Have you ever wondered if there is a difference between anointing and anointing oil? Does the Bible use both terms interchangeably as some preachers do? And if you hear your pastor substituting one for the other, does that bother you? Or are you okay with it? There are a whole lot of questions.
And that should be our attitude when we approach God for understanding. He is the answer to all the questions we may ever have. And God is bigger than all our questions combined. This should encourage you to feel confident to bring all your questions – big and small – to God.
We start with definitions – of anointing and of anointing oil. The anointing is the presence of God, to set you apart for His purposes. It is a definition you will not find in the dictionary, which regularly confuses anointing with anointing oil. You will only deduce it from scriptures as you study.
On the other hand, anointing oil is a blend of two parts pure myrrh; one part sweet cinnamon; one part calamus, and two parts of cassia all in olive oil. It was God who taught it to the children of Israel, and they could only use it for anointing. You begin to see that when the bible talks of the anointing, it may not necessarily refer to anointing oil.
Demonstrating The Difference Between Anointing And Anointing Oil
My favorite example to demonstrate this difference is David. There are others but since Christ has made us kings and priests to our God, we choose David the king. Because, after all, we shall reign on earth and show by our lives the anointing of God.
Let us remind ourselves of David’s story. That is, with reference to his understanding of anointing. David was tending sheep in the forest while his big brothers were enjoying at home. If they were like us, they might have been at a prayer meeting or a Holy Ghost Night.
Naturally, they were expectant and the invitation from Samuel to attend a sacrificing party merely heightened their expectations. After all, they were praying to a God who hears prayers. Why shouldn’t the coming of the prophet be the answer to their prayers? Jesse quickly started producing his sons for this great honor that the prophet described.
However, none of these men deserved to have the anointing oil smeared on him. None of them had the real anointing. The only one who was truly anointed was not among the ones eager to have the anointing oil. Samuel asked about the one to whom God had sent him – where was he? Oh, he is in the bush somewhere. Well, we shall not sit down until he gets here.
That, my dear friends, is real anointing. David had the presence of God with him everywhere he went, even in the wilderness. By that, we know that David was anointed by God long before the anointing oil touched him. He was living in the anointing while Samson was not, after he disobeyed God.
The Significance Of This Difference
When God commissioned Isaiah as a prophet, there was no oil anywhere in sight. And yet, because he dwelt in God’s Presence, Isaiah achieved great prophetic feats. We can look at all the prophets through the same prism. Elijah, Elisha, and so on. None of them had oil and yet they did great exploits. God anointed them with His Presence.
You find the foregoing eye-opener extremely interesting, but you fail to see what it has to do with you. A lot, because unless you know there is a difference, you will make one of two mistakes. The first possible error is that when God gives you an assignment, you refuse to proceed. You are waiting until someone smears you with anointing oil.
However, the God who sent you on the assignment is giving His Presence to go with you. It is the same way God gave Moses His Presence when He asked Moses to return to Egypt. Since the Presence of God is the real anointing, Moses had great success with Pharaoh. If Moses was waiting to be anointed with anointing oil, the children of Israel might still be in bondage.
But he knew the difference. He went with the Presence of God, which is real anointing. 
David did not wait for oil before serving God against Goliath and singing to chase evil spirits from King Saul. David was constantly dwelling in the Presence of God. He was anointed and God made him some very powerful promises.
The second mistake is that once somebody in church leadership smears you with oil, you think you have the anointing. You start to function, only to continually fall flat on your face.
The Real Use Of The Anointing Oil
And the reason such people fall flat is that they do not have God with them. They are oily but not anointed. Don’t make either of these mistakes. Begin to appreciate that there is a huge difference. Finally, some pastors, to justify greasing you, equate anointing oil with anointing.
They quote from Isaiah 10:27, “the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” Perhaps they are deliberately manipulating the word of God for their personal agenda. They smear you with oil but the yoke often remains.
Or, else, they are ignorant of this point we are making here. Some versions of the bible seem to have bought into this lie and added the word “oil” to that verse. And now that we know that there is a difference, should we pour our oil away? No. As long as we know that anointing is God-mediated while anointing oil is man-mediated. God prescribed anointing oil for the use of man.
In the New Testament, Paul talked of laying on of hands to signify setting a man apart for God’s work. You do not see anointing oil in the ordination of Timothy. The primary use of anointing oil in the New Testament is on those who are sick. That is regardless of us “anointing inanimate objects such as houses and cars.
The sick must call for the elders, who will then smear them with anointing oil. But note that this action alone will not heal the sick. It is the prayer of the righteous which will heal the sick. I can only hope that you find a righteous man before you use anointing oil. Otherwise, you will be a highly greasy sick person.
Maranatha!
Jesus, the Bread from Heaven