And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee olive oil, pure, beaten, for the light, to light the lamp continually.
A single command about lamp oil opens a new stage in the tabernacle plans. From here on, one question drives everything: what keeps God's light burning, and who keeps it burning?
One writer explains why the oil comes at this exact point in the plans.
The instructions fall into two parts: Exodus 25 — 27:19, and 27:20 — 30. The first part shows how God reveals Himself. The second shows the means by which His worshippers could have dealings with Him... The second part begins with the oil for the light (Ex. 27:20-21). The first lesson God would press on those who want to draw near to Him is that He is light, and dwells in light.
This is the first time Scripture describes the kind of oil, and that description sets a pattern.
Only twice before have we read of oil, both times when Jacob poured it on a pillar (Gen. 28 and Gen. 35). There the kind of oil is not stated. Here it is: beaten out of the fruit of the olive, and pure. This first mention of pure olive oil is clearly a picture of the Holy Spirit, and it fixes what oil means right through Scripture. The golden lampstand would have been of no use without the oil. The New Testament likens both the churches and the individual believer to lamps. But apart from the oil of the Holy Spirit they have no ability to shine to the glory of God.
Commentators find meaning in how the oil was made.
Another point to consider: the olive oil for the light was to be "beaten". It was not pressed, but beaten as in a mortar. The lampstand itself was also to be made of "beaten" work. Does this not suggest that the priestly work and intercession of our great High Priest rests on His atoning sacrifice? There He, the Just One, suffered for us, the unjust, to bring us to God.
The verse names Israel as the suppliers; the next verse names Aaron. Commentators read the pairing as a division of labour.
First, the children of Israel were to bring the pure olive oil. This points to the responsibility of God's people on earth. They are the vessel in which the light was to be displayed — Israel then, the church now. Aaron was to order the lamps. This teaches that only the priestly care and intercession of Christ keeps the light of the Spirit on display... Every ray of light that shines out below, whether through the church or the individual believer, is only the answer to His priestly work.
Another writer traces the oil back to the Spirit, and the care of the lamp to daily work:
Compare Zechariah 4:2-6, where lamps are fed from two olive trees, and the Lord makes clear that this speaks of His Spirit. So the Spirit of God is the oil by which the light of His testimony to Christ is kept burning. This light was never to go out. Aaron and his sons were responsible to care for it, trimming the wicks and so on. So it is priestly work to see that the Spirit of God has His full, unhindered freedom to make the light of testimony shine. Trimming the wicks speaks of judging the flesh — the negative side of the truth. That leaves the Spirit free for His positive work of shining testimony... We are never given a vacation from godly exercise.
Some see a clash between this command and 1 Samuel 3:3. One writer answers from the Hebrew word.
Some have found an apparent inconsistency when they compare this passage with 1 Sam. 3:3. It may be added that the Hebrew does not mean "always" in the absolute sense, but continually or constantly. It was from evening to morning, and of course without a break for that time.
The lamp lit a curtained room that no ordinary Israelite ever saw. So its purpose was not public display.
This light was not for the crowds of Israel to see. The first veil hid it from those outside. It was for the eye of the LORD first of all, but also for those who had the privilege to serve within the holy place. There the priests who served before the LORD could take in what met His holy eye.
One writer carries this over to worship today.
All the beauty inside the tabernacle would be invisible but for the oil by which the lamps light up everything. So the Spirit enables us to see the beauty of Christ, and to engage intelligently in His worship.
- Beaten — the oil is pounded, not just pressed. Writers link the word to the atoning sacrifice on which Christ's priestly work rests.
- Brought — the people supply the oil. The light rests on the responsibility of God's people: Israel then, the church now.
- Ordered — the priest trims and tends the flame. Every ray that shines below answers to the care of our great High Priest.
- Continually — the lamp burned from evening to morning without a break. The Hebrew does not mean "always" in an absolute sense.
- Seen — the light shone first for God's eye inside the veil. The Spirit still shows us the beauty of Christ, and draws us into worship.
