For we are the aroma of Messiah to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
There is a fragrance reserved for the anointing of the holy. It is a fragrant scent distinguishing the consecrated from the profane (Exodus 29:7; 30:22-33). As a man distinguishes his wife’s perfume personalized by her own scent, it is a sign for all to recognize what has been consecrated to God.
This oil has a special name. It is called: ‘Shemen HaMashiach’: ‘The Anointing Oil’. “Mashiach’ in Hebrew simply means ‘anointed one’, and the use of this oil was reserved to anoint the offices that required it such as priest, king and prophet. Only three people were known to carry the three offices: Moses, King David, and Yeshua. There is a decree of banishment for whoever replicates this oil or pours it on a common person (Exodus 30:31-33).
In Exodus it is spoken of this fragrance in sacrificial terms, but in the Song of Songs it appears in a lover’s language. ‘Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine; your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins love you (Song of Songs 1:3)’. The Torah’s fragrant oil is the ‘Shemen HaMashiach’; ‘oil poured out’ speaks of someone being anointed; the context of the song is about King Solomon’s kingship, the son of King David. This verse therefore from the Song of Song alludes to the future coming One, the Messianic King who will be known as: The Messiah, or ‘The Anointed One’.
The Apostolic Scriptures take up the theme of the Anointing Oil in the following terms: But thanks be to God, who in Messiah always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Messiah to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing (2 Corinthians 2:14-15). Through Moses God promised that Israel will become a nation of priests. As the Levites are the priesthood for Israel, Israel is the priesthood for the world. About fifteen hundred years later Galilean Jewish fisherman Peter tells the mixed (Jews and Gentiles) congregation of Messiah that they are a royal priesthood (Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9).
As a nation of priests dedicated unto God we are now carriers of the holy scented oil. May our lives truly exhale His fragrance in every case and every situation we meet throughout the day lest we profane the Spirit which has been vested in us.