Oil
Typological treatment in the corpus
Oil, specifically the holy anointing oil (Ex. 30:23-25), is identified by Warnock as a type of the Holy Spirit and of the anointing that Christ and His body receive. The five ingredients of the holy oil (myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia, olive oil) typify the qualities of Spirit-life in the believer.
Biblical anchoring
| Reference | Context |
|---|---|
| Ex. 27:20 | ”Pure olive oil for the lamp, to cause the lamp to burn always” |
| Ex. 30:23-25 | The five ingredients of the holy anointing oil |
| Lev. 8:10-12 | Aaron and his sons anointed with the holy oil |
| Ps. 45:8 | ”Thou lovest righteousness… therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness” |
| Hebr. 1:9 | Christ anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows |
| 1 Joh. 2:20 | ”Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things” |
Typological exposition per author |
George H. Warnock
In Crowned With Oil (ch. 5) Warnock expounds oil as a type of the Holy Spirit through the five ingredients:
“Olive oil is consistently used in the scriptures as a type of the Holy Spirit. But the anointing oil is mingled with all these ingredients we have mentioned, to more clearly portray the attributes of the Spirit of God, whose presence in our lives will give forth the fragrance of Christ.”1
The five ingredients and their typological meaning:
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Pure Myrrh — “bitter”, signifies the suffering and self-denial necessary for true discipleship. Jesus was the “Man of Sorrows”, and His joy sprang from His obedience to the Father.
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Sweet Cinnamon — “to erect/to stand upright”, signifies standing firm in grace. The holy oil causes God’s anointed to remain standing amid the battle.
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Sweet Calamus — a reed growing in the marsh, bends but does not break. Type of meekness that does not break under pressure.
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Cassia — an aromatic wood, type of the imperishable wood of the cross that overcomes death.
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Olive Oil — the base of the anointing oil, type of the Holy Spirit who holds all together and causes it to flow.
Warnock emphasizes that myrrh cannot be omitted — suffering is constitutive of the anointing:
“Jesus suffered, and therefore it is taught that we do not have to suffer. The way of discipleship has been perverted to mean coming under subjection to some minister or some kind of church system. But in spite of all the assurances that they might give us, the way of discipleship is just as demanding today as when Jesus warned: ‘Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be my disciple.‘”2
Oil is not merely a symbol but a type of the Spirit who works specific qualities (myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cassia) in the believer’s life. Where the Spirit dwells, there is the full anointing that rested not only on Jesus (Ps. 45:8; Hebr. 1:9) but is also poured out on His body (1 Joh. 2:20).
Warnock also connects oil to the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1-13) — oil in the vessels is the difference between wisdom and foolishness in the end time:
“There is coming a day of test and of trial for God’s people — in fact we might say it is at the door — a day in which God is going to expose the hearts, and reveal the nakedness and poverty of this Laodicean Church that professes to be rich and to have need of nothing.”3
Related types
- Connected: anointing-oil, myrrh, cinnamon
- Via glossary: anointing, holy-spirit