Why Is Oil So Important in the Bible?
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Today, we tend to think of oil as a generic medium for culinary or mechanical uses. Without oil, most batters won’t produce moist and tender baked goods. And lubricating oil is a must for motors and engines. The Bible, however, depicts the use of oil for other significant things. Why is oil so important in Scripture?
How Is Oil Used Throughout the Bible?
The Bible tells us oil (mostly olive oil) was a vital part of life in the ancient world. The prevalence of olive trees in the Eastern culture allowed people to use its oil for many purposes.
Olive oil in the Bible was used for:
Cooking
Oil was used in biblical times primarily for culinary purposes, for example in 1 Kings 17:12-16.
Esthetic Purposes
In Ruth 3:3, we read of Naomi instructing Ruth to wash and then anoint herself with oil before presenting herself to Boaz. David likewise washes and anoints himself with oil before he worships the Lord after his period of praying for his son (2 Samuel 12:20).
Medicinal Uses
In addition to its use for intestinal disorders, oil was also used for various physical maladies and wounds (James 5:14; Isaiah 1:6; Mark 6:13; Luke 10:3).
Physical Illumination
Oil was placed in a small ceramic container with a wick to light any dark places.
Financial Uses
Olive oil could be used as a means of exchange. In this sense, oil was used as money. King Solomon used olive oil as part of his payment to Hiram for the items he sent for use in the temple construction (1 Kings 5:11; Ezra 27:17).
Offering
Offerings at the temple and other sacred ceremonies (Leviticus 2:4).
Something or someone who is anointed with oil is deemed set apart or holy for a specific office or purpose. Author Hope Bolinger gives us a look at the Bible’s first mention of oil, “Throughout the Old Testament, the practice of anointing extended to both people and inanimate objects. For instance, in Genesis 28:18, Jacob anointed a stone pillar, dedicating it as a sacred place after his vision of the ladder reaching to heaven. This ritual signified the stone as a blessed object, marking it as a tangible representation of God's presence and promise.”
Anointing was the most important use of oil in Scripture, especially for the offices of Prophets, Priests, and Kings.
Prophets: The anointing of prophets with oil has a profound symbolic meaning, for the oil represents the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. The anointed prophet has been sanctified and dedicated to the Lord’s service. The prophet had authority to speak “of the Lord” (see Exodus 4:22, 1 Samuel 15:2, Isaiah 50:1, and Jeremiah 2:2) and accomplish miraculous acts (2 Kings 4:18-37).
A sterling example of a prophet being anointed for service is found in 1 Kings 19:16, “And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.” Here the Lord instructed Elijah the prophet to anoint Elisha as his successor. The Old Testament prophetic ministry continued through those men and the anointing bestowed divine authority upon Elisha.
Priests: In Exodus 30:22-38, the Lord God gave Moses detailed and strict guidelines for anointing the priests who would serve at the temple before Him to present the sacrifices of the people.
Kings: David the shepherd was anointed by Samuel to be the King of Israel after Saul (1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 16:13). At his father David’s directive, Zadok the priest anointed Solomon as king to succeed David (1 Kings 1:39; 1 Chronicles 23:1).
Other oils used in biblical times included myrrh and frankincense (Esther 2:12). We may think of how these were used to anoint Christ’s body before burial (Luke 23:56; John 19:39). Knowing the upcoming use of the oils gives greater insight into the gifts given by the wise men from the east when Christ was a child (Matthew 2:1, 7, 16). In Isaiah 60:6 and Matthew 2:11, we see the prophecy and fulfillment of these oils being bestowed upon Christ at His first advent.
What Happened to Jesus in John 12?
The narrative of John 12 is familiar to most Christians. The passage tells us how Mary, Martha and Lazarus gave a supper for Jesus before the Passover six days away. The disciples were with Jesus, and during the meal, Mary, “took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” Nard was a fragrant and costly oil most probably made from a plant of East Indian origin.
Judas Iscariot, the Lord’s betrayer, took offense that she did that, and he said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” Greed was His motive, and Jesus answered him, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me.”
