit did not sanctify our groanings and carry them to the ear of God. It is the Spirit who enables us to cry, “Abba, Father,” and it is the Spirit who enables us to walk in faith and to bear spiritual fruit.
The elements of the tabernacle were to be anointed with this special oil, and so was the priest for the performance of his duties. Isaiah refers to this when he describes the Messiah as being anointed with the spirit of prophecy (Isa. 61:1). Christ Jesus was consecrated by the Holy Spirit to be the Mediator between God and man. And just as the tabernacle and vessels were sprinkled with the same oil, so are we made partakers of the holiness of Christ by the operation of the Spirit. Without Him, we are unholy, but by the gift of the Spirit, we are sanctified and counted worthy to come into the presence of God.
We no longer need oil, spices and perfumes to sanctify us because we have the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Christ is in all believers, for “without the Spirit, you cannot belong to Christ.” The power to overcome sin, to walk by faith, and to trust in Christ comes from the Spirit. Today, consider what your source of power is.