Oil And Light
Exodus 27
You can have a car, but without gas it’s not going to go anywhere. You can have a nice big tv, but if it’s not plugged in you can’t watch anything. And even if you do plug in your nice big tv, if there’s not batteries in the remote control you still can’t watch anything. And as we see in Exodus 27, if you don’t have oil, you can’t light the lamp.
In this chapter, God gives instructions on three things: the altar, the court of the tabernacle, and the lamp. Today I want us to just focus on the third instruction God gave. He instructed Moses to command the people to “bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn” (v. 20). A lamp was always to be lit in the tabernacle. In the last verse, God said, “It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.”
There was a lesson for the Jewish people to observe from the lamp being continuously lit by oil. I believe there’s a lesson for us today as well. I think the oil is intended to remind us of the Holy Spirit. There are a number of times in the Bible where oil is used as a metaphor for the Spirit.
When God chose David to be the next king of Israel, He sent Samuel the prophet to him. And it says in 1 Samuel 16:13, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.”
Oil represents the Holy Spirit. What about the lamp? Well, Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:14-16, “‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.’”
Jesus wants our lives to shine brightly in a dark world. Our lives should be our most powerful impact. As Francis of Assisi put it: “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” This was to be the case for the nation of Israel as well when God chose them. Isaiah the prophet wrote that “nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:3).
I believe the lamp being continuously lit in the tabernacle was a reminder that the people of God were to shine the light of God’s glory to those around them. And what lit the lamp? The oil. We need the Holy Spirit (“oil”) to be able to shine the light (“lamp”) of God’s glory. Are you listening to the Holy Spirit? Are you following His leading. It’s the only way to have lives that shine.
Exodus 27
You can have a car, but without gas it’s not going to go anywhere. You can have a nice big tv, but if it’s not plugged in you can’t watch anything. And even if you do plug in your nice big tv, if there’s not batteries in the remote control you still can’t watch anything. And as we see in Exodus 27, if you don’t have oil, you can’t light the lamp.
In this chapter, God gives instructions on three things: the altar, the court of the tabernacle, and the lamp. Today I want us to just focus on the third instruction God gave. He instructed Moses to command the people to “bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn” (v. 20). A lamp was always to be lit in the tabernacle. In the last verse, God said, “It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.”
There was a lesson for the Jewish people to observe from the lamp being continuously lit by oil. I believe there’s a lesson for us today as well. I think the oil is intended to remind us of the Holy Spirit. There are a number of times in the Bible where oil is used as a metaphor for the Spirit.
When God chose David to be the next king of Israel, He sent Samuel the prophet to him. And it says in 1 Samuel 16:13, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.”
Oil represents the Holy Spirit. What about the lamp? Well, Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:14-16, “‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.’”
Jesus wants our lives to shine brightly in a dark world. Our lives should be our most powerful impact. As Francis of Assisi put it: “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” This was to be the case for the nation of Israel as well when God chose them. Isaiah the prophet wrote that “nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:3).
I believe the lamp being continuously lit in the tabernacle was a reminder that the people of God were to shine the light of God’s glory to those around them. And what lit the lamp? The oil. We need the Holy Spirit (“oil”) to be able to shine the light (“lamp”) of God’s glory. Are you listening to the Holy Spirit? Are you following His leading. It’s the only way to have lives that shine.
Posted in Journey of Hope