Exodus 28:41

And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.

Exodus 40:9

Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy.

Leviticus 8:12

And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.

1 Samuel 16:13

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.

James 5:14

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.

Mark 6:13

13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. 

Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;

Acts 10:38

You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22

And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Hebrews 1:9

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.

Psalm 133

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments. 

There are more than 200 times that oil is mentioned in the bible. But in most instances, the mention of oil has to do with either consecration, healing, the Holy Spirit, or reconciliation. Early in the Old Testament writings, we see where God instructs the usage of oil for ceremonies of consecration. 

First, oil is used to consecrate or to make holy those who were to be used in the service of the Lord. So we read in Exodus 28:41

And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. Anoint them, ordain them and consecrate them to serve me. Oil was used to consecrate people whom God had chosen. 

But oil was not only used to consecrate people to serve God but to also consecrate things used in the service of God.

Exodus 40:9 Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy. Oil is used to make the things of God holy, consecrated, and set-aside for special usage.

We see this when David was chosen to be Israel’s king in 1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; So oil was a visible sign of God’s selection.

But secondly, oil represents the Anointing of the Holy Spirit. I know that we tend to think about a dove or fire when we think of the Holy Spirit. But biblically, oil represents the presence and the power of God’s Holy Spirit. The bible often times uses the language of anointing when talking about the Holy Spirit. The book of Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me.

Acts 10:38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

The language of anointing in reference to the Holy Spirit carries the imagery of oil. The psalmist declares, “He anoints my head with oil”. Jesus is called the Messiah which is literally translated , the Anointed One. Jesus reads from Isaiah’s prophecy saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Because he has anointed me to preach the good news.” Jesus is the anointed one of God.

Certainly, we see oil used in scripture in moments of healing of the sick. Mark 6:13 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

And we have specific instructions from the apostle James to include the anointing of oil while praying for the sick in James 5:14 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.

But in Psalm 133 we see oil being used as a picture for unity. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments.

The psalmist says that unity is good and pleasant. The restoration and reconciliation of relationships is good and pleasant. Forgiveness is good and pleasant. Making amends and moving past the past is good and pleasant. Letting go of the need to be right so that unity can be restored is good and pleasant. Peace in your house and in your heart for those who make up your family - that’s good and pleasant. And as believers, we need to live in peace. That’s what the writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 12:14 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (ESV)

You see, we cannot just focus on establishing sanctuary and deepening our worship of God while neglecting our relationship with one another. Unity is good and pleasant and something for which we all must strive in our relationships. And then the psalmist says that unity is like the precious ointment, the oil that runs down the beard. We need unity and reconciliation in our strained and stressed relationships.

Your home can’t be a sanctuary if there is no unity. Your home can’t be a sanctuary where there is disharmony and discord; where there is distrust and unresolved disappointment. As believers, we must do the work of making unity and maintaining peace.

The pslamist declares that this unity and this peace is like oil - precious ointment that runs down Aaron’s beard. Without going too far into this - David writes this when the nations are divided. But during David’s reign as King, the nations are united. Remember, David is anointed with oil by the prophet Samuel. Under his reign, the divided nations of Israel come back together. And David celebrates and commemorates this unity in this psalm. And here’s a key point in all of this - that unity starts with anointed leadership. As a child of God, you are a leader. The apostle Paul calls you a royal priesthood. Operate in that distinction and be about the business of healing broken relationships. Be about the business of unity and peace. Be about the business of healing as you allow the presence and the power of the holy Ghost to work His perfect will through you. Anoint yourself and your home with oil and remember that you and everything in your home is consecrated for the good use of the Father.