Clear Oil From Olives Beaten to Make a Lamp Burn Continually

“Clear oil from beaten olives to make a lamp burn continually”

Leviticus 24:2

By Hayley Boud

By looking at this verse, what is your overall first impression?  What do you think it means?

A lamp is a light and in order for it to give light continuously, it has to have oil beaten from olives and that oil must be clear oil, not dirty oil.

The first word is “clear”, what does that mean?  Why does the oil have to be clear?

If oil is dirty, it can destroy the machinery.  For example, a microscope lense can get scratched or the car engine can get destroyed.  If I said to you, please wipe this oil that contains sand over your reading glasses to clean them, would you think it was a good idea?  You would say no because you know the dirty oil will scratch your glasses and destroy them – you won’t be able to see clearly anymore.  Dirty oil makes the lamp to burn with smoke which makes not only yourself to become blinded but also those around you and the lamp will not be useful in leading people in the right direction.

This is the same with our spiritual life, we have to be clean or we will destroy ourselves both physically and spiritually.  We reap what we sow.  A friend of mine is now unable to get pregnant because she got chlamydia as a teenager and so she destroyed her physical body because she didn’t keep herself clean from sexual immorality.  If we want to see clearly with our spiritual eyes, we need to keep our soul clean.  If we don’t want to misled others or be a stumbling block, then we have to be clean. 

What does oil do? What does the oil represent?

Without oil, your car won’t work.  The car will seize up and stop working.  It’s impossible to see anything on the microscope slide without oil. If we put dirty oil in an engine it will clog up not only the engine but the other parts around it.  The oil makes things run smoothly and allows all the parts of the machine to smoothly work together.

The oil represents the Holy Spirit Himself, baptism of the Holy Spirit and anointment of the Holy Spirit.  We need the Holy Spirit to make our lives run smoothly and not only our own lives but the lives of those around us and when we have the Holy Spirit and no sin in us (clear oil) the work we are doing together as Christians will go smoothly.  It is impossible to do or see anything without the Holy Spirit.  We need Him in our lives and we should do our best not to quench Him by keeping clean and pure so the Holy Spirit can work in us.  If we are dirty, we cannot work properly and we can even destroy those around us, so let’s make sure to repent when we have sinned and make a decision to not sin.

What do the olives represent?  Why do they have to be beaten olives?

Olives are a type of fruit and as Christians it should be our aim to produce good fruit.  Without beating the olives, there will be no oil.  To beat olives takes hard work.  It requires patience, time and effort.  We have to remember, to produce good fruit for Jesus, we need to make an effort, work hard and be patient.  Faith without works is dead or useless. We have to work hard as well as have faith. Read the Bible, pray, spend time with Jesus, serve God and serve others.

Also, the word “beaten” sounds painful.  We have to remember that in order for God to transform us, we might have to go through times of testing and trials in order for our character to become like Christ’s.  If I didn’t have this illness for all these years, I would never have learnt what I have and I would never have changed but being sick for so long tests my patience, perseverance, faith and helps me to be more compassionate, caring and kind to others.  So the beating will remove the outside of the olive to produce the good clear oil which is used to light the way.  Our testing times will remove what is not good in our lives to produce something useful for God and others.

Why should a lamp burn continuously? What does it mean for us?

We are the light of the world and therefore we should be continually burning that light for Christ and for the world to see Christ so they can be drawn to the Kingdom of God.  We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, clean of sin and we need to work in order for our lamp to burn continuously.  I want an eternal flame, not one that goes out after a few days or weeks or years.  Therefore, I need to make a decision to not sin anymore and if I do sin; repent immediately in order to keep clean.  I need to ask the Holy Spirit to lead me and anoint me and the work I am doing.  I need to work for God, serve Him and those around me.

Verse 3: This was in the tent of meeting where the Levites gather, not just the priests.  The Levites are a picture of Christians because they were given that role by God to serve Him and others and to show the rest of Israel how they should behave.  They were to be a good example of to live.  We as Christians have to do the same for the world around us.  They are watching us so we need to be a good example.  Therefore our light has to shine everywhere we go, not just when we are around Christians.  When I’m at work, Uni, supermarket, at home, with friends and family, I have to be a light that leads people to Christ.  Can I honestly say that at every second I am shining a light that leads people to Christ?  If not, now is the time to say sorry and make a decision to change and then change. 

Verse 3 says “kept in order from evening to morning”.  All day and night we must keep our souls in order.  Every second of every day we must be sure that we are clean and we don’t fall into temptation.  When night comes (satan) don’t fall into that temptation, remember that after night comes the morning so tell that temptation you won’t be tempted today and know that after a few minutes, the temptation will disappear. 

Let’s pray all together for ourselves.  Ask for forgiveness if this message has touched an area in your life.  Praise God if you are on track.  Ask God to help us to not fall into temptations, tell Him you decide today to be a light to those around you leading them to Christ through your actions, your purity and the Holy Spirit leading you.  Ask the Spirit to help you so your light will burn continuously and never go out.