Exodus 30:22-33: a reflection

22Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Also take fine spices: of liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels; and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty; and of fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty; 24and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hin of olive oil. 25You shall make it into a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26You shall use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant, 27the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense, 28the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its base. 29You shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy. 30You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office. 31You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations. 32It shall not be poured on man’s flesh, and do not make any like it, according to its composition. It is holy. It shall be holy to you. 33Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.’”

God gives Moses the recipe for a special anointing oil, a fragrant blend of myrrh, cinnamon, cane, cassia, and olive oil, and this oil had a sacred purpose: with it, the tabernacle, its furnishings, and the priests were to be anointed and consecrated, set apart as holy to God. Whatever the oil touched became holy. And God commanded that this oil was not to be made for common use or duplicated for ordinary purposes; it was holy, reserved for consecrating what belonged to God.

Notice the purpose of the anointing oil: to consecrate, to set apart as holy. What the oil touched was no longer common but holy, set apart for God's purposes. The oil marked the distinction between the holy and the common, consecrating people and things to God, dedicating them to his service, marking them as his. It was a tangible sign of being set apart, anointed, for God.

That idea of being set apart, consecrated, anointed for God, carries forward to us. In the New Testament, believers are said to be anointed, set apart by the Spirit, consecrated to God, made holy, no longer common but belonging to him. We too are set apart for God's purposes, marked as his, dedicated to his service. Do not think of yourself as merely common. If you belong to Christ, you have been set apart, anointed by the Spirit, consecrated to God, made holy, and marked as his. Live, then, as one set apart for God, not conformed to the common ways of the world, but dedicated to him whose you are. You have been consecrated, anointed, made holy; live as one set apart for the God who claimed you.

Lord, you gave Moses a holy anointing oil to consecrate the tabernacle and the priests, setting them apart as holy to you, no longer common but yours. Thank you that the same idea of being set apart carries forward to me: that in Christ I am anointed by your Spirit, consecrated to you, made holy, no longer common but belonging to you. Help me not to think of myself as merely common. I have been set apart for your purposes, marked as yours, dedicated to your service. Help me live as one set apart for you, not conformed to the common ways of the world, but dedicated to you whose I am. You have consecrated, anointed, and made me holy; help me live as one set apart for the God who claimed me. Let my life reflect that I am yours.