In the tent of meeting outside the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall dress them from evening to morning before Jehovah [it is] an everlasting statute, for their generations, on the part of the children of Israel.
This closing verse of the chapter fixes both the place of the lamp — in the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that screens the ark — and the people responsible for it. One writer notes that the instructions for the tabernacle fall into two halves, and that the oil for the light opens the second:
These instructions may be divided into two parts: Exodus 25 to Exodus 27:19, and Exodus 27:20 to Exodus 30. The first part is taken up with God showing Himself. The second is taken up with the means by which His worshippers could have dealings with Him... The second part begins with the oil for the light (Ex. 27:20-21). The first lesson God would press on those who want to draw near to Him is that He is light, and dwells in light.
The lamps burned inside the tent, and their light fell on the lampstand itself. Nobody in the camp could see them:
Those outside never saw the light of the lamps fall on the varied features of the lampstand. The lamps did not shine to attract Israel, or any of the nations that might be near at hand. They did not shine to light the path of anyone through the darkness of the world either. The priests who served inside the Holy Place would indeed walk in the light of the lamps, but the object of the shining was God Himself. The lamps shone for God's pleasure: the light was to be kept burning "before Jehovah continually."
The verse divides the work. Israel brings the oil; Aaron and his sons tend the lamp. One writer takes each half as a picture:
First, the children of Israel were to bring the pure olive oil. This points to the responsibility of God's people on earth, the vessel in which the light was to be displayed — Israel then, now the church. Aaron was to order the lamps. This teaches that the light of the Spirit, in its display, can only be kept up by the priestly care and intercession of Christ. He alone could use the tongs and the trays for the wick trimmings, for both were made of pure gold. Every ray of light that shines out below, whether through the church or the individual believer, is only the answer to His priestly work.
And the oil itself is taken as a sign of the Holy Spirit, without whom the whole structure would sit in the dark:
Now all this beauty would be invisible but for the oil by which the lamps light up everything. So the Spirit enables us to see the beauty of Christ, and to take an intelligent part in His worship.
The preceding verse says the lamp is to burn always; this verse limits the hours. Commentators differ on how far "always" reaches. One takes it as the night watch only:
Some have found an apparent inconsistency when they compare this passage with 1 Samuel 3:3. It may be added here that the Hebrew does not mean "always" in the absolute sense, but continually or constantly. It was from evening to morning and of course without interruption for that time.
Another reads the phrase as covering the whole day: "not just what we call night, but the whole twenty-four hours" (A J Pollock).
The verse names only the night hours. One writer finds meaning in that silence:
So the lamp burns from evening to morning before Jehovah continually. Only the night is mentioned, for in the world it is always night... God has indeed kept the light burning while Israel has departed from Him. But He has not only kept it burning, He has lifted it up to a higher, heavenly sphere.
The verse binds the duty on every generation, yet Israel let it lapse:
This was given to Israel as "an everlasting statute" throughout their generations: it was to be an unfailing service to God. Sadly, in the days of Eli we read that "the lamp of God went out" (1 Samuel 3:3). This showed Israel's failure. But there is no failure with our Great High Priest.
That wording follows an older translation; the ESV reads, "The lamp of God had not yet gone out." One writer traces the failure to the state of the people: "The lamp is the symbol of testimony, and Israel's testimony to the nations was very weak at that time... Nothing is a testimony for God unless it is pure and holy" (W. W. Fereday).
- Oil. The people bring it, and it stands for the Spirit — without it the beauty of the sanctuary stays invisible.
- Light. It burns inside the tent, seen by God and by the priests serving near Him, not by the camp outside.
- Night. "From evening to morning" is the world's long darkness; some read the phrase as the night watch, others as the full day.
- Priest. Aaron's sons tend the lamp, but every ray below answers to the priestly care of Christ, whose golden tongs clear away what would dim it.
- Forever. Israel's lamp went out in Eli's day, for testimony without holiness fails. The statute still holds, kept by One who does not fail.