The Anointing Oil

From: Lectures on the Tabernacle: A Full Exposition Examining the Types and Their Doctrinal Applications — Fully Illustrated By: Samuel Ridout

Exodus 30:22‑33 • 26 min. read • grade level: 8

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Exodus 30:22-33²²Moreover the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ²³Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, ²⁴And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: ²⁵And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. ²⁶And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, ²⁷And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, ²⁸And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. ²⁹And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. ³⁰And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office. ³¹And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. ³²Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you. ³³Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people. (Exodus 30:22‑33)

1. Myrrh.—This was the gum from a dwarf tree of the terebinth family, growing in Arabia. The gum exudes from the trunk either spontaneously, or through incisions made for the purpose. That prescribed for the ointment was “pure,” literally “free”—the best, what had flowed spontaneously. Some have thought this described it as “liquid.” Be that as it may, there is evidently the idea that it was the best. It is fragrant to the smell, but very bitter to the taste. Indeed the word is the same as that for “bitterness” in the familiar “Marah” (Ex. 15:23²³And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. (Exodus 15:23)). It was used as a perfume, as a medicine for deadening pain (Mark 15:23²³And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. (Mark 15:23)), also for correcting secretions, and as a modifier of other medicines.

We have already alluded to the significance of the word. The primary root means “to flow;” from this comes the idea of the gum which flows from the tree; but as this is extremely bitter, it gives its name to “bile” and other bitter things—the bitter water of Marah, the water of jealousy (Num. 5:18¹⁸And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse: (Numbers 5:18)). Naomi called herself Mara, “for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20²⁰And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. (Ruth 1:20)). The “discontented” who resorted to David at the cave of Adullam, were literally “bitter of soul,” and the prophet declares that it is “an evil thing and bitter” to forsake the Lord (Jer. 2:19¹⁹Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts. (Jeremiah 2:19)).

The word for pure is, as we have seen, literally “free.” It is the word from which is derived the “swallow,” which flies in circles, at liberty (Psa. 84:3³Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. (Psalm 84:3)). “Liberty” was proclaimed in the year of jubilee (Levs. 25:10), to which allusion is made by the prophet, as that which is proclaimed by the Lord (Isa. 1:1¹The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. (Isaiah 1:1)).

To myrrh itself there are distinct scriptural references: “All Thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes and cassia” (Psa. 45:8⁸All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. (Psalm 45:8)). The Lord is described in the Song of Solomon, as coming out of the wilderness, “like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense” (SoS. 3:6). He also mentions the same fragrant spice in connection with the bride (SoS. 4:6, 14). The Beloved put it upon the handles of the lock as He withdrew from the door (5:5). The bride mentions His lips as “dropping sweet-smelling myrrh”(5: 23).

In the New Testament, myrrh was one of the gifts brought by the wise men (Matt. 2:11¹¹And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)) It was brought, mixed with aloes, by Nicodemus, to embalm the body of the Lord as He was laid in the grave (John 19:39³⁹And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. (John 19:39)).

Gathering up these thoughts, we will see how they apply to our Lord. Flowing spontaneously from the tree, as well as through incisions, would suggest on the one hand how willingly He offered all that He was, even unto death, to God, and on the other the “piercing” to which He was subjected by man, but which only brought out the same fragrance. The bitterness of the myrrh suggests the reality of the sufferings through which He went. It was not physical discomfort and pain, nor even death, which gave intensity to His suffering, but the “contradiction of sinners against Himself” (Heb. 12:3³For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. (Hebrews 12:3)). His very presence in a world where all was against God was bitter to Him. How His perfect soul, enjoying fullest communion with His Father, recognized what an evil and bitter thing it was for man to forsake the Lord! Who could measure sin like the sinless One? And it is He who has tasted, and drunk to the dregs, the bitter cup of God’s wrath against sin.

