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"That which hath been born of the flesh is flesh" (John 3: 6).
"The flesh profiteth nothing" (John 6: 63).
"The mind of the flesh is enmity against God" (Rom. 8: 7).
"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered the heart of man . . . . . but
God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit" (I Cor. 2: 9, 10).
"The natural (soul-ical) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God"
(I Cor. 2: 14).
"The works of the flesh" are sharply distinguished from "the fruits of the Spirit", and
never, until grapes grow on thorns or figs on thistles will the flesh produce anything other
than its own works. Consequently we must remember that none can be holy or sanctified
outside of Christ, and it is the new man and not the old upon whom the grace of the Spirit
descends.
"Neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it. It is holy, and it
shall be holy unto you."--This emphasizes from another point of view the necessity to
distinguish between the flesh and the Spirit, bringing into prominence this time the
danger of counterfeit. If the anointing be not of the Lord, if it be not the fragrance of
Christ, if it be not the work of the Spirit, then however near to the true counterpart it may
appear, it must be repudiated. It is a holy thing, and it must be kept so. The thought of
holiness here, as in all the teaching on the subject in both Old and New Testaments, is
very largely that of something specially set apart for God.
Whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall be cut off.--Some things belong to
the Lord's people alone. No stranger could partake of the Passover (Exod. 12: 43). It
was a memorial of redemption and national birth. No stranger was allowed to contribute
anything towards the offerings of the Lord. This prohibition still holds good regarding
Christian service, and condemns all such means of making money as dances, whist
drives, and the like, that are everywhere spreading their "corruption" and making all such
service "unacceptable" by reason of the "blemishes" (Lev. 12: 25).
No stranger, not of the seed of Aaron, was allowed to draw near to God to offer
incense (Numb. 16: 40). No stranger could be king of Israel (Deut. 17: 15). No
stranger upon pain of death was allowed near the tabernacle when it was taken down
(Numb. 1: 51), and no stranger could ever be appointed to the priest's office
(Numb. 3: 10). Strange fire, strange incense, strange wives, strange gods, a strange vine,
strange apparel; these things help us to realize something of the limits set by God
regarding that which belongs to His holiness, and speaks of Christ.
The Lord's Anointed.
There are three outstanding offices that are associated with anointing in the
Scriptures--those of Priest (Exod. 28: 41), King (Psa. 18: 50) and Prophet
(I Kings 19: 16)--and these three offices are filled, and in their fullest measure, by
Christ.
His title, "The Christ", is but the Greek form of the Hebrew "Messiah",
"the Anointed One".