Third, not one of today’s theologies stresses adequately the critical point concerning the compound Spirit typified by the anointing ointment (a compound of one hin of olive oil with four kinds of spices and their effectiveness) in Exodus 30:23-25. The life-giving Spirit is not simple but is a Spirit that has been compounded. The last Adam was a man, and the life-giving Spirit is divine. Thus, this Spirit must be a Spirit with two natures-the human nature and the divine nature. These two natures have not only been mingled but have been compounded, as indicated by the type in Exodus 30:23-25, which records God’s instructions for forming the anointing ointment.
This ointment was not a single element but a compound. A single element cannot be an ointment. The anointing ointment in Exodus 30 was a compound of one main item-a hin of olive oil-compounded with four kinds of spices: myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia. In typology, oil signifies the Spirit of God. Flowing myrrh signifies Christ’s death, and cinnamon signifies the sweetness and effectiveness of His death. Calamus, a reed that grows in a marsh or muddy place, shooting upward toward the sky, signifies resurrection. Cassia signifies the repelling power and effectiveness of Christ’s resurrection. Cassia is a kind of bark that was used as a repellent to repel snakes and insects. Thus, cassia signifies the power, especially the repelling power, of Christ’s resurrection. His resurrection has the power to repel Satan, the serpent. These four spices were compounded with the one hin of olive oil to become one ointment of five elements.
With this compound ointment we have the number one (one hin of olive oil) signifying the one God and the number four (four spices) signifying man as God’s creature. We also have the number three, seen in the fact that the quantity of the spices involved three units, each of five hundred shekels: myrrh-five hundred shekels; cinnamon-two hundred fifty shekels; calamus-two hundred fifty shekels; and cassia-five hundred shekels. Hence, the amount of the spices consisted of three units of five hundred shekels, or five hundred shekels times three. The number three signifies the Triune God. Here we should note the second unit of five hundred shekels was split into two parts (typifying Christ, the middle of the Divine Trinity, who was wounded on the cross), each of two hundred fifty shekels. In the Bible two is the number of testimony. Furthermore, with this compound ointment we have the number five, formed by adding the one hin of olive oil and the four spices. The number five is seen also in the five hundred shekels. In the Bible five signifies responsibility. For example, the Ten Commandments were written on two tablets, with five commandments on each tablet. In Matthew 25 the ten virgins are divided into two groups consisting of the five wise ones and the five foolish ones. From all the foregoing we see that the numbers one, two, three, four, and five are all used in the type of the compound ointment in Exodus 30.
This Old Testament type, which actually was a kind of prophecy, must have a New Testament fulfillment. The type of the anointing ointment was completely fulfilled in the life-giving Spirit, which was produced in Christ’s resurrection. The life-giving Spirit, who the last Adam became, contains Christ’s divinity, His humanity, the sweetness and effectiveness of His death, and the power and effectiveness of His resurrection. The life-giving Spirit is therefore the compound Spirit typified by the anointing ointment in the Old Testament.
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