But all this bitter experience only furnished the occasion for the manifestation not only of a devotedness to God which was perfectly fragrant to Him, but of a love to His own which was as strong as death. Thus the myrrh left upon the lock of the door of the one dear to Him might well remind her, and us, of an unchanging love which would appeal to the closed heart, and ask for admittance to fullest communion.

And what has been the measure of this love? The myrrh again, from its association with death, may well tell us that it “passeth knowledge” (Eph. 3:19¹⁹And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Ephesians 3:19)). “The Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20²⁰I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20))—a measure which cannot be measured, freely flowing from Him whose heart was pierced by and for our sins. Feeble indeed is the estimate we put upon that love at best; but One estimates it at its full value.

Nor is such love narrowed, save by the unbelief of man; for its “fullness” may well speak to as not only of the voluntary character of all His devotion, even unto death, but that it is without money or price to “whosoever will.” It brings to every believer, “Liberty to the captive,” the true year of jubilee; for “if the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36³⁶If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)). And we already have the blessed earnest of the coming “liberty of the glory of the children of God,” while we wait for the adoption, the redemption of the body (Rom. 8:23²³And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23)). Then indeed will the fragrance of the myrrh pervade the wide creation, and the savor of His ointment bewray itself to an adoring universe. Meanwhile it is sweet to God, and to the saints, and good indeed as medicine for the sin-sick soul.

Our blessed Lord refused the wine and myrrh for Himself at the hand of men; He would drink to its dregs the bitter cup of their sin, without any attempt to mitigate or palliate it. March’s bitter waters are made sweet by the “tree” cast into them.

“Death’s bitter waters met our thirst,

Thy cross has made them sweet.”

And do we not see this cup of comfort put into the hands of His suffering saints who are passing through fiery trials, even to facing death? “Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee the crown of life,” is the promise of Him who “was dead and is alive”—a promise appropriately given to Smyrna, “myrrh,” as the word really is (Rev. 2:8-11⁸And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; ⁹I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. ¹¹He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. (Revelation 2:8‑11)).

In solemn contrast to all this wealth of love and grace is the blasphemy of that adulterous woman, who claims these fragrant odors for herself, and uses them as an attraction for the ungodly (Prov. 7:17¹⁷I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. (Proverbs 7:17)). This is all the more terrible when we see in her the one who, we may say, beginning in Smyrna as “Jews” (professed people of God who have not owned their lost condition), goes on in Pergamos to stumbling the saints; and in Thyatira, teaching them to commit fornication with the world, and displayed as “that woman Jezebel,” who as the world-church, is finally seen as “Babylon the great” in all her lewdness, to meet her just doom (Rev. 2:12-29¹²And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; ¹³I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. ¹⁴But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. ¹⁵So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. ¹⁶Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. ¹⁷He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. ¹⁸And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; ¹⁹I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. ²⁰Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. ²¹And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. ²²Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. ²³And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. ²⁴But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. ²⁵But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. ²⁶And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: ²⁷And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. ²⁸And I will give him the morning star. ²⁹He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelation 2:12‑29); Rev. 17, 18). There, too, she is seen trafficking in a stolen fragrance (for she has no heart for Christ) — “Cinnamon and odors and frankincense” (Rev. 18:13¹³And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. (Revelation 18:13)). Wherever she is recognized, let the saints of God heed the call: “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Rev. 18:4⁴And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (Revelation 18:4)).

2. Sweet Cinnamon.—The only other passages where this word is used is the sad one to which we have just referred (Prov. 7:17¹⁷I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. (Proverbs 7:17)), and one in blessed contrast, where the true bride is described as having all these fragrant perfumes put upon her—surely, by grace alone ( SoS. 4:14). Of the general meaning we are assured, but let us search if we may find what is distinctive in it.

