The Plumb Line: Beauty Bowed Low

A few years ago my Pastor did an awesome series of sermons on "The Anointing".

"Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee principal spices . . . of cassia five hundred shekels . . . and thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil." (Exodus 30:22-25)

Many things stood out to me in that series that have caused me to do further study. The "cassia" as one of the ingredients in the holy anointing oil prescribed by the Lord through Moses is something that has just kept stirring in my heart. In order to walk in God's anointing, we need to understand that each ingredient divinely prescribed by the Lord has a purpose that still speaks to us today. Here is a brief overview of this one spice that obviously had great importance to the Lord.

The word "cassia" is translated from the Hebrew word "qiddah" and comes from the root word "qadad" meaning to bow down the head. A brief study of "cassia" will lead you to discover that cassia has a delicate yellow flower that "bows down". It comes from a tropical evergreen tree having aromatic bark. The spice was harvested from the bark of these tropical trees and it is a source of "senna", a natural purgative or laxative. Keeping that in mind, let's think about the "anointing" and what it means to be "anointed" according to what we find in the study of the "cassia".

"Cassia" tells us that first we must be humble (bowed down) and our humility is beautiful to the Lord. "Beauty bowed low!" What could be more beautiful to the Lord than worship? Psalm 95:6 says, "O come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our maker." "Cassia" is a picture of reverence, worship, and humility!

The bark of the tropical tree is the source of senna, a purgative or laxative agent. Our lives are to be purged of all that is contrary to the Word of God! Psalm 79:9 says, "Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake." Purging speaks of cleansing and cleansing is the basis for everyone's relationship with Christ . . . by His blood we are cleansed and made whole!

Finally, "Cassia" was extracted from the bark of the trees – the bark is stripped from the trees much like we must be "stripped" of all that is at enmity with God, i.e., our flesh. But even more than that, we must come "naked and unashamed" unto our God, hiding nothing, without pretense, and without shame – stripped of the veil of our flesh that stands in the way of the glory of God being seen in us and through us!

As you can see, the "cassia" tells a story in itself of worship in humility and beauty, being purged of sin and cleansed by the Blood of the Spotless Lamb, and being "naked and unashamed" in front of our God, hiding nothing, without pretense, allowing the glory of God to be seen in us and through us!

The beauty of the anointing, the power of the anointing, the cleansing of the anointing, and the cost of the anointing can be found in this one ingredient of the original anointing oil. Let's walk in the fullness of the "cassia" as revealed to us in the Word of God. As kings and priests were anointed as they were appointed, so too have we been anointed "as kings and priests unto our God" (Revelation 1:5-6). He which established us is Christ and He who has anointed us is God who also has sealed us and given us as a deposit of what is to come, His Holy Spirit in our hearts (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).

Father, help me to understand all that You have to say to me through the "cassia". Teach me to be "beauty bowed low" as I am ever learning humility in my bowing down before You. Father, purge me of all that is not of You; help me to walk worthy of the calling You have on my life. Take away all excess and burn out the dross, Lord, as Your all-consuming fire purges me and purifies me! Lord, help me to come before You without pretense, hiding nothing, naked and unashamed, so that nothing in me will hide the brightness of Your glory shining in me and through me! In Jesus' name, by His blood, and for His glory, amen and amen!

"As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit-just as it has taught you, remain in him." (1 John 2:27-28)