Gerry,

I agree that the oil in both the OT and the NT is symbolic of the work of the Holy Spirit. While reading your post and noting how the oil had a practical use as well as religious significance, it made me wonder if the same was true in the NT Church. I was thinking in particular of James 5:14-15 where the sick are told to call on the elders of the church so that they can pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. Did the oil that the elders used in this case have a double significance (being religiously symbolic as well as a practical aspect) as it did in the OT? Could the oil used in the anointing have been thought of as having a medicinal value?

If so, then how do we apply this passage to our lives today. Should the elders anoint the sick with oil out of obedience to James 5, while viewing the oil as being purely a symbolic element used for a religious observation. Or, could we look at it as a command for elders to pray for the sick while taking a more hands on approach to assisting them with their physical, (medicinal) needs--such as helping them to the Dr. or ensuring that they remember to get prescriptions filled and take their meds on time. I wonder how many reformed churches still observe this in any manner?

Stucco