Anointing oil is oil used as a visible expression of dedication, blessing, restoration and faith in God. Its biblical significance reaches much further than the familiar practice of applying a drop of oil to someone's forehead during prayer. In Genesis 28:18, Jacob pours oil upon the stone he has established at Bethel, marking the place where God revealed Himself to him. Later, God instructs Moses to prepare a particular Holy Anointing Oil for the consecration of the Tabernacle, its furnishings and the priests who would serve Him (Exodus 30:22--30). Anointing was also used when kings were appointed, as demonstrated when Samuel anointed David and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him from that day forward (1 Samuel 16:13). Yet anointing oil was not exclusively reserved for sacred appointments. Throughout Scripture, ordinary people anointed themselves as part of everyday life. Oil was associated with joy, blessing, personal care, restoration and the favour of God. Psalm 104:15 speaks of oil making the face shine, while Ecclesiastes 9:8 encourages us not to let our heads lack oil. These passages reveal the remarkable breadth of anointing and its significance among God's people.
The deeper meaning of anointing oil is found in what it represents spiritually: the presence and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Just as oil causes the face to shine, the Spirit of God causes His light to become visible through the lives of His people. The golden lampstand in the Tabernacle provides a beautiful illustration of this principle. Its lamps required a continual supply of pure olive oil to keep burning (Exodus 27:20--21). Likewise, believers depend upon the presence of the Holy Spirit to shine with the light of Jesus Christ. Physical anointing can therefore function as a prophetic act of faith: an action performed in the natural world that expresses our faith in what God has established in the spiritual realm. We do not anoint to create a spiritual reality through our own actions. We anoint because we believe God's Word and give visible expression to that faith. The oil itself is not a magical substance or an independent source of supernatural power. It is a powerful biblical image directing our attention towards the true Source of the anointing: God Himself.
House of Anointing