The Anointing Oil and The Holy Spirit - Contd

                                                             Chapter -2

THE OIL – A METAPHOR OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 

The oil is used as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit, throughout the scriptures.

   Let us consider the example of the ritual cleansing of the leper, as described in Leviticus 14:14-18;

¹⁴ And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot:

¹⁵ And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand:

¹⁶ And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord:

¹⁷ And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering:¹⁸ And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord.

I would like to explain the hidden mysteries in this chapter, with the light of the Holy Spirit. The leper is a poor and humble sinner, seeking the face of God for his spiritual cleansing. The High Priest, being Christ himself, who offered himself as a trespass offering for our sins, (Hebrews 10:14-22), applies the blood over the sinner. AND….. Upon the very place where the blood is applied, the oil of the Holy Spirit is applied, for the further sanctification of the sinner.

·         The oil in the parable of the ten virgins, as Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 25, also refers to the Holy Spirit.

·         The oil in the parable of Good Samaritan in (Luke 10:34), denotes the pouring of the Holy Spirit and the wine being the blood of Christ

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The other metaphors used to describe the Holy Spirit in the Bible include, the water, the fire, the wind, dove and many such.

The anointing and the Holy Spirit:

The Hebrew word for anointing is mashach (maw-shakh'), meaning to smear or paint. This word is derived from a primitive root, “to rub with oil”. The word “anoint” is found to have strong association with the Holy Spirit throughout the scriptures. Here below are some instances from the word of God that describe the correlation of the anointing oil with the Holy Spirit of God.

1.      When Samuel anoints Saul as King, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. (1 Samuel 10)

1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

² When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?

³ Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:

⁴ And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.

⁵ After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:

⁶ And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

2.      Similarly, when David was anointed by Samuel to be the King, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. (1 Samuel 16:13)

¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.