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“We are to God the Aroma of Christ” –
Essential Oils of the Bible
By Mirdza Hayden"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other the fragrance of life.”
2 Cor. 2:14-16
As a wife and mother, everyday I strive to help my family lead the healthiest lifestyle possible. I do so by:
1. Buying mostly organic foods, preparing healthy meals and having healthy snacks around
2. Prioritizing exercise in our daily routine
3. Choosing non-toxic personal use products (shampoos, soaps, deodorants, facial cleansers, etc.)
4. Choosing non-toxic homecare products in order to clean our home, the dishes and the clothes
5. Choosing not to use pharmaceutical drugs; we use high-quality essential oils.
In this article, I want to concentrate on the use of essential oils. God has given us plants to help us live healthy. For centuries, the essential oils from many different plants were used as medicine. In fact, did you know there are over 200 references to aromatics, incense and ointments throughout the Bible? In fact, essential oils were a part of daily living among Hebrews, Jews, early Christians and their Gentile neighbors throughout biblical times.
Thirty-six of the 39 books of the Old Testament and 10 of the 27 books of the New Testament mention essential oils or the plants that produce them.
I would like to focus on 12 oils that were used in biblical times. I will give you some Bible references to go with each of them, and will tell you some of the medicinal uses these oils possess, as well.
1. Aloes or Sandalwood
John 19:39: “And there came also Nicodemus, which at first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture or myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight.”
Biblical aloes was an essential oil imported from India, also known as sandalwood. Sandalwood is well known for its ability to nurture various systems in the body by:
. Oxygenating tissue, including the brain
. Stimulating our natural secretion of melatonin
. Enabling a good night’s rest
. Preparing bodies for burial
2. Cassia
Psalm 45:8: “All my garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.”
Essential oils, including cassia, not only affect our physical bodies, but also our emotions. Unlike our other four senses which reach our conscious brains first, our sense of smell is wired directly to our emotional brain where feelings are stored. Cassia nourishes our body and spirit by:
. Stimulating feelings of joy, happiness, and gladness
. Enabling emotional healing
. It also has potent antibacterial properties, but it needs to be diluted with a carrier oil like olive oil or almond oil since it’s so strong.
3. Cedarwood
Leviticus 14:17: “And the rest of the oil (cedarwood, hyssop, and olive) that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.”
King Solomon built his palace and temple from unfinished cedarwood (I Kings 6:9-15). This choice provided Solomon an environment in which he inhaled molecules of cedarwood oil continuously and in which he could think clearly and administer wise decisions. Smelling cedarwood has the following effects:
. Clearing our minds of clutter
. Clarifying our thinking
. Cedarwood is also a natural insect repellent, so those who have closets made of cedarwood will never have a moth problem in there.
4. Cypress
Isaiah 41: 19: “I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil (cypress) tree.”
Modern science has shown that inhaling, applying or taking cypress oils internally stimulates white blood corpuscle generation which may have beneficial applications following chemotherapy and radiation. The molecules of cypress oil seem to have an affinity with all aspects of cardiovascular system, including blood vessels and heart. Uses for cypress include:
. Fighting arthritis
. Battling laryngitis
. Reducing scar tissue
. Boosting the immune system
5. Frankincense
Leviticus 2:1: “ And when any offer a meat offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon.”
Used for religious rituals, flavoring flood, and for all manner of healing purposes, frankincense is the second most frequently mentioned oil in the Bible. Ancient Egyptians had a saying that “frankincense could heal everything from gout to a broken head.” Frankincense has been used by various religious and royalty to help with:
. Reducing anxiety and concerns
. Promoting focus on spiritual matters
6. Galbanum
Exodus 30:34-35: “And the Lord said unto Moses, take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, these sweet spices with pure frankincense… and make an incense.”
Galbanum was one of the four oils in the holy incense, which has been burned in Jewish temples for thousands of years in combination with myrrh, onycha, and frankincense. Historically, Galbanum has been used for:
. Providing pain relief
. Hindering cramps and spasms
. Repairing abscesses, wounds, wrinkles and acne
. Battling asthma and chronic coughs
7. Hyssop
Exodus 12:22: “Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts”.
