In Essential Oils in the Bible Part 1, we looked at my search to find out if essential oils are an alternative healing method that God would approve of, and we determined that God created all botanicals and called them “good.” Be sure to read that post if you’d like to look at that topic more in depth.

Healing Oils of the Bible

Today we’ll explore in scripture different ways that botanicals were used in the Bible. We’ll see that God
designed botanicals for sacred use, for personal use, for commerce, and for healing.  I like to call botanicals “goodness from God’s garden.”

I often wonder what the Garden of Eden looked like. I think of my favorite botanical gardens that I have been to like the one in St. Louis, MO, and can only imagine how beautiful Eden must have been.

Sacred Uses of Botanicals

So how important were olive oil and herbs in the Bible? Very important.

In Exodus 30:23-33 God goes into specific detail and tells Moses how to create a unique anointing oil made out of olive oil infused with myrrh, cinnamon, cane, and cassia. Moses was to anoint the tabernacle and the Ark of the Testimony, much of its furniture and its utensils, and Aaron and his sons with this oil. Exodus 25:6 from The IVP Bible Background Commentary on the OT says the purpose of the anointing “was to remove all traces of secular odors and to transform the interior of the tabernacle into a sanctuary suitable for worship and God’s presence.”

Regarding anointing Aaron and his sons, a note on anointing in Exodus 29:7 of the Spirit Filled Life Bible says that both Aaron and his sons and later the kings of Israel were anointed with oil. In both cases, the oil would symbolize the gifts of God to the people and the responsibilities now laid on on their leaders through this ceremony. In Israelite practice, anointing was a sign of election and was often closely related to being filled with the Spirit.

The Israelites were forbidden to use these particular anointing oil formulas on anything or anyone else, reserving it only for these purposes.

Incense

In Exodus 30:34-38 God also gave them a recipe to use for incense to be placed in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting. It was most holy and reserved only for the Lord. They were not to use this specific recipe of incense for themselves.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ’Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum — and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer.”

Personal Use of Essential Oils in the Bible

In Bible times people also used herbs and oils in beauty rituals. One of my favorite stories regarding this use revolves around Queen Esther.

In the book of Esther, King Xerxis in a royal fit of anger, forever banished Queen Vashti from his presence. Several days later when he had a chance to simmer down, he started to miss beautiful Queen Vashti. His attendants began a search to replace Queen Vashti.

Enter Esther, a young Jewess.

Esther found favor with Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who gave her the best place to live, seven handmaidens, and special food. Along with the other girls, Esther underwent 12 months of beauty treatments, which consisted of the following: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics.

Ultimately, the king chose Esther to be the next queen. The rest of her story is incredible as God placed her in the kingdom “for such a time as this” to save the Jewish people from a plot to wipe them out.

In Commerce

In the ancient world, oil and spices and fragrances were a booming business and they were traded along the Frankincense Trail and the Silk Road. According to The Archaeological Study Bible, frankincense, myrrh, nard, saffron, aloes, and calamus were used extensively in but were not native to the Holy Land area, so they had to be imported from Arabia, Iran, India, and elsewhere. As you can imagine, they were very expensive.

Olive trees did grow in Israel, and olive oil was one of the main healing oils of the Bible. It was an important part of the culture for food, healing, and perfumery (1Kings 17:8-16; Mark 14:1-9).

Healing Oils of the Bible and Botanicals

 Many of us know that the wisemen gave baby Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but we may not realize the full significance of these gifts.

Frankincense, Boswelia carteri

In the ancient world, frankincense was once considered more valuable than gold. Merchants traded it extensively along the Frankincense Trail and the Silk Road.

Besides it’s religious history, frankincense possesses medicinal properties that make it very healing.It would have made a powerful medicinal substance for Mary to treat her family with in the years they were traveling. Frankincense is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anxiolytic, nervine, vulnerary, and an immune enhancer. When blended in a cream, it is wonderful for skin conditions of all types. As an inhalant, it helps dry congestion in the lungs. It enhances healing after sutures have been removed when used in a cream or salve. It blends well with myrrh, lavender, lemon, Roman chamomile,and helichrysum. The ancient Egyptians used it to treat everything from head to toe.

Today it is still used in religious ceremonies and during prayer. This was a valuable gift for Jesus’ family. They could have either sold it to finance their trip to Egypt or Mary could have used it as a medicinal. Before the day of antibiotics, frankincense and myrrh were used as the primary antimicrobial, antibiotic substances.

Myrrh, Commiphora myrrha

You may not be as familiar with myrrh as you are with frankincense, but myrrh was once again an incredible gift to bless the young family with. In the Old Testament, myrrh was also part of the recipe of the Holy Anointing Oil. Additionally, it was used in a recipe as a powder placed in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting. People used to wear pouches of frankincense and myrrh around their necks as perfume but also for its medicinal properties.

The most interesting fact I found about myrrh is that when the soldiers were preparing Jesus for crucifixion, Mark 15:23 tells us that they offered Jesus wine mixed with myrrh (probably to buffer the pain), but He would not take it. Jesus wanted to fully experience the cross. It is significant that myrrh was part of the beginning of His life and the end of His earthly  life.

