Church Words 101: Anoint
Imagine the taste of melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella balls covered with seasoned olive oil to remember this church word: anoint. The Hebrew word for anoint is mashah, and it basically means “spread a liquid over something,” like oil on wafers in Exodus 29:2 or oil on shields for battle in Isaiah 21:5 or paint on a house in Jeremiah 22:14 or cosmetics on a body in Amos 6:6. However, the verb, anoint, is most frequently used in the Bible with a special sense of the word to set people or objects apart or consecrate them for service to God. And the liquid most likely used in Biblical Palestine for anointing was olive oil.
God’s people are introduced to the sacred practice of anointing when the tabernacle is being set up as a place to worship Yahweh in the wilderness, and we see in the book of Exodus that people as well as objects are anointed for service. After Aaron and his sons are dressed in the priestly garments, God instructs Moses to “anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so that they may serve me” (Exodus 28:41). Likely infused with stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense (Ex.30:34-35), a perfumed oil was created by Bezalel (Exodus 37:29) for the anointing of the priests as well as utensils and furnishings of the tabernacle (Exodus 40:9-10) to set them apart as holy. The priests were mediators between the sinful people and their holy God, so the anointing of aromatic oil covered them for this sacred service.
Priests were anointed for sacred office, and kings were given royal anointings as well. With a kiss, the prophet Samuel poured olive oil on Saul’s head in 1 Samuel 10:1 to anoint him to rule as king over the Israelites. Similarly, Samuel sets apart the next king of Israel when he anoints David into kingship in 1 Samuel 16:13. A generation later, “Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ (1 Kings 1:39).” Prophets of God anointed priests and kings for service, so you may wonder if prophets were ever anointed. The only place in the Old Testament where this word, mashah, is found as directed toward a prophet is when Isaiah says of himself: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor” (Isaiah 61:1).
Ultimately, priests, kings, and prophets are anointed by the Lord to lead people in following Him.
Whereas in the Old Testament, only special people like priests, kings, and prophets were anointed for office, in the New Testament all believers receive the anointing by the Holy One to know the truth (1 John 2:20). The Holy Spirit’s counsel is with everyone who professes faith in Christ Jesus immediately upon belief, and this anointing is “real, not counterfeit” (1 John 2: 27). Unmistakably, the word Messiah comes from mashah, and faith in His shed blood on the cross gives Christians assurance to live holy lives set apart for Him. His precious blood covering for our sins anoints us to serve Him! In 2 Corinthians 1:21, Paul tells the followers of Jesus: “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come.”
What did Jesus teach His followers about anointing people in service to Him? He instructed them to put oil on their heads and wash their faces when they fasted and prayed (Matthew 6:17). He encouraged His disciples to go out by His authority to drive out demons and anoint sick people with oil for healing (Mark 6:13). James reminded the early church leaders to anoint sick people with oil in the powerful name of the Lord Jesus (James 5:14). Most significantly, Jesus received anointing from His followers.
When someone realizes that Jesus has covered sins with His anointing blood, there is a response.
Anointing is not just a religious rite; it’s a response to an invitation to a relationship with Jesus!
With complete gratitude, a sinful woman pours out a jar of precious perfume on the feet of Jesus, and as she wipes the oil with her tears and her hair, she experiences life-altering forgiveness from the One she is anointing (Luke 7:37-38;48). Surely, she knew the full meaning of Proverb 27:9: “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.”
Have you responded to this invitation to be covered by Christ’s blood for the forgiveness of sins so that you are anointed to serve Him? If so, what is your response? In helping people find and follow Jesus, who might you share His good gift of salvation with today?
