In Exodus 30:22-25, Moses was told to take four of the finest spices—myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia—and add them to a hin of olive oil to make a holy anointing oil. Verses 25 and 26 say, “It shall be an holy anointing oil. And thou shalt anoint the tent of meeting therewith” (Heb.). All the furnishings and utensils in the tabernacle were to be anointed with this holy anointing oil (vv. 26-29). Whoever touched these anointed furnishings and utensils would be made holy (v. 29). Furthermore, Moses was told to anoint Aaron and his sons so that they might minister to the Lord as priests (v. 30). In this chapter is the source of the word “anointing” used by John.
This anointing oil is a compound of five elements. The basic element is the olive oil. All Bible scholars agree that, in typology, olive oil signifies the Spirit of God. In the original olive oil there were no spices; it was purely oil with nothing compounded into it. This indicates that the Spirit of God was merely, purely, and singly the Spirit of God and that nothing yet had been added to it. But Moses was told to add four spices to the olive oil. This indicates that some things have been added into the Spirit of God. After the Spirit of God had been thus compounded, it was no longer merely or singly the Spirit of God. Four elements, represented by the four spices, have been added into the unique Spirit of God. This means that something of God’s creature—signified by the number four—has been added into the Spirit of God. Something of God’s creature has been compounded into God the Spirit.
Four items were compounded into the one olive oil. The number one always denotes the unique God, and the number four symbolizes God’s creature. Thus, this oil compound signifies that humanity, God’s creature, has been compounded into God to make the number five. The number five signifies responsibility. Consider the four fingers and thumb on your hand. Why do you have four fingers and a thumb? You have them for bearing responsibility. The four fingers signify humanity, and the thumb signifies the unique God. The four fingers need the thumb, and the thumb needs the four fingers. Likewise, we need God and God needs us. We may tell Him, “O Lord God, without us, You are lacking something.” And, of course, without Him, we are lacking. How we creatures need God! When we have Him, we have four plus one.
The amount of myrrh was five hundred shekels (v. 23). The number five hundred is composed of one hundred times five. Both the cinnamon and the calamus, however, are two hundred and fifty shekels in amount, and cassia, like myrrh, is five hundred shekels. The cinnamon and the calamus, each being only half a unit, together make a complete unit. Therefore, these four spices are actually three units. In Biblical numbers, three signifies the Triune God. Among the Triune God, the second was split on the cross. Here we have three times a hundred multiplied by five. This indicates intensified responsibility.
In the Bible, myrrh signifies the sweetness of the death of Christ. It is a symbol of the precious, lovable death of Christ. Unlike the death of any other human being, the death of the Lord Jesus is lovable and sweet. But, as the myrrh signifies, the sweetness of His death comes out of His suffering.
What does cinnamon signify? Cinnamon is a spice that gives a sweet savor to cooked food. Thus, cinnamon is the sweet flavor of the effectiveness of the Lord’s death. Myrrh is the sweet death, and cinnamon is the death used as a spice. Cinnamon is added to our “cooking,” that is, to our life. If in our daily life and walk we do not have the Lord’s death added in, it will be bitter. There will be no flavor to our daily living. If the flavor of the Lord’s death is not added to our living, our conversation with our wives or with the brothers and sisters will be bitter. We need cinnamon, the flavor of the Lord’s death.
Calamus is a reed that sprouts out of the mud into the air. Undoubtedly, this signifies the Lord’s resurrection. Thus, we have the sweetness of the Lord’s death and the flavor of His resurrection. In whatever we do and say in our daily living, we must have the flavor of the Lord’s death and the sweetness of His resurrection added to it.
Cassia signifies the flavor of the power of the Lord’s resurrection. The power of the Lord’s resurrection is also added into the Holy Spirit. All these four elements have been compounded with the Holy Spirit. Hence, the Holy Spirit today is not the mere single Spirit; He is now a compound of divinity and other elements compounded together as one unit.