Gabriel's opening sentence concludes with: "and to anoint the Most Set-Apart." While many people were "anointed," only one fulfilled all five of the requirements delineated by Gabriel, and only one was "the most Set-Apart." This Anointed is the Ma'sehyah. It is what Ma'sehyah, or Messiah, means. The Hebrew title is derived from mashach (מָשַׁח). Spiritually, to be mashach, is "to be anointed, to be covered with oil." It is God's way of explaining what happens to us when we are anointed by His Set-Apart Spirit. Olive oil was the purest source of light in the ancient world. Light represents Yahuweh's nature, essence, energy, and truth. Therefore, to be anointed is to be covered in Yahweh's Spirit of Light. From this we can conclude that the Messiah will come in the Spirit of Yahweh to reveal God's light. The Anointed will manifest Yahweh's nature to enlighten us.

Olive oil was also rubbed on wounds to promote healing, a metaphor for salvation. It was an extremely important part of a healthy diet, consistent with the nurturing nature of the Set-Apart Spirit. And olive oil was used in the Miqra' sacrifices. The fine grain, symbolic of the saints, was immersed in oil and wine - Yahushua's Spirit and Blood - before it was sent aloft by way of a smoke offering. This provided a visual picture of what happens to us when we are anointed by the Set-Apart Spirit. Finally, anointing with oil was a symbol of being chosen by God. To be covered in this most valuable of all substances - representing light, healing, good health, and salvation - was to be qodesh/set-apart unto Yahuweh.

But before we move on, confident that we understand Messiah in the sense of "Anointed," I want to consider another possible meaning, one even more profound. The Savior's title might actually be Ma'sehyah (מַעֲשֵׂיָה), a compound of ma'aseh, "one who does the deeds of," and Yah. The only difference between Ma'sehyah and Mashiyach, the title we transliterate, "Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ)," in the Hebrew text is the addition of an Ayin, which is silent, and the possibility that the "חַ" was actually a "ָה". In paleo-Hebrew, the "h" and "ch" sounds were represented by very different and unmistakable letters. But under Babylonian captivity, the scribal strokes became virtually indistinguishable. During this time, Jews assimilated Babylonian customs and forgot the name, purpose, and meaning of Yah. They transitioned from a relationship to a religion. And it's possible, perhaps even likely, that in their migration they lost the connection between Yahuweh and the anointed one who carried out His agenda. I propose, therefore, that Mashiyach, is really Masehyah, "The Anointed Doing the Deeds of Yah," or "Anointed Implement of Yahuweh." The proper spelling of Messiah might actually be Ma'sehyah, with the emphasis on Yah.