compound spirit, anointing oil, Exodus

In the Best Spirit

Winter break has only been 5 weeks, but I drooped into hibernation for at least a chunk of it. Like a trout in a frozen stream, my spirit didn’t flow quite like usual and I grew slack with Bible reading and fellowship. It’s times like these when I feel the bluest in my walk with the Lord – and also the most unqualified to turn to Him.

What remains in these doldrums, though, is the assurance of 2 Corinthians 1:22, “He who has also sealed us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.” The marrowy thing is that the Lord has given His Spirit that we might receive Him every moment. Even if I feel my worst and identify with the slug on the pavement, the Lord’s percolating Spirit is able to reach me. He is always willing to be received. But sometimes I ask, Why is turning to our spirit such a salvation? How come the pledge of the Spirit is the specific answer to every pickle in our being?

A Fragrant Oil

Exodus 30:23-24 gives a trusty answer. In these verses the Lord reveals to Moses how to make a special anointing oil:

23 You also take the finest spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred fifty shekels, and of fragrant calamus two hundred fifty shekels, 24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil.

Fact: If we look at the Old Testament as a picture of what we know and experience in the New Testament, the anointing oil symbolizes the Spirit. And each element of it stands for an accomplishment of our Lord Jesus – different steps He took in the process of making Himself available to man. The Spirit we turn to today has five different “ingredients.”

Myrrh and Cinnamon

Of its menagerie of historical uses, myrrh was used for embalming, in cremations, and as salve for wounds; it highlights Christ’s crucifixion. In Mark 15:23, Jesus was offered myrrh as He hung on the cross and He refused it, embracing in full an undeserved death. When X Person pushes our buttons and we fail today even more than yesterday and “What the hay, Lord, it’s all rot,” we can apply the cross and take Him as our healing salve.

Cinnamon was traditionally used as a perfuming agent in incense and rubbing oils. It stands in for the sweetness and effectiveness of Christ’s death. Not only did the Lord Jesus die, but His was a sweet death, meaning that it ushered in life and dealt with everything outside of Himself. His death abolished six cons: sins, our sinful nature, the flesh, Satan, the world, and death. Not only can we apply the cross to our situation, but the Lord’s sweet fragrance overpowers the stench of death and enable us to look away unto Jesus.

Calamus and Cassia

Calamus is a marsh plant distinguishable for its vertical burgeon. It grows in the thick gloop of the swamplands, but can’t be hindered in its reedy growth upward. In my experience with the Lord, I can tell Him, “Lord, you are my stout reed. You’ve resurrected above all the swampiness of this earth.” For if we continue in our herbal cryptography, we can see that calamus is representative of Christ’s resurrection. His resurrection life trumps every lifeless situation.

Cassia, the last of the spices, grows in harsh climates and earns its distinction as an insect repellant. Just as cinnamon emphasizes the effectiveness of the Lord’s death, cassia underlines the same for Jesus’ resurrection. His resurrection is like a yucca plant and it can withstand the harshest conditions; it is also like the chemical in your bug spray and repels all the “insects” of the enemy.

The Final Ingredient: Olive Oil

Olive oil is the underlying basis of the ointment. It goes hand-in-hand with Jacob pouring the oil on the stone in Genesis 28 and is nothing other than a symbol of the Spirit. However, we see that there are four wonderful and intrinsic spices; this is the answer to why it’s such a privilege to turn to our spirit and partake of the Lord. The Spirit lends us nothing short of Jesus’ crucifixion, the effectiveness of His death, resurrection life, and overcoming of every situation. And by enjoying the Lord in our spirit, we can apprehend what the “breadth and length and height and depth” of Christ are in Ephesians 3:18 (Hint: He’s limitless). Whatever our case, we should always be encouraged to receive the Lord’s anointing and enjoy all that He is.

 By: E. Kedzie

Erin Kedzie
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