Recently, someone brought up the topic of anointing one’s home with oil and challenged the legitimacy of it. On the surface, I immediately thought, “It has some parallels with biblical ideas, so it must be okay, right?”
As one who has prayed using oil and prayed for someone’s home while using an oil devoted to God’s use, I decided to review the Scriptures and make sure it was indeed biblical. This brief review will share some insights on my findings and prayerfully assist readers in arriving at their own conclusion on whether this is appropriately applied to fixtures within a person’s home.
Old Testament Oil Use
Oil (שֶׁ֖מֶן) was typically olive oil in ancient Israel and served several purposes. It seems to have been used for anointing (living or dead), cooking (especially cakes), certain offerings, medicinal purposes, lamps, and consecration.
Inanimate Objects and Other Considerations:
- Related to the topic at hand, on two occasions, Jacob uses oil and pours it on top of the pillar for some undisclosed purpose (Gen. 28:18; 35:14).
- God directed Moses to receive contributions for the sanctuary, which included oil for the lamps and spices for the anointing oil (Ex. 25:6; 27:20).
- Moses was to mix several ingredients with oil to create a holy anointing oil (Ex. 30:24).
- Moses was directed to use the anointing oil and anoint (משׁח, “smear”) the tabernacle, all that was in it, and all its furniture so that it would be consecrated as holy (Ex. 40:9-15).
- Grain offerings, for example, required oil to be poured on the offering (Lev. 2:1)
- There’s a prophetic decree from the angel Gabriel to Daniel in a vision to anoint the most Holy One (or thing/place) (Dan. 9:24).
People:
- God directs Moses to consecrate (or set aside to dedicate them for an act, service, or office) the priests by pouring oil on Aaron’s and his sons’ head (Ex. 29:7)
- Samuel poured oil on the head of Saul as a mark of God’s designation for him to eventually operate in the office of Israel’s king (1 Sam. 10:1).
- Samuel poured oil on David in preparation for operation as king of Israel (1 Sam 16:13).
- David declares that God anoints his head with oil and his cup overflows (Ps. 23:5)
- Isaiah prophetically proclaims that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him and has anointed him to declare good news to the poor (Is. 61:1) (a text Jesus later quotes in the synagogue.)
New Testament Oil Use
One of the clearest uses of oil from the New Testament is using it when praying for the sick. James states, “Is there 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” (Jms. 5:14).
So, the question of oil use is not whether it’s biblical, but how can it be applied while being consistent with the Bible?
Inanimate Objects and Other Considerations:
- Believers have “the anointing,” which refers to the Holy Spirit abiding within them (1 Jn. 2:20, 27). This doesn’t reference oil, but some see a symbolism to the Holy Spirit and oil/anointing in passages like the parable of the virgins (Mt. 25:1-13).
People:
- While it is not referenced, oil or perfume (usually oil based) is implied in Jesus’s instruction on fasting where He tells His followers to anoint their head and wash their face (Mt. 6:17).
- Jesus expressed that upon entry into Pharisee’s home, no one anointed his head, which implies that was a customary act of hospitality and refreshing (Lk. 7:46). This is also the scene where a sinful woman anointed Jesus’s feet with ointment, not oil (Lk. 7:38).
- Anointing one with oil for their healing (Mk. 6:13 and, as mentioned earlier; Jms. 5:14).
Final Thoughts
The OT clearly uses oil to consecrate items and people. Jacob built pillars as memorials and poured oil on them seemingly to consecrate. Several key offices like the priest and the king were anointed with oil. Finally, the tabernacle of worship, including its furnishing, was anointed with oil.
Conversely, there doesn’t seem to be any use of oil for inanimate objects in the NT. For that matter, there doesn’t seem to be a reference to oil for freedom from demons or anything other than healing and anointing one’s head as a normal daily practice (rf. washing one’s face and anointing one’s head during a fast). This is not to suggest oil designated for consecration can’t be used in spiritual warfare, but this is to make it clear I could find no reference in Scripture.
So, can Christians legitimately claim to anoint furniture and objects in a home as a biblically-directed act? No. It can be biblical but not necessarily biblically directed. Note, however, there are other Christian ideas that aren’t mandated in Scripture but are still recognized. Many celebrate birthdays, Christmas, or create God-honoring art (e.g., music, poetry, paintings) without having explicit scriptural commands for them.
Additionally, I understand many genuine and sincere Christians use oil to anoint their home, while having no concept of what they’re doing. Such a practice may have more in common with mysticism and pagan rituals than anything Christian. Yet, misuse of oil does not negate potentially proper use of it (e.g., consecration, healing).
If you are someone who believes you should have express direction from sacred Scripture to do a given action (i.e., in legal terms, positive authority), then you should not anoint objects with oil for any reason apart from consecration. (Of course, consistency would seem to require adherence to exclusive psalmody—i.e., that one only sings the Psalms or Scripture verbatim and nothing like “Amazing Grace.”) If you believe the OT is valuable but provides no direct guidance for Christians today, then you probably should only use oil to anoint your head when fasting and praying for the sick.
I’ll leave you with this: whatever you do, do it to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). If you desire to consecrate things in your home, do it while avoiding all pagan, witchcraft, and New Age motivations such as incantations, using it to ward off evil spirits, or seeking to control or influence the actions of those who come near or in contact with it. Remember, even in the OT, the oil was never the cause or source of God’s blessing; it was always a symbolic or consecrating element of worship or function. God is the ultimate source and the One we should direct our faith toward for all that we seek in our homes and our lives.