Anointing Oil

While today people who receive prayer in Christian churches may be anointed with common olive oil, in the Old Testament specific recipes were used to create anointing oil. Myrrh, cinnamon, cane, cassia and olive oil were the ingredients found anointing oil. According to the Bible, it was God who gave Moses the ingredients and commanded that this particular blend was to be considered sacred. The oil could only be applied to the items in the temple and to the priests of God. No one was to copy the formula to wear as a perfume or as fragrance.

Application

The anointing oil was applied to certain items that were used in the Israeli tabernacle and later the temple. Some of the items were the Ark of the Covenant, the sacrificial altar, the lamp stands, the altar of incense, all the utensils and the bathing basin. These items were covered with the oil and then polished to a shine. Most of the aforementioned items were either made of gold, silver or brass. The oil of anointing was also applied by way of a censer or just sprinkled by the priest. The application of anointing oil to these items was commanded by God to ordain them as holy to him.

Aaronic Anointing

The first anointing of people described in the Bible was the anointing applied to the priests by the application of the oil. The first high priest of the temple was Aaron, the brother of Moses. Aaron and his sons were anointed with the special oil that had been designed by God. This tradition continued for generation after generation in the priesthood. The application of the anointing to Aaron and his family is described in great detail in the Old Testament book of Leviticus, beginning in chapter eight. The oil was poured on top of the head of the priest and allowed to flow until it reached the hem of the robe.

Davidic Anointing

The Israelites had chosen Saul to be king over their nation. After a time, Saul displeased God by his disobedient actions. God chose David, a shepherd boy to become the ruler of Israel. He was anointed as king by the prophet Samuel. The Old Testament describes this event in the first book of Samuel in chapter sixteen. God sent Samuel in search of the new king amongst the sons of Jesse. Jesse had eight sons of whom the shepherd boy, David was the youngest. David was anointed with oil by the prophet and told that one day he would be king over the nation. This is called the Davidic anointing.

Anointing for the Sick

The Bible also tells Christian believers that the sick among them can be prayed for and anointed with oil to receive healing. The New Testament book of James details this procedure. The elders of the church pray over the sick person, applying the anointing oil to the sick in the name of the Lord Jesus. As they do this, the sick person will be forgiven of any sins he's committed and healed of his ailment. The anointing is also used to break the yoke of addictions and bondage from off the soul of a person.