There seems to be no doubt that this spice is the same that is familiar to us under the same name; it is the bark of a small evergreen tree of the laurel family. Another tree of the same family is the fragrant camphor. The odor of the cinnamon is sweet and its taste agreeable; it is largely used for flavoring. A valuable essential oil is extracted from the bark having these properties in an intensified form. It is obtained chiefly from Ceylon, and probably brought from India in the times of the Exodus. The bark is obtained from the young shoots. As a medicine, it is a stimulant and cordial.

Seeking for light as to its spiritual significance from the etymology of the word, we are met with uncertainty. One authority derives it from a “doubtful and obsolete” root, nearly the same as the “calamus,” at which we will look next. The primary significance of this root, is to stand erect, and this might find justification in the fact that it is the canes, or reed-like shoots, from which the bark is taken.1 The erect rods of the young shoots would suggest all the vigor and energy and uprightness of our Lord. The bark removed would remind us of the removal of the skin from the animal—the outer covering. So to cut away the bark from a tree would take its life also. We need not be surprised to find this witness of death coming in with each of these perfumes. The cross was the great necessity of divine love if Christ was to make the Father truly known.

Connected with the word for cinnamon is one translated “sweet,” from a root allied with our “balsam,” and meaning “fragrance.” This would put double emphasis upon this fragrant spice. Possibly the mention of the balsam may suggest that the essence of the bark was extracted and used. At this we will look later.

It is well too to recall the fact that this tree was an evergreen, passing through no periods of inertness. So our Lord was ever the unchangingly devoted One, whose leaf did not wither in time of drought or cold. In the midst of the arid waste of unbelief—as at Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum—there were no marks of feebleness upon Him: “I thank thee, O Father,” was His language there as everywhere.

Here too is medicine, a spiritual tonic and cordial for the faint-hearted. This love and devotedness of our Lord, which knew no change, is not only a most powerful example, but in His grace that which cheers and encourages the fainting of His beloved people. For all tendency to let the hands hang down, let His saints partake largely of that love which consumed Him—a love for His Father and His glory, and, for that very reason, for all His own.

3. Sweet Calamus.—There is no question as to the derivation of the word here, as it is one of frequent occurrence and varied application in Scripture. But for this reason we have little to indicate what was its specific character. The root-word means “to stand upright;” hence a cane, or reed. The “sweet,” as in the case of the cinnamon, tells of its fragrance, and this would seem to give us the clue to the article intended. A “sweet cane” is said to be found in Lebanon, also in India and Arabia. It usually grows in miry soil, from which it sends up the shoots from which its name is derived. The fragrant cane of India is supposed to have been the “spikenard” of Scripture.

The fragrance was obtained by crushing the plant. Various meanings of the word “cane are suggestive. It was applied to a” stalk “of grain (Gen. 41:5⁵And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. (Genesis 41:5)); to the” branches “of the golden candlestick (Ex. 25:31³¹And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. (Exodus 25:31)); to a” reed” shaken in the water (1 Kings 14:15¹⁵For the Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger. (1 Kings 14:15)); used also for measuring (Ezek. 40:3³And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. (Ezekiel 40:3)); to the balancing rod of a scale (Isa. 40:12¹²Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? (Isaiah 40:12)); to a staff (Isa. 36:6⁶Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him. (Isaiah 36:6)). Its place of growth, the mire, is alluded to (Isa. 19:6⁶And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither. (Isaiah 19:6)). Its fragility is used to illustrate the grace of Him who will not break a bruised reed (Isa. 42:3³A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. (Isaiah 42:3)). Most of these would have special application to our Lord: His absolute righteousness, uprightness, which also makes Him the balance and the measuring reed to weigh and measure men—to find them wanting, and yet to patiently wait on them, yea, to visit them in grace.

