Exodus 30:22 Moreover the Lord spake unto Moses, 23 saying,
Take 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, 24 And of cassia five hundred
shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
God speaks of principal spices which are elevated, chief or premier
spices. They are greater than the rest
by virtue of their excellence. These
spices were chosen by God to create the holy anointing oil that was held in
such esteem by God and the priests. It
was so precious that the death penalty was demanded for anyone who made it
outside of the priesthood or used it apart from the priests. God’s anointing is the chief and premiere
need for our walk after the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Myrrh is our part of the anointing. It comes directly from our suffering and
enduring. Sweet calamus is the Father’s part
and brings vision and growth. Cinnamon
is our Savior’s part as it is written, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me
up (Psalm 69:9, John 2:17).”
Myrrh was costly, today’s equivalent of $4000 per oz. Myrrh came in distilled drops like
tears. It is a prophetic anticipation of
your trials and tears. An anointing will
cost you in tears rather than in laughter.
God takes your pain and uses it toward a purpose. Your tribulation is used to bring your
exaltation in the kingdom.
Sweet calamus grows in the shape of a rod which in biblical
terms is always used for measuring. A
rod is a dual purpose instrument in the Bible.
It is used for punishment or measurement. The anointing is going to stretch you, to
increase your measure until you come out of yourself and your abilities into
something greater. You want a greater
anointing and more powerful ministry?
Are you willing to be stretched?
You will be stretched in sacrifice, service and faith. You will be stretched into areas you never
imagined.
Sweet cinnamon or Qinamon
in Hebrew. The root word Qina is the same root as the word for
zeal. Do you lack the zeal you need to
walk in the ministry God has ordained for you?
Are you fearful, apathetic, passive or lukewarm? The sweet cinnamon comes into your life and
imparts the zeal you need to accomplish God’s purpose.
Consider Psalm 23:5-6 Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a
table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with
oil; my cup runneth over.
Notice the myrrh of verse five as you walk through the
valley of the shadow of death. Can you
see the sweet calamus of God’s stretching and direction in the rod and staff. Look at the end of verse six…my cup runneth
over. That is the zeal that will not be
contained. Can you find other psalms or
scriptures that show this repeating pattern for the anointing of God? Is there any doubt that David for all his
faults was an anointed man of God?
Exodus 30:25 And 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.
I remember helping to prepare anointing oil for
ministry. We would add various spices
and oils until the scent was exactly what we wanted. As a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6) we are
tasked with preparing the spices of our lives for the oil of anointing. If our lives have been too controlled and too
sheltered, we may lack sufficient Myrrh for the mix. When we take too few chances for advancement
in our lives we will lack the proper sweet calamus for growth. Finally, our attitude toward God and His Word
will increase or limit the amount of cinnamon or zeal to press past the trials
and opportunities into spiritual success and a greater anointing.
Scripture says that the anointing destroys the yokes of
bondage plaguing the church (Isaiah 10:27).
Lately more and more articles have been written denying God and any
faith that believes in something higher than themselves. It is reaching toward a crescendo of
intolerance and ultimately will become outright
persecution toward the church. We stand
at that threshold of faith or doubt that will lead to the great falling away
spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
Without this holy anointing oil, this God breathed strength
and purpose, we would not be able to stand in that evil day, even after having
done all we could (Ephesians 6:13-14).
There is a determined and organized attack on the church of God and all
those who would dare try to stand against the tide of godlessness and ‘freedom’
of expression. That is merely another
way of saying, ‘the right to sin.’ As
Christians we know our own personal righteousness is nothing (Isaiah
64:6). Without an anointing we are as
weak as those others and in fact many in God’s church fall into sin far too
quickly due to a lack of anointing.
Let me restate this desperately important point. Without faith it is impossible to please
God. Without God’s anointing it is difficult
to stand by faith because faith ACTS in the absence of external evidence. An anointing is birthed through trials, far
reaching vision and zealous encouragement.
If you lack any of these three ingredients you will lack the proper anointing. You need all three, trials, vision or growth,
and zeal. Those who preach that God does
not require all of the above have denied and hobbled His anointing. If you doubt this need to endure trials then
read James chapter one.
Exodus 30:26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the
congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 27 And the table and all
his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, 28 And
the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 29
And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth
them shall be holy.
The anointing abides in the presence of the Word and works
of God. Many say correctly that we, the
people of God, are the church; but there is also a truth that the building,
pews, altar and other furnishings of the church are consecrated and sanctified
for the work of God. I have seen
beautiful churches turned into warehouses or even restaurants, bordellos and
night clubs. In some countries this is
due to persecution but in others it is caused by apathy within the church
itself.
Church buildings are supposed to give glory to God. Even storefront churches ought to be
maintained in a manner that honors and glorifies God. I recall entering a Catholic church during a
difficult time in my life. It wasn’t my
church or even my faith but it was a building consecrated to God. Sitting on the front pew in an empty church I
prayed and God moved so powerfully that I began to weep. A building is not doctrine or words or ideas
but it can be a place where God’s anointing abides to motivate and encourage
the people who gather there. Living or
not, it is part of God’s creation, set aside for His honor, sanctified for His
use and anointed for that purpose.
Every church has an anointing, an influence upon the
neighborhood it abides in. That
anointing may reach for many miles in all directions or may not even clear the
front doors of the church. It is
determined by the doctrine, consecration, prayers and vision of the
ministry. I have been in churches that
proclaimed, “Ichabod, the glory of God has departed,” to my spirit by reason of
their dead and decaying faith, and in others have not even arrived at the door
yet when my spirit became settled and at peace.
How great is the anointing of your church?
Exodus 30:30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons,
and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.
The anointing abides in the priests of God. Scripture says that we are a kingdom of
priests. Our great high priest who is
after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4) empowers us
and sanctifies us for the work of the ministry.
This gives us our position in the kingdom but the true empowerment of
God comes from the anointing we receive.
It is impossible to fully enter into the priests office without the
anointing of God.
Exodus 30:31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of
Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your
generations.
The anointing oil passes beyond Moses or the Tabernacle or
even Israel as a peculiar nation. It is
God’s gift to those who endure and press on through all the purifying
processes. You don’t have it in you to
possess the promise on your own. God
MUST go with you to succeed in your calling.
We must press with all that is in us but God gives us IMPOSSIBLE
callings so we will give Him the glory when we succeed. The anointing is holy,
poured only upon those who are sanctified for the service of God.
When David said, “You anoint my head with oil,” he meant
that when you are in the presence of your enemies you are lifted up above all
these trials and tribulations even while in their midst (Psalm 23:5).”
Beloved, I pray you too will press toward the anointing of
God so you might accomplish all His will for your life.
Bishop J.
