OIL

                      Oil has been an important part of daily living for many cultures. How about stories in the bible. The
word oil is found approximately 187 times in the Bible. Let's read about a few instances. We all
remember the story about the widow of Zarephath. For a refresher lets turn to 1 Kings 17:10-14.

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow
woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in
a vessel, that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of
bread in thine hand.
12And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a
little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my
son, that we may eat it, and die.
13And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first,
and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil
fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

In this story we find oil as an important nutrient to sustain life. Here is something interesting to consider.
A study involving 104 patients in a burn care unit in a university hospital showed that ingesting olive oil
increased healing time and decreased the hospital stay. The monounsaturated fats and antioxidants found
in olive oil can help strengthen the skin's barrier function, keeping the skin hydrated and preventing
dryness. According the nutrition facts website, Dr. Gregor states that studies found that using olive oil
topically on osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis scored higher on reducing pain than the medications
used in the studies. Another study found that olive oil appeared to be protective against spots of
precancerous sun damage. How awesome! There is so much healing in God's plan using plants without
the dangerous side effects.

How about another favorite story. 2 Kings 4:1-7
1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy
servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is
come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said,
Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a
few.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour
out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her;
and she poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And
he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou
and thy children of the rest.

This story shows that oil was in important commodity in the Bible. Olive oil quickly became a much
sought-after commodity in the time of the bible, and with it, a symbol of success, wealth, and
prosperity. Only those rich enough could afford to buy olive oil to light their homes, while the less
fortunate, those with lesser means, simply lived in the dark at night. An abundance of oil was a sign of
prosperity and favor. In this story how awesome is our God? He not only paid the woman's debt's but
gave her a pension to live on. What else did oil do in the Bible.

Lets turn to Exodus 30:22-26.

22 Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet
cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and
fifty shekels,
24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
25 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.
26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,

Here is the recipe for making the holy anointing oil of Israel.
This passage shows that anointing oil had to be made in an exact fashion. This scented holy anointing oil
was used for the temple and God's purposes. Lets look at some examples for the use of the holy anointing
oil.

Exodus 29:4-9

4And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt
wash them with water.
5And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod,
and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod:
6And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.
7Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.
8And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.
9And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's
office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.
Leviticus 8:10-11
10 And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and
sanctified them.
11And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the
laver and his foot, to sanctify them.
The holy anointing oil could only be used in certain instances. Turn and listen to God's words.
Exocus 30:31-33
31And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me
throughout your generations.
32Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of
it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.
33Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut
off from his people.

Even in Biblical times oil was used for healing.

James 5:14-15

14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
15And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed
sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Let's turn to Luke 10:33-34
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had
compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own
beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

These are a few examples of oil in the Bible. Oil is still important for us today. As an essential oil
practitioner oil is very important to me. There are certain oils that make good “carrier oils”. A carrier oil

is used to dilute essential oils so that they can be safety applied to the skin. As we have been discussing
olive oil was and is a very important oil. Olive oil is also a very good carrier oil. However, my favorite
carrier oil is castor oil.

Castor oil is make from pressing the seeds from the castor plant. Castor oil is known as a humectant--it
can draw water molecules from the air to help keep your skin from drying out. It has triglycerides which
help to trap water in the skin. This helps so that your skin stays smooth and keeps it from drying and
cracking.

It also has high levels of vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant which means it helps to stabilize damaged
cells.

It also has anti-inflammatory properties with its high levels of the fatty acid called omega-9 or ricinoleic
acid it can help reduce red puffiness and swelling and pain. Because of this caster oil can be used to treat
some arthritic pain. It also can help with sunburns. The ricinoleic acid will protect blisters from
becoming infected.

A word of caution to those that a pregnant. Do not take by mouth because it can irritate the uterus and
induce labor.

From a blog from Victoria Albina, NP

“Castor Oil Packs
Many experience the side effects associated with using castor when it’s ingested. That said, the oil also
has a horrible taste and can cause nausea and even vomiting, which is reason enough to avoid using it
internally. However, there’s no need to ingest it. Castor oil provides most of its benefits when you apply
the oil topically through castor oil packs."

How To Make a Castor Oil Pack

To begin, you’ll need organic wool flannel, hexane free castor oil and a hot water bottle.
It is preferred to use a hot water bottle as opposed to an electric heating pad. Castor works best with damp
heat. You can either apply the castor to the wool flannel or you can apply the oil directly on the affected
area. To produce the best results, leave the pack on the treated area for 30 minutes to 2 hours maximum.
On a busy day, I’ll just do about 20 minutes, and I can feel better in just that short amount of time – make
it work for you!

Castor oil is messy and can stain. I wouldn’t use these packs while lying on your fanciest Egyptian cotton
sheets and neither would the Egyptians! So, be sure to place something between you and your precious
furniture or sheets – an old towel, sheet or curtain should do, and don’t forget to wear old clothes!

Strengthens Your Immune System and Detoxification
The ricinoleic acid in castor targets the lymphatic system, helping your body produce or increase
production of lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are the body’s natural disease fighter. They help drain your
body of any toxins and proteins that have built up over time. Ridding the body of this accumulated waste
in the blood can help improve your immune system.

Using castor oil packs over the liver is a time honored tradition. Many schools of traditional medicine
have used castor to help support optimized liver function, to improve detoxification and to reduce
inflammation in the liver. I often recommend that patients do a castor pack 1-2 times/week (or more!) to
help support their liver if they’re dealing with mental health concerns, hormonal imbalance, detoxification
issues or actual liver organ issues, like fatty liver. Note that this is in addition to other supports for liver
health, not as a stand-alone treatment. Castor is great, but it’s not that powerful!”

Something so simple can be so powerful to heal. I just wanted to share a personal experience on the
caster oil pack. One day a ate a delicious dish but didn't realize that there was something in it that would
cause me difficulties. Within three hours, I was in terrible pain and could barely move. It felt like

someone had taken a base ball bat to my back. I wasn't able to even stand up straight due to the severe
pain. I made a caster oil pack and put a few drops of lemon essential oil on the pack (the essential oil isn't
necessary the pack works without it). I placed it on my lower back with a heating pad. Within less than 5
minutes, I began to have relief. I kept it on for 30-45 minutes. I still had a little pain but was able to walk
around normally. What a blessing. Again something so simple.

Show video.

Demonstrate making a castor oil pack.

Many amazing uses for castor oil can be found on the internet. Just search for health benefits of caster oil.