But it is with the fragrant reed that we have to do directly, though the qualities above referred to may suggest something of the character of the fragrance (see also Isa. 43:24²⁴Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities. (Isaiah 43:24); Jer. 6:20²⁰To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. (Jeremiah 6:20); SoS. 4:14; Ezek. 27:19¹⁹Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. (Ezekiel 27:19)). Its growth in the mire may remind us of One who in the mire of this world grew up erect and fragrant for God. Man grows in the mire and gravitates toward it—like the man with the muck rake, who was bowed to earth, and saw not the crown of glory offered to him. But our Lord had His eyes and heart only on the heaven above. The mire of earth was but the place where He had come for a special work. Men might grovel in that mire, as, alas, we have; a Job finds that his self-righteousness was covered with the mire of the ditch (Job 9:31³¹Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me. (Job 9:31)). But His surroundings were only the contrast to that erect and perfect life which ever pointed heavenward. His treasure, His all, was with the Father. And wherever He found a “bruised reed,” to lift it from the mire and establish it erect was the purpose of His heart — “Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more” (John 8:11¹¹She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. (John 8:11)).

This reed was crushed by the “company of spearmen” (marg., “beasts of the reeds”—Psa. 68:30³⁰Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war. (Psalm 68:30)). Wicked men took Him, bound and bruised Him. But what fragrance has filled heaven and earth through that bruising. Again, the aromatic odor of the calumus reminds us that in our Lord there was nothing negative or insipid. That weak word “amiable” is unsuitable in connection with Him. Thus when the high priest commanded that He be smitten, our Lord neither resents it nor cowers under it; but with what holy dignity did He rebuke that unrighteousness, and bear witness of His kingship before Pilate. A heavenly fragrance pervaded the judgment hall-the vital fragrance and energy of Holiness, bearing witness to the truth (John 18:33-37³³Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? ³⁴Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? ³⁵Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? ³⁶Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. ³⁷Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. (John 18:33‑37)).

4. Cassia.—This word is mentioned in but one other passage, and there also in association with calamus (Ezek. 27:19¹⁹Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. (Ezekiel 27:19)), as some of the articles in which Tyre trafficked. For the world would make merchandise of the excellencies of Christ, and Satan, its prince, seek to rob the Lord of that which is His alone. Another word is also translated “cassia” in psalm 45:8⁸All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. (Psalm 45:8), where the garments of our Lord are perfumed with myrrh and cassia and aloes. That word is derived from a root to “scrape,” and suggests the way the bark of the cassia is removed. The ingredient we are now considering is thought to be derived from a root meaning to “split,” and refers to the rolls of bark being split.2 It is said to resemble cinnamon, and to be of the same family, but to be less fragrant. The Septuagint translates the word here “iris,” which is a species of flag (possibly the same as orris root).

It is said to be more pungent than cinnamon, and to grow in places not suited for other vegetation. It was used for flavoring and as a medicine. From a kindred variety, we are told the senna, a well-known drug, is obtained.

We have certain spiritual characteristics indicated here, though not so clearly suggestive of perfections in our Lord. As it was a species of cinnamon, it would therefore have a similar significance—the ardor of the love of Christ to God, which led Him on even to death; a love which reaches out also to sinful men in blessing and healing. The cassia was less fragrant but more pungent, and this recalls somewhat the nature of the galbanum. It might represent that devotedness of zeal to God in which the ardor of love takes the form of uncompromising rebuke of evil and half-heartedness. The scathing rebukes of formalism, the piercing probe of divine truth, by which He exposed all the falsehood of a mere outward religion, that left the soul unregenerate—these and such-like characteristics we may connect with the cassia, a bitter and humbling medicine, but one which purges that it may heal all that receive it.

Nor does this introduce a foreign element in what marks the full fragrance of our Lord to His Father. The sentimentalism of the flesh will wince under such searchings of heart, but loyalty to God admits of nothing divided with Him. As the cassia flourished where other plants would not grow, so it is at Calvary where the perfection of His faithfulness is fully seen. In that place of death, as a sacrifice for sin, such a fragrance was yielded that all else is as nothing compared with it.

We have next to consider the proportions in which these four ingredients were blended. But before that, we are reminded that the “vehicle” of their exhibition was the olive oil, of which we have already spoken (p. 322, and following). We have seen that it was a type of the Holy Spirit, by whom our Lord was anointed, in whose power He wrought miracles and gave His testimony for God. We are thus reminded that all true exhibition of the graces and excellences of Christ must be in and by the Holy Spirit. Any handling of these holy themes apart from the Spirit would be a mere mental exercise which would be barren or worse, and dry as the handling of the spices apart from the oil. To be an ointment, they must be formed by the Spirit into a holy compound, “after the art of the Apothecary.” And this would mean not merely that the Spirit guides as to the truth, but ministers it in communion to the soul.

But we must go back of this to find the fuller significance of the oil. These ingredients speak of the various characteristics which marked our Lord. There was nothing in Him that was not in fullest accord with the Holy Spirit. Indeed it was not only that He was anointed by the Spirit, but that His human nature was of the Spirit: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee” (Luke 1:35³⁵And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)). We have this, in type, in the cakes of fine flour which were mingled, as well as anointed, with oil. Holy mystery indeed is this, calling for our worship, as we think of the Holy One whose very presence as Man was by and in the power of the Holy Spirit. And the general teaching of Scripture connects thus the Holy Spirit with the person of the Lord. The Spirit ever presents Christ to us; He takes of the things of Christ to show them unto us. If He gives peace to the anxious sinner, it is not by occupying the sinner with what He, the Spirit, is doing in his heart, but by presenting Christ and His work for him. Likewise holiness is produced in the saint, not by self-culture, but by beholding the glory of the Lord, and being changed into the same image (2 Cor. 3:18¹⁸But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)).

And so when our Lord was baptized of John in Jordan and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily shape like a dove, the form He took suggests, may we not say, the character and office of our Lord Jesus. The dove is the bird of heaven; so He “came down from heaven” (John 6:38³⁸For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. (John 6:38)). The dove is the bird that loves and mourns; so He came in love and was the “Man of sorrows.” The dove is the bird of gentleness; and He was meek and lowly in heart. It was distinctively a “clean” bird; which fitted it to be used in sacrifice; so was our Lord without spot, and offered Himself thus to God (Heb. 9:14¹⁴How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)) “through the eternal Spirit.” Thus the dove is suggestive both of the Lord and of the Holy Spirit, who came in that form.

The oil, then, was a fitting vehicle for these sweet “principal spices.” One “hin” of this was to be taken. This unit of measure is of uncertain derivation, possibly from a word meaning to be wealthy, full, sufficient. This would suggest a full measure. “God giveth not His Spirit by measure,” that is, in a limited measure (John 3:34³⁴For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. (John 3:34)). So we read,” Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan” (Luke 4:1¹And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, (Luke 4:1)).

The “hin” was the measure used in connection with the drink offerings and the oil for the meat-offering (Ex. 29:40⁴⁰And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. (Exodus 29:40)). (See also the special provision for the graded offerings, suggesting various aspects of our Lord’s sacrifice, and perhaps also different degrees of apprehension on the part of the worshiper, Num. 15:4-10⁴Then shall he that offereth his offering unto the Lord bring a meat offering of a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of oil. ⁵And the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering or sacrifice, for one lamb. ⁶Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering two tenth deals of flour mingled with the third part of an hin of oil. ⁷And for a drink offering thou shalt offer the third part of an hin of wine, for a sweet savor unto the Lord. ⁸And when thou preparest a bullock for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice in performing a vow, or peace offerings unto the Lord: ⁹Then shall he bring with a bullock a meat offering of three tenth deals of flour mingled with half an hin of oil. ¹⁰And thou shalt bring for a drink offering half an hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. (Numbers 15:4‑10).) As the cubit was for linear, the ephah for dry measure, and the shekel for weight, the kin seems to have been the ordinary unit for liquid measure. Thus “the measure of a man,” that which can be apprehended by man, is suggested as being brought by the Spirit to his comprehension, of that which “passeth knowledge,” “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8, 19⁸Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; (Ephesians 3:8)
¹⁹And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Ephesians 3:19)).

