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The incarnated Christ as our offerings before God has resolved for us the problem of our sinful nature and sinful deeds to meet the different aspects of God’s need and our need that both God and we may be satisfied. Furthermore, Christ in His flesh went through the process of death and resurrection to constitute the holy anointing oil and the holy incense with His divine and human elements, the element of His human living on earth, and the element of His death and resurrection that we might belong to God and be acceptable to God. The holy anointing oil typifies the compound Spirit, consummated by the Triune God passing through the processes of incarnation, human living, death, and resurrection, that is, the pneumatic Christ, who is God incarnated and who went through human living, died, and resurrected to anoint the persons and things that belong to God. The holy incense typifies Christ, who was incarnated, died, and resurrected, becoming the divine incense so that all the persons and things that have been anointed by the holy anointing oil and belong to God may be acceptable to God.
Beginning with chapter twenty-five of Exodus, we have a description of the tabernacle and all its furnishings, the clothing and the food of the priests, and the incense altar, the propitiation silver, and the bronze laver. After this, we have the holy anointing oil. The compounded ointment was used to anoint the tabernacle with all its furnishings and the ministering priests, that all these things and persons could be sanctified. This ointment signifies God, who is triune, after a long process becoming the all-inclusive compound Spirit to reach His chosen and redeemed people to be one with them.
According to the record in Exodus 30:22-25, the ingredients of the holy anointing oil are of two categories: the spices and the olive oil. The spices include four kinds: myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia. In typology, each of the ingredients has its significance.
Myrrh comes from an aromatic tree, the juice of which may be used to reduce the suffering of death (cf. Mark 15:23). In the Bible myrrh is used mostly for burial (Gen. 50:26; John 19:39). Flowing myrrh, smelling sweet but tasting bitter, signifies the precious death of Christ. The crucified Christ tasted death on our behalf (Heb. 2:9) to take away the pain of death.
Cinnamon has a distinctive flavor and can also be used to stimulate the heart. Fragrant cinnamon signifies the sweetness and effectiveness of Christ’s death for our healing and encouragement.
Calamus is a kind of reed. It grows in a marsh but is able to shoot up into the air. Hence, calamus signifies the resurrection of Christ. Christ was put into a place of death, but in resurrection He rose up and stood up.
Cassia and cinnamon belong to the same family. Cinnamon is from the inner part of the bark, and cassia, from the outer part of the bark. In ancient times cassia was used as a repellent to drive away insects, snakes, and scorpions. Hence, cassia signifies the power and the effectiveness of Christ’s resurrection for us to overcome the demons and all negative things.
In the Bible olive oil signifies the Spirit of God. One hin of olive oil is the basic element of the ointment, signifying that the unique God is the base of the compound Spirit. The four spices—flowing myrrh, fragrant cinnamon, calamus, and cassia—are compounded into the olive oil to be blended, mingled, and combined together to make the ointment. This indicates that the Spirit of God, signified by the olive oil, became the compound Spirit, signified by the holy anointing ointment, through the process of Christ’s death and resurrection. Before Jesus’ death and resurrection, the compound Spirit was not yet; it was after Christ’s glorification at His resurrection that the compound Spirit was consummated (John 7:39).
In this compound ointment there are the numbers four and one. The four spices signify humanity in God’s creation, and the one hin of olive oil signifies divinity in the Godhead. This indicates that in the compounded Spirit, signified by the holy ointment, there are the elements of divinity, humanity, Christ’s death with its effectiveness, and Christ’s resurrection with its power. All these elements are blended in the compound Spirit.
In addition, the measures of the four spices are rich in spiritual significance. Five hundred shekels of myrrh signify one unit of full responsibility. Two hundred fifty shekels of cinnamon and two hundred fifty shekels of calamus together form one unit, signifying that the Second of the Divine Trinity was split through death. Five hundred shekels of cassia also signify one unit of full responsibility. The first unit signifies the Father; the second unit, the Son, who was split on the cross; and the third unit, the Spirit. Hence, the three units of measure of the four spices signify the Triune God. Three units of four spices, each unit being of five hundred shekels, signify the Triune God in resurrection mingled with humanity to bear the full responsibility (signified by the number five).
The function of the holy anointing oil is to sanctify the things of God and the men of God, separating them from anything common and making them most holy for God’s service, that they might be joined to the processed Triune God and become one with Him. Exodus 30:29-30 says: “Thus you shall sanctify them that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons and sanctify them that they may serve Me as priests.” Whoever or whatever was anointed was sanctified, set apart. The ointment became a mark separating them from anything common that they might be unto God and be joined to God.
First John 2:20-27 reveals that this ointment, which typifies the compound Spirit, has its function in the believers. This ointment is constantly anointing us. That is, the indwelling compound Spirit moves and operates in us continually to transmit the divine elements—Jesus, Christ, the Father, the Son, and the eternal life—into us that we may know the reality of the Divine Trinity and enjoy the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19). Thus, we are mingled with the Triune God as one and are sanctified for the building of God’s habitation and the service of the priesthood.
In Exodus 30, after the record concerning the holy anointing oil, there is the description of the holy incense (vv. 34-38). The anointing oil reveals how God comes to us in Christ and with Christ, whereas the holy incense signifies how we go to God in Christ and with Christ. This is a divine two-way traffic: through the holy anointing oil Christ coming to us from God and with God for us to enjoy, and with the incense Christ going to God with us for God’s satisfaction.
Both the holy anointing oil and the holy incense are portraits of the Triune God. In the holy anointing oil and the holy incense we see divinity, humanity, the mingling of divinity with humanity, and Christ’s death and resurrection.