Animal sacrifices were offered almost daily in Jewish temples which would result in a bad odor problem. However, the Jewish congregation regularly supplied the priests with fresh fragrant herbs which were scattered on the temple floor each morning. When people walked over them, crushing the leaves and the stems, their fragrant oils would be released and freshen the air. The scripture above refers to the first Passover.
Hyssop is in the mint family of plants so that is why, when diluted with a carrier oil, it has been rubbed on the chest for colds and bronchitis or inhaled as a decongestant and expectorant.
8. Myrrh
Matthew 2:11: “They saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped him; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented to him gifts: gold frankincense and myrrh.”
Myrrh is the most popular oil in the Bible. It is mentioned 156 times. It is the first oil mentioned in the Old Testament (Genesis 37:25) and the last to be mentioned in the New Testament (Revelation 18:13). It was one of the first to be received by Jesus along with the frankincense and the last to be offered as he hung on the cross (Mark 15:23)
Myrrh has been used to:
. Heal and prevent infection
. Promote a spiritual and emotional feeling of peace and security
. Remove stretch marks from a woman’s abdomen after her pregnancy
9. Myrtle
Isaiah 55:13: “Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree, and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
To the ancient Jews, the myrtle tree symbolized peace and justice, and was also considered a healing oil. In celebration of their freedom from Babylonian captivity and the restoration of the Law of Moses, the Jews gathered branches of myrtle (Nehemiah 8:15). In Biblical times, myrtle was used for the following reasons:
. Purifying from uncleanliness
. Restoring normal thyroid activity
. Decongesting the respiratory tract and sinuses
10. Onycha
Exodus 30:34-35: “And the Lord said unto Moses, take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, these sweet spices with pure frankincense…. And make an incense.”
While onycha was used in the holy incense of Exodus 30, in modern times this oil has been used a lot. It has a wonderful odor of vanilla because it contains vanillin aldehyde, which is also found in the vanilla plant. Onycha contains more acid than any other oil, including benzoic acid. Like myrrh, this oil has been used as an antiseptic for the body, and also to promote a sense of calmness.
11. Rose of Sharon
Song of Solomon 2:1: “I am the Rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valley.”
Also known as cistus, labdanum, and rock rose, this is not the traditional sweet smelling flower with the thorny stems we normally think of. It is a wild bloom that has grown on the Plains of Sharon, west of Jerusalem, for thousands of years. Rose of Sharon is used to:
. Heal cuts and bruises
. Relieve sciatic nerve pain
12. Spikenard
Song of Solomon 1:12: “While the king sits at his table, my spikenard sends forth the sell thereof.”
It was an ancient custom to honor distinguished guests by anointing their head or feet with spikenard. Jesus was anointed twice with spikenard the week before he died. (Matthew 26:6-7 and John 12:1-3). The fragrance from this oil has been used in:
. Relieving fear and anxiety
. Preparing the body for burial
As you see, essential oils were used extensively in biblical times. People are finally realizing that high-quality essential oils can truly be a blessing to them not just physically, but also emotionally and spiritually and I encourage you to use God’s gift of essential oils every day to help you heal. Moreover, when you go out to purchase these oils, take the time to research them. Make sure you are getting therapeutic-grade essential oils, since lower-quality oils will not have the same effect. When searching for the best oils to use, make sure you ask these five questions:
1. Are the oils distilled from organically grown plants?
2. Have the oils been processed using a technique that maintains the therapeutic components of the plants?
3. Do the oils have a high biofrequency? (According to Bruce Tainio of Tainio Technology in Cheny, Washington, who developed new equipment to measure the bio-frequency of humans and foods, the frequencies of essential oils are harmonious with the electrical field of the body. Essential oils raise the frequency of the body, which allows the body to heal itself.)
4. Have the purity and quality of the oils been ensured through independent lab analysis?
5. Are health care professionals using this brand of essential oils?
When searching to live a healthy lifestyle, choose to use therapeutic-grade essential oils everyday, instead of using pharmaceutical drugs and ointments. Essential oils are God’s gift to us to help us lead the healthiest life possible and I have been truly blessed by them.
Editor’s Note: Mirdza Hayden is a wonderful woman of God and is a distributor of Young Living Oils. Please visit her healthy living website at: http://www.MirdzasHealthSite.com
