What Does Oil Represent In The Bible? A Christian Study

What does oil represent in the Bible? Is there significance to its meaning?

The Anointing of the Priests

The real symbol of oil becomes clear when we read about Aaron, Israel’s first priest, who was anointed with oil as it consecrated him and his sons to serve as priests for God which we read about in Exodus 30:30-32 “You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.” This oil was not to “be poured on the body of an ordinary person” because that office which the priest held was a holy position before the Lord. By this, they were consecrated which means to be declared sacred and they are set apart or dedicated to the service of God for a holy purpose. Today, God still anoints people but it is not with oil but by His Spirt and that makes them no ordinary person because they then become the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Gal 3:26).

The Anointing of the Kings

The kings of ancient Israel were always anointed with oil as a way of God designating the man of His choice which is what Psalm 89:19b-21 says; “I have exalted one chosen from the people. I have found David, my servant with my holy oil I have anointed him, so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him.” The words “holy oil” can just as well be thought of as the “Holy Spirit” because the only way we can be made holy is to be designated and declared as such by God as we read in 2nd Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

The Unity of the Spirit

Psalm 133:1-2 says “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!” The first of these two verses are among the favorites of many because they see that when brothers and sisters dwell in unity it is so good and pleasant and what’s it like? It’s just “like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron” which means three things at least; the oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit; and it is God’s anointing that signifies the selecting of the priest; and finally, it also represents the unity of the Spirit that only He can bring among a diverse body of believers that is called the church. This is what Paul meant when he wrote that we ought to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3). Today, God calls men into the pastorate by His special calling or anointing, meaning that He chooses who will be in the ministry. The calling must be from God.

The Presence of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit is often depicted as oil as we read in the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25 where Jesus says “Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves” (Matthew 25:7-8). In these verses Jesus seems to be talking about the presence of the Holy Spirit. These virgins were waiting for the Bridegroom, which pictures Christ’s coming for His bride the church to which He is presently betrothed (or engaged) to. Five were ready when the Bridegroom arrived and already had the oil in their lamps but the other five, the foolish ones, had to run out and buy some more oil but they were too late. They had procrastinated and failed to betroth themselves to Christ and now it was too late, so when they got back they came, “saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matt 25:11b-13). Some might say “I know the Lord” but the most important question is “does He know you” for it not, He will say to you “I do not know you.” You might also read Matthew 7:21-23.

The Anointing to Preach

In Luke 4:18 we can see that the Spirit of God gives the anointing to preach, which is just what Jesus said when he began His earthly ministry “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” In the Book of Acts it was written that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (10:38). For everyone who has repented and trusted in Christ, they too have the Spirit of God which is why John wrote “But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge” (1st John 2:20), therefore you too should be proclaiming the good news to the poor.

Conclusion

Oil in the Bible has great significance and symbolism. The oil also pictures the work and anointing of the Holy Spirit for without the Holy Spirit, no one can be saved because the Spirit convicts the lost soul of their sins and points them to Christ and makes them realize that they need Jesus as their Savior, for there is absolutely no other way to enter the kingdom (Acts 4:12).

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 Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon.