What Does Anointing With Oil Mean Or Symbolize In The Bible?

Last updated on: October 13, 2015 at 9:29 pm by Jack Wellman

What Does Anointing With Oil Mean Or Symbolize In The Bible? 2015-10-13T21:29:44-05:00 Jack Wellman

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What is the significance of anointing in the Bible? What does it symbolize?

God’s Authority

The oil by which the kings of old were anointed represents God’s choice of whoever it is being anointed and that they are God’s chosen vessel to work through but one must first be in submission to the One Who chose them to be where they are. Saul was rejected because He disobeyed God and David was anointed or chosen over Saul. Also, the priests in the Old Testament Levitical priesthood were anointed with oil. The oil was to symbolize their being set apart (sanctified or made holy) for the purposes of God, whether that was to sit on a king’s throne or serve in the temple.

The Holy Spirit

The oil also seems to represent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called “holy” because of the work He does in the believer’s lives. The Apostle John wrote “you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge” (1st John 2:20) and we know the Spirit of God teaches us for “the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him” (1st John 2:27).

God’s Anointed

Jesus was anointed to be more than just King but “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). Jesus went into the temple, took the scroll, and read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18) and most of those listening knew what this verse was about. Jesus read from Isaiah 61:1-2a which says “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus was the fulfillment of these verses. After this, “he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him” (Luke 4:20) and astonished them by saying, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). That very moment, these two verses in Isaiah 61:1-2a were fulfilled; someday the second part will be fulfilled by Christ’s appearance as it is called “the day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2b).

Anointed Ones

Anointed also means chosen by God as believers are called the anointed ones as even in the Old Testament (Psalm 28:8), God’s own children were called as His anointed ones as we read in 1 Chronicles 16:22, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm” regardless of whether they “were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it” (1st Chron 16:19). Just as with Israel, so too are believers “few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it.” If God has anointed you by His Spirit, that means the Spirit of God lives in you and you must have had a time in your life where you repented and put your trust in Christ. If you have never done so, you have no anointing.

The Oil

James referred to oil when someone was sick and they were to “call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14). David wrote, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5) indicating that oil was part of his provision and pictured a profound gladness (Heb 1:9). To the Jew, olive oil was a precious commodity. It was used in cooking and in treating wounds and of course, for anointing new leadership. Oil frequently refers to the Holy Spirit in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. For example, in the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus says five virgins had their lamps full of oil (Matt 25:4) but the five foolish ones “took no oil with them” (Matt 25:2). Imagine the horror of these unprepared virgins when the Bridegroom (Christ) came for them but they had no oil! The Bridegroom only took the five who already had oil (Matt 25:7-12). Were these foolish virgins those who put off, over and over again, the decision to come to God in repentance and faith? They had heard the gospel many times but closed their ears to it. Jesus could well have been warning those in crowd; “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matt 25:13), possibly referring to those who were listening but had never trusted in Christ.

Conclusion

For believers, “The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed” (Psalm 28:8), and is there anything stronger that God? If He’s for you, what do you need to worry about (Rom 8:31)? God has anointed all believers with the Holy Spirit and has given most of us the assurance and security of our salvation; the knowledge of Who Jesus is; and that repentance is not only in the mind, it means forsaking or turning away from your sins. Jesus said the gospel of the kingdom of God is that all repent and have faith (Mark 1:15).

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

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