Proverbs 27: 9

"Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel." (Proverbs 27:9 KJV)

In our modern culture we tend not to associate the use of ointment with a cause for rejoicing. Perhaps our first thought of this stuff is of some greasy or creamy medicine squeezed out of a tube and put on cuts, sores, burns or insect bites. And usually it doesn't smell all that great. Well, this is apparently not the same substance Mary used to anoint the feet (or pour on the head) of Jesus in a genuine and humble of expression of her love for Him. There are accounts of these acts recorded in all four gospels, while Mark 14:3 and John 12:3 specifically tell us the ointment was made of spikenard (or pure nard) and was very costly. I've never smelled spikenard, but evidently the preparation from it had a wonderfully aromatic fragrance as Mark 14:3 tells us it "filled the house". Mary, as recorded in scripture, tells us she was saving it for her burial. This ointment must have produced a strong and pleasant smell to counter the odor of death.

To sum up, when Solomon is writing about "ointment and perfume" here, he is talking about preparations made with pure, natural ingredients. Proverbs 27:9 tells us they "rejoice the heart". To get a good whiff must be most pleasing and refreshing. And the ointment also has the effect of soothing.

The sweetness of a man's friend, as experienced through hearty counsel, is the same way, Solomon tells us. How good and pleasant it is to be blessed with wise words, words that are life-giving and life-affirming. This quality of counsel is of the biblically spiritual, Christ-centered sort and is the opposite of the ungodly counsel mentioned in Psalm 1:1. Indeed, it is a great blessing to have such a friend or friends to advise, encourage and even correct us when need be! Let us strive to cultivate the quality of relationships in which we can share in the blessing of hearty counsel.