Myrrh is know historically for being an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antiseptic, antiviral, an endocrine regulator, and a vulnerary. It is wonderful for periodontal disease. It’s healing for the respiratory system and very healing for assorted skin diseases like ulcers, athlete’s foot, eczema, and acne. Myrrh blends well with cypress, frankincense, geranium, juniper, lavender, mandarin, patchouli, sandalwood, Scotch pine, tea tree, and vetiver.

I am amazed at how perfectly God provided for the needs of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus with the gifts of (gold), frankincense, and myrrh.

Healing Oils with Prayer

A look at James 5:14 shows the use of oils in prayer and healing. “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.” The word Elaion in James is referring to a medicinal oil, so it was olive oil infused with botanicals.

While it’s clear that the healing comes from God, the oil was part of the prayer ceremony over the sick.

A Modern Day Prayer Time

I am reminded  of a prayer time in my own church. A woman who was sick came up for prayer after service to our prayer team. The head of the prayer ministry at the time reached into our prayer box of supplies and took out the bottle of oil. She anointed the woman (simple sign of the cross on her forehead) as we prayed for her following the suggestions of James 5. I don’t know what her final outcome was regarding her health, but in that moment as we obeyed God’s call to pray for the sick, she was loved, comforted, anointed, and God was there in the midst of us.

As we all strive to make our lives a fragrant offering to God, we should not be afraid to use the goodness God has blessed us with in His garden. As long as we keep things in their proper place and worship the Creator and not the created, it is as God said: very good.

In the final part of this series, Part 3, we will look at some ways we can use essential oils in our own lives with a focus on the sacred. 

Image: nuchylee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Three years ago a friend told me about an essential oil party she was having and wondered if I’d like to see a catalog.

As I paged through the catalog and researched the oils, I became more and more interested in their potential for health and wellness. Instead of signing up with the MLM company, however, I decided to study in the wellness field to become a certified aromatherapist. When I told another friend about what I was thinking, she asked this question:

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Isn’t there a lot of ‘weirdness’ associated with aromatherapy?” she said..

What’s the Buzz About Essential Oils?

Maybe like me you’ve heard all the buzz about essential oils and you’re wondering if this type of alternative practice is something you should be doing. Just the word “alternative” makes you kind of nervous, doesn’t it?

Today, essential oils are hugely popular. It seems almost everyone uses them—and not always in ways that are safe—but that’s a topic for another blog. Over the next few blog posts, I want to look at healing oils of the Bible to see how they were used in ancient times and what that means for us today. Is this a good practice for us?

This was the question I had to answer for myself, and I’ll take you through the process and some of my research.

We’ll start our research of oils of the Bible by considering these four verses:

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth;” and it was so. Genesis 1:11

And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:12

And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.” Genesis 1:29

Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail.  They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary.  Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.  Ezekiel 47:12 

God Creates Plants on Day 3 of Creation

In the Bible we see that God creates plants on Day 3 of creation. From science we know that essential oils are present in different parts of plants: seeds, flowers, leaves, roots, bark, wood, needles, berries/fruit, moss, twigs, stems, and rinds, depending upon the plant.

These verses make it clear that God said trees and herbs and plants (and the essential oils that are in them) were very good, and He gave them to us for our good. He couldn’t be any clearer.

Now keep in mind, that during Old Testament times, most likely the botanicals were not used as essential oils. It is widely believed the process of distillation was not invented then, although that is now even in dispute. Until recently it was thought that distillation was not invented until around 900 AD, but according to an article on distillation by The Aromatic Plant Project, an expedition to Pakistan in 1975 discovered a terra-cotta distillation apparatus dating to 3000 BC  in the archaeological museum at Taxila.

The first known distillation of plant material, however, is not recorded until much, much later. It is credited to Persian physician, Ibn Cina, who was known in Europe as Avicenna. He lived from 980 to 1037 AD. So in Bible times people would extract the medicinal benefits of plant material in ways other than distillation:

• infusing the resins and plants in a carrier oil (like olive oil)
• by grinding them into a powder
• by eating the fruit/plant to get its healing benefits
• by using the material in a poultice

From these verses we can see the following facts:

1. God commanded the earth to grow grass, herbs, and trees.
2. The earth obeyed God’s command and brought forth those things.
3. God saw that this was good.
4. God gave us every herb and tree for food.
5. God said to use the leaves for medicine.

Getting back to my personal story, at this point I was thoroughly convinced that botanicals are inherently good, and I began my studies in the field of aromatherapy.

But What About …

Do some people use botanicals in ways contrary to how God designed them? Absolutely. Some healing schools believe plants have spirits and treat them accordingly and almost worship the created rather than the Creator. But that does not mean we need to avoid using essential oils for health and wellness. If we applied that faulty logic to every gift God has given us and quit using it because someone is using it in a way that is sinful or contrary to how God created it, then there wouldn’t be much left to use! Consider food, drugs, sex, and so on, all gifts from God, all of which have been abused. The abuse does not make the gift bad.

Since we have established the inherent goodness of botanicals and essential oils, in the next blog post, we’ll look at how they were used in the Bible for sacred use, personal use, commercially, and for gifts.

Let me know what you think. Have you ever had any doubts about using essential oils?

Botanically me,

Join me for Essential Oils in the Bible, Part 2