The primary purpose of the anointing in both the Old and New Testaments was to separate things and people and make them acceptable to God (and occasionally for kings). Unfortunately, we tend to prostitute the anointing because we want to smell good for everybody else.
According to the second chapter of the Book of Esther, after the wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia refused to show herself to his drunken banquet guests, he launched a kingdom-vnde search for a new queen. A Jewish maiden named Esther was selected to be one of the candidates for the king's harem.
Esther spent six months soaking in oil of myrrh and six more months soaking in other added sweet odors to purify and prepare her for one night with the king. All but one of the candidates would see the king once and rarely if ever see him again. The Bible says, "And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace andfQvour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen..." (Esther 2:17).
Esther also "obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her" (Esther 2:15). Can you imagine what Esther smelled like after spending a year soaking in the anointing oil? It was on her garments and embedded in her skin and hair. Everywhere she walked she left a cloud of incense, and the smell of precious myrrh was on her. When she walked through the palace, every man in the place raised his eyebrows at her and said, "Oh, look! Look at Esther:
I don't think Esther returned a single glance or flirtatious wink. She didn't want to waste all the time she had spent in the anointing just to win the approval of men; she was qfter the approval of the king himself. Can we say the same for the Church, the Bride of Christ? We have grown accustomed to wearing God's anointing to win the approval of the King's court instead of the King Himself. In Moses' day, the anointing was reserved for the things of God and sanctified or set apart flesh. To anoint anything else was sin. Too many people would squander the anointing on unsanctified, unrepentant flesh to win man's approval. The anointing can only make putr0edJlesh smell better temporarily (if the root is a rotten and unrepentant, proud heart.
If you are a preacher, a teacher, a worship leader, or hold any position of responsibility in the local body, don't waste God's precious anointing by running after man's approval. Use it to prepare the Bride for the King.
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is to bring God and man together in holy communion. Moses knew the difference between the anointing and the glory. He had the anointing of God. He knew the thrill Of working miracles and signs and wonders through the anointing Moses had a good thing, but he asked God for the best thing. He said, "Please, show me Your glory" (Ex. 33: 18 NKJV).
I must admit, i feel the same way Moses did (although i won't compare my ministry to his). The evidence of God's power in the anointing isn't enough anymore• The gifts, blessings, and provisions of His hands are appreciated, but I want more. want Him. I long to see His glory and dwell in His manifest presence more than i long for the blessings of his hands.
Like Moses, we have an opportunity to go beyond God's omnipresence and anointing to see God's glory. Our spirits were instantly transformed into new creations at salvation, but we still need to do something about our sin-tainted bodies and messy souls before God can expose us to His shining glory. The blood of Jesus covers our sin and preserves us from death, but that doesn't mean we are particularly attractive to God apart from the fragrant covering cloud of repentant, broken worship.