Mary presented the Lord with a costly and beautiful act of worship.
Why Was Jesus Not Anointed with Oil at the Beginning of His Earthly Ministry?
The Old Testament use of oil to anoint the prophets, priests, and kings was a foreshadowing of the Holy Spirit’s power and presence. When Jesus approached John the Baptist and was baptized “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15-17), the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and came to rest on Him.
His baptism was Jesus’ public anointing, and His earthly ministry began at that moment.
In the Old Testament, oil was used to anoint the prophets, priests, and kings as chosen (set apart) by God and for Him. Now, as fulfilled prophecy, Jesus was publicly anointed by the Holy Spirit, and God the Father said, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” (Luke 9:35). In this setting, then, we see the Father and the Holy Spirit anointing Jesus. No oil was necessary, for the Spirit and the Father were the Anointers.
Jesus is the fulfillment of every Old Testament office of prophet, priest, and king. He is the “Chosen One” (the Anointed One).
- Jesus is named as a prophet in Mark 6:4, Luke 7:16, John 4:19, and Acts 3:22.
- Jesus is referred to as a Priest in Hebrews 3:1 and Hebrews 7:25
- Jesus is named King in Matthew 27:11 (self-affirmation) and Revelation 17:14.
As a further illustration, the narrative about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection (Luke 24:13-35) gives us Jesus’ testimony that the Old Testament (and all of Scripture) is about Him.
“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27).
Why Is the Oil in the Temple’s Lampstand So Important?
The lampstand found in the Holy Place of the tabernacle (temple) gave light to the priest who performed his sacrificial duties (Exodus 25:31-40) before he entered the Holy of Holies to present the sacrifices to the altar of the Lord God.
The oil used for the lampstand was pure, pressed olive oil of the finest quality because its use was holy as unto the Lord. The oil provided continuous light for the Holy Place and was never to go out because it symbolized the presence and illumining power of the Holy Spirit.
The word meaning oil press is gatt-s̆emen, from which we derive “Garden of Gethsemane.” How remarkable that our Lord, on the night He was betrayed, prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and was “pressed” in His sorrowful soul. Pressed to pray to the Father. And pressed to proceed with His earthly mission to atone for our sins. Since the oil is a foreshadowing of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, we believers rejoice that the New Covenant in Christ is a fulfillment of the oil’s use.
After His resurrection, when Jesus ascended, He sent His Holy Spirit to indwell all believers in Himself (John 15:26), and therefore be the light of our lives (John 8:12). At Pentecost, Jesus sent His Holy Spirit, as He said, and we believers in Christ therefore have been baptized into His Spirit (Mark 1:8; Acts 1:5).
A direct correlation exists between the lampstands of the tabernacle and the seven churches of Revelation. As John wrote in Revelation 1:12-13, “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.” Later, the Lord, who spoke with John told him, “the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20b).
In its direct context, the seven churches were the ones at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. From a thousand-foot view, those seven churches likely represent the church in this age of grace before the second coming of Christ.
Christ is building His church here and is preparing a place for us in the Father’s Kingdom (Matthew 16:18; John 14:2). The churches are described as seven lampstands in Revelation, and for us, the gospel testimony is ever-burning before the world. The seven Spirits before the throne (the Holy Spirit) fuels the gospel testimony of each of the churches. The churches who faithfully preach the gospel and the sufficiency and grace of Christ are those who burn the brightest for the Lord. They know and proclaim we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and for His glory alone (Ephesians 2:5-8).
As you read through the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, you will recognize the disparity of those who are ever burning for Christ with no rebukes (Smyrna and Philadelphia), those with a few rebukes (Ephesus, Thyatira, Pergamum, Sardis), and the one whom Jesus wants to vomit out of His mouth for their lukewarm nature (Laodicea).
Because of Christ, we who believe in Him will never see death. Oil no longer needs to burn in the Holy Place to illuminate the priest’s sacrificial work because Christ has redeemed us by His blood (Isaiah 1:11). We trust in our all-sufficient, risen Savior. Because He – the everlasting Light of life – lives, so can we. Hallelujah.
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