The spices were apportioned by weight, the unit of which was “the shekel of the sanctuary.” The word is from the root meaning to weigh, originally, perhaps; to poise. It is that which forms a true estimate of the value of things. The shekel of the sanctuary, or sacred shekel, may have been of greater weight than the usual one, and the king’s shekel (2 Sam. 14:26²⁶And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight. (2 Samuel 14:26)) may have been the same. One thing we know, the shekel of the King of kings would be just and unvarying, for “divers weights and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 20:10¹⁰Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord. (Proverbs 20:10)). This shekel was divided into twenty gerahs, and a half shekel or ten gerahs was the ransom money for all the men of Israel (Ex. 30:12¹²When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. (Exodus 30:12), etc.) At the significance of this we have already looked.

God is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed (1 Sam. 2:3³Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. (1 Samuel 2:3)). The proud king of Babylon was weighed and found wanting (Dan. 5:27²⁷TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. (Daniel 5:27)). And “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” The Old Testament word for “glory” is “weight,” derived from a word “to be heavy.” So by God’s standard, all have come short of the full weight which alone can glorify Him. There is therefore but One in whom, when tested, full and true weight was found, who could say, “I have glorified Thee upon the earth; I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do” (John 17:4⁴I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. (John 17:4)). And not only was the full weight of that which glorified God found in Him, but all was in true and proper proportion.

Here, as we have already had occasion to notice with other measures in the tabernacle, the number five enters prominently. It is the number which speaks of full capacity and responsibility, and has been realized in Him alone who was God and Man—one being the number of deity and four that of creation— 4 +1.

Of myrrh there were 500 shekels, and of cassia the same amount. The sweet cinnamon and sweet calamus were half as much, 250 shekels. Myrrh, as we have seen, tells us of the fragrance of our Lord’s devotion and love to God, even unto death. The factors of this would be 5 x 5 x 5 x 2 x 2, or responsibility in love met in a divinely perfect way, even unto death. None but God could weigh that love, that sorrow, and He has put the estimate of divine truth upon it. The cassia, mentioned last, was of like weight. That pungent, heart-searching detection and refusal of evil, was as absolute as the devotion of love unto death; it was present in equal measure with the sweet myrrh, and blended with it perfectly.

The sweet cinnamon, telling of the ardent zeal which consumed Him, was in the proper proportion, one half as much as the other two. The factors, however, speak rather of a testimony (2) to the meeting of responsibility. His “zeal” never carried Him beyond the will of God, or out of the current of God’s ways. He never called fire from heaven to consume those who would not receive Him.

The sweet calamus was in the same proportion, fitly joining the aromatic fragrance with the warmth of the cinnamon. Personal, absolute righteousness, growing in the mire of the earth, He shed nothing but fragrance around—a fragrance which, blending with all His moral characteristics, made the Beloved One a “precious ointment”—His Father’s complete delight.

And so all was perfectly and harmoniously blended in Him; resulting in that which was absolutely unique, where each trait was so permeated by the others that the fragrance of each was found in all. Nor was it that He acted according to one character at one time and another at another. His love was as ardent in rebuking sin as His uprightness was absolute in soothing the broken-hearted. He did not put on or lay off these characters. At the Pharisee’s table the sweet fragrance of His ways and words had all the features of tenderness, faithfulness, holiness, hatred of sin, in the rebuke of the self-righteous man and speaking the word of peace to the woman who was a sinner (Luke 7). Alas, the heart of man will not receive this, and for that reason must meet His judgment; but faith delights, and above all, God delights, to recognize these odors —each in all and all in each.3

This ointment was to be put upon the tabernacle and upon each article to sanctify them unto God, and upon Aaron and his sons. It was not to be put on man’s flesh, and no imitation of it was to be made. Here again the sweet savor of Christ was to be put upon all that spoke of Him, His Son, in whom God ever finds “unchanging fresh delight.” The materials spoke of Him; even their structure spoke of Him; the golden lamps illumined Him; and now the anointing oil again points to Him. The high priest too was a type of our High Priest, and the sons of Aaron typified the true people of God, on whom the holy anointing oil was sprinkled—Christ’s fragrance is upon them.

