The Rich Biblical History Of Essential OilsSample

A Closer Look at James 5:14 

One of the greatest personal revelations I received years ago was God’s instruction to anoint others with essential oils, not olive oil, before prayer. This is one of God’s provisions for the healing of body, mind, emotions, and spirit. 

You may wonder, But why can’t a person just get healed through prayer? Yes, a person can absolutely get healed just through prayer; we see it all of the time. I have also frequently witnessed people receiving healing with a combination of prayer and precious oils. Remember, God is very creative and can heal any way He desires. 

To more fully understand this passage in James, let’s examine the word “anoint.” According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, “The Hebrew word for ‘anoint’ is masach, which means to smear, spread, or massage. In some cases, it means to pour oil all over the head and body.”

That’s no small amount of oil! If “precious oil” was used, that would be costly indeed. Such oil was often part of a king’s treasury.

Author David Stewart, a retired Methodist minister and former science professor, has researched essential oils mentioned in the Bible and their healing applications. He writes, “The word ‘precious’ was never applied to olive oil alone, but always indicated the use of essential oils such as cassia, hyssop, and frankincense.”

Since God instructs us to pray and anoint with precious oils, there must be a reason. Sorting through a couple of Greek words here, I think you will find the answer. In the New Testament, the Greek word iaomai is defined as instantaneous healing. Iaomai is mentioned thirty times in the Gospels and it refers to those times when God heals someone immediately. 

Another important Greek word in the New Testament is therapeuo, the word from which therapy is derived. Therapeuo means to “serve” or “attend to” as in “to heal gradually over time with care and nursing.” This may include self-administered care such as exercise, rest, change of attitude and diet, and daily anointing with essential oils. Therapeuo is mentioned forty times in the New Testament. This healing takes natural law into account and the opportunity we have to honor our bodies and treat them as the temples God designed them to be.

I truly believe it is always our Creator’s delight to heal us. Both types of healing are miraculous and demonstrate the love and compassion of our Lord.