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).