#30

“I will give you treasures of darkness and hidden riches of the Secret Place, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel.”  Isaiah 45:3

“Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes.  Then go down to the threshing floor…”  Ruth 3:3a

After washing at the laver, it is time for the perfume.  Oh, and it does smell good!

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take the following fine spices:  500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.  Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a Perfumer.  It will be the sacred anointing oil.  Then use it…You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy…This is to be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come…It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred.’”  Exodus 30:22-32

The Holy Anointing Oil is all about Divine Blessing….our cup overflows. 

Anoint:  to smear or rub with oil or any oily substance; to choose by, or as if by, Divine Election.
Oil:  any of numerous unctuous combustible substances that are liquid or can be liquefied easily on warming, are soluble in ether, but not in water, and leave a greasy stain on cloth or paper.  (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary)

When we are anointed with the Holy Anointing Oil, the perfume of God, the work of the perfect Perfumer, smeared by Divine Election, we are walking in Divine Blessing.  We are walking out our faith with the anointing of His oil…oil not soluble in water; therefore, we can go back to the laver anytime, to drink from the cup of Living Water, to wash in the Well of Forgiveness and Wholeness, and our anointing will not wash away.  We may think it is gone at different times in our lives, but each time we return to the laver, to call on the Lord of our lives, He pours on an extra portion of oil, of His Divine Blessing, into our lives. 

“In ancient Near Eastern culture, at a banquet it was customary to anoint a person with fragrant oil as a lotion.  Hosts were also expected to protect their guests at all costs.  God offers the protection of a Host even when enemies surround us.”  (NIV Life Application Study Bible)

It is a precious, sacred oil, invaluable to the Lord of Hosts. 

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.  Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor.  Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him.  Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”  John 12:1-3

According to my Study Bible, the pure nard that Mary used was a fragrant ointment imported from the mountains of India.  It was very expensive, and the amount Mary used was worth a year’s wages.  Can you imagine?  How many of us would give up a gift worth one year’s pay, one year of hard work?  How many of us would pour it out on a guest in our home?   Although it was customary to anoint a person with fragrant oil as a lotion at a banquet, Mary was pouring out an expensive gift on the man whom the dinner was given to honor, and she was using it all on Him…not a small amount, she used a pint - just on His feet.  Because this was a custom, I believe they could have had lesser expensive oil in the home to be used for these special occasions (you know—the every day stuff), but she brought her best and poured it all out on the Man of Honor.  Do you believe that was a precious, sacred oil, invaluable to the Lord of Hosts?

“Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.  When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume (alabaster jars were carved, expensive and beautiful), and as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears.  Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on Him.”  (Luke 7:36-38

The Pharisee was angry at this woman’s actions.  She was called “a sinful woman”, and obviously she was not invited into the “religious” man’s home.  During that time, guests reclined on couches at the dinner table, meaning their heads were at the table and their feet were stretched out away from the table.  This woman did not approach the table, but she came up behind Jesus and knelt at His feet.  When the Pharisee became angry at her actions, Jesus quickly “put him in his place”.  After all, it was customary for the host of the party to anoint his guests, right?  It was also customary for the host of the party to bring water for the guests to wash their feet (they wore sandals and walked on dirt roads all day).  She used her tears to wash His feet.  A kiss was also customary, yet this host had neglected all of his “social” duties.  Jesus quickly recognized that this woman, drowning in all of her sin, laid aside her pride and everything else that could have kept her from Him,, walked into this Pharisee’s home uninvited just to kneel at Jesus’ feet, pouring out everything she probably owned.  Do you believe that was a precious, sacred oil, invaluable to the Lord of Hosts?

The oil is invaluable in our Father’s eyes.  After all, many years ago He gently took His alabaster box, carved, expensive and beautiful, the most precious and sacred oil the perfect Perfumer had ever created, placed Him in a dirty manger with a very young girl and young man, then thirty years later, broke Him open on an old wooden ugly cross…His oil broken and poured out on us…and just for us.  Do you believe that was the most precious and most sacred oil, invaluable to the Lord of Hosts?

When the fiery trials of life feel as if they are consuming and overtaking us, He invites us to the Banquet – an open invitation, ready 24-hours a day. “…the jug of oil (does) not run dry, in keeping with the Word of the Lord…”  (I Kings 17:16b)  Even in the midst of our enemy attack, He gently sits us down at His Banquet Table, in the presence of those enemies, and makes them watch. He gently pours out the anointing oil on our heads, loving on us, caring for us, feeding us, and refreshing us with the most precious and most sacred oil, invaluable to the Lord of Hosts.

“You prepare a table before me, in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”  Psalm 23:5

 We are consecrated so that we will be Most Holy and whatever touches us will be Holy.  The oil that has been prepared for us is sacred and is to be considered sacred for generations to come. (Exodus 30:29,31b)   My cup overflows…that’s Divine Blessing!