By Helene Rudolph
Fragrance’s Purpose and Role
My desire is for you to find and discern with joy in the emotions of your spirit, the “fragrances of God” which are to emanate from your own life.
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ….” (II Cor. 2:14 -15a)
For the Bride of Messiah, it is not enough to be clean and clothed in righteousness only; but also to be fragrant. We saw in our opening verse that the knowledge of Yeshua (Jesus) is fragrant.
Paul states in Phil 3:10, “…that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.”
This knowledge is thus perfumed with the varied scents of dying to self and the glories of resurrection life.
Anointing releases fragrance
Ancient perfumes were oil based, therefore in order to smell good one needed to be anointed. With the “lubricating oil” of the Holy Spirit upon our lives, we can do all things with divine ease for His glory and also be “fragrant”.
Look at the advice that Naomi gave to her daughter-in-law in Ruth 3″1b-3a, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? And now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were. Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. “Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your (best) clothes, and go down to the threshing floor….”
The priesthood of old had the same instructions namely to be washed, clothed and anointed. (See Exodus 29:4-7).
Even the spiritual discipline of fasting reiterates the same sentiments. “And whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites (do), for they neglect their appearance in order to be seen fasting by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face so that you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” (Matt. 6:16-18)
As important as these elements are for physical attraction, likewise they are profoundly important for spiritual attraction.
God’s commandments release fragrance
The Hebrew Sages and rabbis compared the fragrance of scented oils, to the sweetness of the commandments. Since Abraham was the father of the faith, and was called a father of many nations, his knowledge of God perfumed the worlds.
The rabbis wondered why God commanded Abraham to leave his birthplace, the city of Ur in Mesopotamia, to travel to an unknown place of promise. They reasoned that just as a corked perfume can only release its fragrance when opened and moved, Abraham could not share his goodness while he lived quietly in Ur. It was only while traveling from place to place that he could share his wisdom and generosity with the world. As perfume spreads its fragrance, so Abraham diffused the scent of his teachings and knowledge of the one and only true God everywhere he went.
“Oil and perfume make the heart glad, so a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.” (Prov. 27:9)
Figuratively, smell has to do with discernment.
II Cor. 2:15-16a continues “…we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life”.
“But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil”. (Heb. 5:14)
With all this said, let’s dive into the hidden wonders in the “world of oil and fragrance and smell”.
Humans recall smells
Science revealed that “the average human being is able to recognize approximately ten thousand different odors. People recall smells with 65% accuracy after a year, while the visual recall of photos sings to about 50% after only three months.
Our odor memories frequently have strong emotional qualities and are associated with the good or bad experiences. Olfaction (the sense of smell) is handled by the same part of the brain (the limbic system) that handles memories and emotions. – Sense of Smell Institute.”
Understanding the distinctions among fragrances will enhance our fellowship with the LORD, intimacy, and preparation. Each fragrance is significant from its name and origin of state – whether a leaf, a flower, root, bark, resin, etc. Let us then start with olive oil, the base ingredient of our perfumes and that of the Holy Anointing Oil.
Olive Oil is life-giving
The Hebrew for olive oil is ‘shemen’ – oil; ‘zayit’ – olive (as yielding illuminating oil). Olive oil has many life-giving properties. It was the fuel for light in lamps and used for cooking, beautification, medicinal and religious purposes for millennia. The word Anoint is “Maschach” in Hebrew and means “to smear over”. “Mashach” is related to “Moshiach” or Messiah, the name by which our Savior is known.
“Your oils have a pleasing fragrance, your name is (like) purified oil; therefore the maidens love you.” (Song 1:3)
The name of our Savior is a sweet smelling anointing oil, with all the life-giving properties of light, sustenance, beautification and healing. The Names of God reveal the different ways He desires to interact with us and results in our lives being perfumed intimately.
Crushing produces oil
During ancient times, the way olive oil was produced was by crushing the olives under large stone wheels. The pulp was then collected in special baskets and placed under heavy stone weights.
Olives underwent four pressing and with each successive press another stone was added to increase the pressure, in order for more oil to flow. Once firmly pressed, oil flowed and seeped through the baskets into collecting vats while the pulp stayed behind.
Only the oil from the first pressing, known as pure virgin oil, was devoted to God. The oil from the second pressing was used for cooking, third pressing for lamps and fourth pressing for soap and medicine.
“Gat Shmanim”, the Hebrew for an olive press, is known to us as Gethsemane, the place where our Messiah wrestled in agony and where His soul and His own will were crushed, so that redemption could come to us. The lesson we learn is this: the more pressure we are put under, the more necessary it becomes for the anointing to flow from us. One of Joyce Meyers’ sayings is that “Pressures in life can make us either bitter or better.” When our approach in adverse situations is correct, God’s anointing is right there with us.
Like David we can then say: “Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou has anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:5)
Anointing oil is precious
Abundant oil was figurative of general prosperity and nourishment from God.
“There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise…” (Prov. 21:20a)
“…He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag…” (Deut. 32:13b)
In Eccl. 9:8 we are instructed, “Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil.”
Oil, still has a prominent part in praying for healing of the sick today. We are advised by James, brother of Yeshua (Jesus);
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the LORD; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the LORD will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.” (James 5:14-15)
Principles taught by Yeshua (Jesus) were to be put into practice by His disciples.
“And they went out and preached that (men) should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.” (Mark 6:12-13)
Unity inside the family of God is likened to the precious holy anointing oil, poured abundantly on Aaron the high priest. Where there is disunity, there is also a lack of, or a stop in the flow of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 133:1-3 rings forth, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down the beard, (even) Aaron’s beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, coming down upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing – life forever.”
(To read a great article on Olive Oil by Dr. James Fleming @ http://www.bridgesforpeace.com )
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Helene Rudolph lives with her Jewish husband Ariel, in Israel. They emigrated from South Africa and have two daughters. Helene teaches and ministers to women about the preparation of the Bride of Messiah. She also produces anointing oils at home, in the city of Modi’in where has she her small business.