and the One who walks with me on it.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Oil from Olives



       I’m not a big fan of olives.  Won’t eat them, and since I find their flavour gets into the food it touches, I won’t take them off and eat what’s left (like on pizza).  In fact, my hubby can’t even kiss me if he’s been eating them.  Yuck.  Mind you, I don’t mind olive oil.  I don’t find the flavour as bad- go figure.  Olive oil has been used for millennium, and has been picked and oil produced by various methods.

Command the sons of Israel that they bring to you pure olive oil, beaten, for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. Aaron shall order it from evening until the morning before Jehovah forever outside the veil of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. Lv. 24:2,3 (also Ex. 27:21)

       It’s interesting that the Lord wants the Jews to use pure olive oil made by the beating method for lighting the lampstand in the tabernacle (later the temple).  This means that the olives are hand picked unripe, then the pulp and flesh is ‘beaten off’ by a mortar and the oil squeezed out.  This pure olive oil will be clean and colourless producing bright light with little smoke.  (The other method would be to crush the flesh, pulp and nut.)

       If we are to be a light to the world (Mt. 5:14), then we should be from pure oil, not from ripe fruit that is fallen and bruised, but carefully picked by our Lord’s hand and crushed by Him in a way to keep the impurities out so that we can produce the brightest light possible with the least smoke (symbolic of judgment, desolation, destruction).  As the start of the day began in the evening, fresh oil was poured into the lamps which were then lit at the beginning of the day.  So we also need to be filled by the Spirit at the beginning of our day in order that our light should shine.

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power… Ac. 10:38
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. Because of this He anointed Me… Lk. 4:18 also Is. 61:1
It is like the precious oil on the head that ran down on the beard, Aaron's beard, going down to the mouth of his garments; Ps. 133:2

       As high priest, Aaron was to be anointed with oil (Lv. 8:12) for service in the Lord’s tabernacle/ temple.  Ex. 30:24,25 says how the oil was made (with a base of olive oil and spices) and was poured on Aaron’s head; flowing down his beard and onto his clothing.  This is no little dab, but a pouring on.  So we should also not be satisfied with a dab of the Spirit, but should want the oil to fill all the cracks and crevices of our lives with His presence. 



Of interest- Oil is used in healing.
      Lk. 10:34- a man uses oil and wine to help heal a man.
      Jm. 5:14- anointing oil for the sick.
      Lk. 4:18- Jesus’ anointing allowed Him to heal, emotionally and physically.