The natural man has no place here: it were blasphemy to link the sweet savor of Christ with the unregenerate; they are enemies, whom God must cast out from His presence. Mere imitations of the excellence of our Lord, as heartless profession, will meet with His scathing rebuke (Amos 6:6⁶That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. (Amos 6:6)). And does it not apply to the “flesh” in the saint? Wherever strife, pride, vainglory are allowed, they are but dead flies in the apothecary’s ointment (Eccl. 10:1¹Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor. (Ecclesiastes 10:1)), which mar all its fragrance. How God’s great lesson is impressed throughout His entire word, “The flesh profiteth nothing;” “Christ is all.” His fragrance will pervade all heaven, and “all the mind in heaven is one.” Let His name be in the hearts of His blood-bought people here “as ointment poured forth “(SoS. 1:3). This is the “ointment and perfume” which “rejoice the heart” (Prov. 27:9⁹Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. (Proverbs 27:9)). Our Priest and King has passed into the sanctuary, into those ivory palaces where joy and gladness abound: “All thy garments smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia;” they are His by right of all that He has done. “Thou lowest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows” (Psa. 45:7, 8⁷Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. ⁸All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. (Psalm 45:7‑8)).

And in infinite grace and righteousness this fragrant ointment has reached down to the skirts of the High Priest’s robe, yea, has come upon all His own, so that wherever brethren “dwell together in unity,” in the unity of the Spirit, Christ is all, and the sweet savor of His ointment fills the sanctuary of His presence where they are gathered (Psa. 133).

1. The writer suggests a possible derivation from two well-known Hebrew words: Kinna, “jealousy,” from the root to glow or burn, or be zealous; and min, “form” or “appearance” The “appearance of jealousy.” We need not say what burning zeal marked our Lord’s entire life―”The zeal of Thy house hath eaten use up” (John 2:17¹⁷And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. (John 2:17)). And this was shown in the holy form of jealousy which would purge that house of all the carnal traffic which had been introduced there. “Love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame” (SoS. 8:6). This gives, at least, a beautiful and significant meaning, and accords with the character of our Lord―a love which was zeal for God’s glory and for “the place where Thine honor dwelleth” (Psa. 26:8⁸Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth. (Psalm 26:8)). In love for that He would let His own temple, His holy body, be laid low in death. Here was indeed a jealousy of a new form―jealousy for God alone, without one element of selfishness in it. Cruel it was, only in the sense of bearing cruelty Either than suffer one blot to rest upon God’s glory―it burned with “a most vehement flame.”

2. Another possible derivation is from a root meaning to bow down or worship, and this would be more appropriate to the spiritual meaning than the one given by most authorities. Our Lord surely was ever and only a worshiper of God; before Him alone He bowed, and refused any other as manifestly of Satan, though the inducements were all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them (Matt. 4:8-10⁸Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; ⁹And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. ¹⁰Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Matthew 4:8‑10)).

3. The question might be raised by some, how could this be an anointing oil, if only one hin of olive oil (perhaps 6 quarts) was used, with possibly 48 lbs. of solid material. This would be a difficulty if these spices were solid; but the myrrh is called “free,” which suggests that it was liquid, and the word before the cinnamon and cane translated “sweet,” is really “balsam,” which may suggest that these spices were also prepared in liquid form. Indeed the compounding was to be done by the “apothecary,” and this would suggest that all might have been previously prepared in extract form, before being blended together in the oil. We may be sure that all was provided for with divine wisdom, and therefore that all was beautifully significant of that which God would present in these materials, and in the ointment.

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