Oil Part 25

Mark 14:3-9 NKJV

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. 4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.

But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

A woman ministered to Jesus with expensive oil. Foolish disciples complained that it was a waste. Jesus said the woman had done a good work for Him and would be remembered always for what she did.

Spiritual parallel: Jesus provided us with the oil of the Holy Spirit and the anointing. It was very costly. He had to suffer tremendously and give up His life for our redemption, and for us to enjoy the ministry of the Holy Spirit. How will we see what He has done? Will it be a waste for us, or will we treasure it and show our gratitude? How can we show our gratitude to someone who gave us an expensive gift? First, we receive it with gratitude. Then we use it and maintain it properly. We treasure what we have received and do our best to make sure the gift was not given in vain.

Oil Part 24

Mark 6:13 NKJV

And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

The disciples of Christ were dispatched to minister on His behalf. They used oil as they brought healing to the sick. Since oil is a representative of the Holy Spirit and the anointing, we know that the Holy Spirit and the anointing are involved with healing.

1 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV: "to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,"

So as we fellowship and commune with the Holy Spirit, we should be conscious of who and what we have in our presence.

Oil Part 23

Matthew 25:3-4 NKJV

Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Jesus told a story to illustrate the importance of having more than just enough to get by. The story describes women with oil in their lamps. Five had extra oil in a vessel and five had oil only in their lamps. When an alert came and the women had to move quickly, those with extra were prepared, while the others ran out and had to go purchase more. While the foolish women went to the store, they ran out of time and missed the important event they were waiting for.

Spiritual parallel: We can't afford to live our lives with just enough to function spiritually. We must endeavor to get more than the minimum daily requirement, because we do not know when we will be unable to get supplies. We may need the anointing and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit at a time when we have not been able to do what we normally do to stir up the gift within us. If we practice getting an overflow in the good times, we can be sustained through the dry times. Instead of drinking just until we feel good, we need to become intoxicated as often as we can so we can get extra oil. Oil in the lamp represents what we need to survive. Oil in the vessel represents extra to carry us over if we run low before we can refill. If we have to use the reserve for our lamps, it's time to fill the vessels again and replenish our reserves.

Oil Part 22

Haggai 1:7-11 NKJV

Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified," says the LORD. "You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?" says the LORD of hosts. "Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands."

God's people were told that sustenance was being withheld from them because of their neglect of God's house - the Old Testament temple. Their priorities were in the wrong place and they could not expect God to continue to meet their needs while they ignored His. They had a covenant relationship which meant reciprocal action. God said He was withholding rain, grain, wine and oil until they corrected their behavior.

Spiritual parallel: We need spiritual sustenance from God which includes oil - the anointing and the Holy Spirit. If we begin to neglect our Father and begin detaching ourselves from the Source of our total supply, we have no way of avoiding spiritual drought. If we go off on our own and cease waiting on the Lord - ministering to His needs and giving attention and priority to what He wants, we will find ourselves struggling, and failing to avoid dryness. We must regain and maintain our position as a waiter for God, paying attention at all times to His needs and desires. Jesus taught us to make the Kingdom business a priority and all our natural needs will be met. In the same way, when we make the needs of our Lord priority, our spiritual needs will be met.

Matthew 6:33 NKJV

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

James 4:8a NKJV

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Psalm 63:1-4 NKJV

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.  So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

Oil Part 21

Ezekiel 46:14 NKJV

And you shall prepare a grain offering with it every morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This grain offering is a perpetual ordinance, to be made regularly to the LORD.

Whenever the grain offering was presented to the Lord, it included oil.

Spiritual parallel: God does not want dry praise and worship.

John 4:23-24 NKJV

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

We need to go to our spirits and lift up our praise and worship with the aid of the anointing that lives in us. We must focus on lifting up before the Lord our hearts (spirits), not our heads. When we lift up our voices, we should connect our mouths to our spirits and not our heads.

1 Corinthians 14:15 NKJV

What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

As the oil prevented the grain offering from being dry, adding the spirit prevents our worship from being dry. We need to offer spiritual, not natural worship.

Oil, Part 20

Ezekiel 16:9 NKJV
"Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil."

The Lord used an example of a person that needed to be washed and ministered to as He described what He did for the Jews. After the woman in the story was washed with water, He anointed her with oil. Water can cleanse but it can leave the skin feeling dry.The anointing with oil after washing is like a finishing touch. It is soothing and refreshing.
Spiritual parallel: After we receive cleansing from whatever dirt or filth that was attached to us as a result of worldly contamination, we need to hang around for the Holy Spirit to anoint us. We need to receive God's love until we feel no dryness. After we are forgiven and cleansed, our enemy or our own minds can cause us to feel dry - undeserving of God's love. So we cannot stop with the washing. We must stay in God's presence for the finishing touch - the oil of the Holy Spirit's anointing.