Monday, July 18, 2011
Read: Exodus 26-30
The instructions have continued for a few chapters and are coming down fast and furious to Moses and his people.
In Chapter 30:22-33, Yahweh includes instructions for special anointing oil that is worth discussing. The Holy Spirit is represented by oil throughout Scripture. It would be interesting if you would adapt this premise today: “Man, there’s oil on that song”; “I could feel the oil”; “get deep-fried”; “marinate”; “release the grease”; and so on.
There are three aspects worth discussing:
1. This oil is holy. “Whatever touches them will become holy” (Exodus 30:29). Now, watch this. This is Revolutionary. This kind of holiness was contagious. This oil was put on certain things and whatever touched those certain things (not even the oil directly) became holy. This is outrageous. This switches us from being a group of wimps who are scared to death of losing our holiness and being contaminated, to being robust, confidently holy people who go into darkness to brighten it up and who come alongside sin to make sinners holy. Wow!
2. This oil anoints. Now, the Holy Spirit is very active in our lives. He provides prevenient grace, He convicts, He regenerates, He guides, He leads you into truth, He points to Jesus, and so on. But He also sanctifies and anoints. In sanctification, He crucifies your natural inclination to selfishness and fills you up with a supernatural inclination—a default reaction—to please God. Revolutionary.
But anointing is a little different. Early Salvos called it the third blessing (salvation was first and sanctification was second). We don’t talk about it too much these days but there you go. Holy Spirit comes on you. As with King Saul (who “changed into a different person” see 1 Samuel 10:8-10), Peter, Paul and others in Scripture, when the Holy Spirit comes on you, things change. Often the context is engaging the Enemy and the results are miraculous demonstrations that God exists, cares, and has the power to intervene. As you can imagine, anointing in daily warfare is a Revolutionary resource.
3. This oil is exclusive. Exodus 30:32-33 indicates that it would be disastrous for you to use it for your own purposes. And God wasn’t joking. Nadab and Abihu (Aaron’s sons, whom you’ve come across three times in Exodus) were killed by God for breaking this rule (see Numbers 3:2-4). What does that mean for us? Don’t use the blessing and power of God for our own purposes, to accomplish our own ends, to make us look good, or for our own comfort.
Process:
What aspects of the oil do you need (contagiousness, power, etc.)?