The holy anointing oil is composed of three spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum—and pure frankincense. The first three form one group, while the last one is in a category by itself. Hence, here we have three plus one, which equals four. Three is the number of the Triune God, and four, the number of the creature, the human being. This means that the Triune God becomes a human being, bringing divinity into humanity.
The first of the fragrant spices is stacte. It is a resinous gum used as the purest myrrh, a myrrh that is edible. Hence, stacte signifies the sweet death of Christ. Christ died on the cross and poured forth His human life that He might bring the fallen sinners to God. Furthermore, stacte as a plant signifies Christ’s generating life. Through His death He produced the sons of God.
Onycha is the shell of a little animal, a shell that is good for medicine and is also used as a spice. This signifies that Christ with His redemptive life died for sinners. Through His death on the cross Christ released His redemptive life for sinners.
Galbanum is also a resinous gum. Its odor is exceedingly strong, unpleasant, and offensive. It has three strange functions. First, it strengthens the fragrance of the other spices; second, it causes the fragrance of the incense to remain and endure; and third, it functions as a repellent to repel and expel noxious insects and poisonous reptiles and snakes. This indicates that the death of Christ not only strengthens and preserves the other elements but also has the power to expel the evil Satan and the demons.
All three spices that constituted the holy incense signify the death of Christ. Through His death Christ redeemed the fallen sinners, produced the sons of God, and expelled the old serpent, the devil.
Frankincense is a white resinous gum signifying the sweet resurrection of Christ. Hence, following our experience of Christ’s death, we also need the experience of His resurrection.
Exodus 30:34 says that “there shall be an equal part of each.” This means that there was to be an equal proportion of each of the four basic elements. This signifies that all the attributes of Christ’s death and resurrection are even. Hence, we need an equal portion of the Lord’s death and resurrection.
Besides these four elements, there is salt. Exodus 30:35 says: “And you shall make of it incense, a perfume according to the perfumer’s art, seasoned with salt, pure, and holy.” Salt here signifies the cross of Christ, that is, His killing death. In salt there is corruption-killing power, and it also functions as a preservative (Lev. 2:13). This signifies that Christ’s death has the killing power and the preserving power. With the holy ointment the tempering element is oil, but with the holy incense the tempering element is salt, which causes the incense to become pure. This means that God’s coming to us is a matter of our being oiled, but our going to God is a matter of our being salted. This is because with God there is nothing unclean. He comes to us from a pure source. However, our source is full of uncleanness. Therefore, our going to God requires salt, that is, the cross of Christ, that we may become holy and pure.
Exodus 30:36 says: “And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you; it shall be to you most holy.” The grinding of the incense and putting it before the testimony in the tent of meeting signifies that Christ’s sweet death and His fragrant resurrection are blended and offered to God as a base for the intercession of Christ and His members.
In both the Old Testament and the New Testament incense signifies our prayer (Psa. 141:2; Rev. 5:8). This kind of prayer, which is actually Christ, is our ascending to God through Christ and with Christ. This is a sweet-smelling fragrance to God. In the Old Testament, before the serving priests entered the tabernacle, they were required to come to the altar in the outer court to be cleansed and nourished. Then they were qualified to enter the tabernacle and come to the table of the bread of the Presence to receive a further supply of life. After this, they came to the lampstand to receive light. This light guided them to the ark, where they could contact God. God’s presence then led them to the golden incense altar, the place of prayer. So also it is in our experience. We begin from the bronze altar, the cross of Christ, and eventually we come into God’s presence. The outcome is prayer that is Christ ascending to God as incense for God’s acceptance.
For the two-way traffic between the Triune God and us, we need the anointing of the holy ointment, and we also need the burning of the holy incense. God anoints us with the holy ointment, and we offer the holy incense to God. Thus, God sanctifies us with the holy ointment that we may enjoy the compound Spirit, and we satisfy God with our prayer, the holy incense, and carry out God’s administration.
The holy anointing oil and the holy incense reveal a divine two-way traffic: through the holy anointing oil Christ coming to us from God and with God for us to enjoy, and with the incense Christ going to God with us for God’s satisfaction. The holy ointment was made by the compounding together of flowing myrrh, fragrant cinnamon, calamus, cassia, and olive oil. Flowing myrrh signifies the precious death of Christ, fragrant cinnamon signifies the sweetness and effectiveness of Christ’s death, calamus signifies the resurrection of Christ, cassia signifies the power and effectiveness of Christ’s resurrection, and olive oil signifies the Spirit of God. Furthermore, in this compound ointment there are the numbers four and one, signifying humanity and divinity. This indicates that in the holy ointment, which typifies the compound Spirit, consummated by the Triune God passing through the processes of incarnation, human living, death, and resurrection, there are the elements of divinity, humanity, Christ’s death and its effectiveness, and Christ’s resurrection and its power. This compound Spirit anoints, moves, and operates in the believers to transmit His divine elements into them that they may be joined with the Triune God as one and sanctified for the building of God’s habitation and the service of the priesthood.
The holy incense was made with three spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum—and pure frankincense plus salt. The three spices signify that Christ’s death not only redeemed the fallen sinners but also produced the sons of God and expelled the evil Satan and the demons. Frankincense signifies Christ’s resurrection. Salt signifies that the cross of Christ has the killing power and the preserving power that incense may become pure incense. This indicates that the holy incense signifies the incarnated Christ, who passed through death and was resurrected to become the divine incense. His sweet death and His fragrant resurrection are blended and offered to God as a base for the intercession of Christ and His members, so that all who are anointed by the compound Spirit and separated unto God may be accepted by God.
