(6.) Menorah: The Olive Oil

(6.) Menorah: The Olive Oil.

“You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the menorah, that the lampstand may regularly be set up to burn. In the Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, just outside the curtain of the Holy of Holies, the high priest Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord Yahweh. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.” (Exodus 27:20-21).

What is the Menorah? “Menorah” is a Hebrew word that simply means light-bearer, or the place that shines and gives light. Menorah and lampstand are treated as synonyms throughout the Bible, even with its variations down through biblical history. The first official menorah was made according to very precise spec’s from Lord Yahweh Himself given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. As with every other piece of furniture in the wilderness Tabernacle, every piece meant something profound, and was a shadow of a heavenly thing to help us understand God better (Hebrew 8:5). Included in the Lord’s instructions regarding the Lampstand were items like these (refer to Exodus 25 and various rabbinic sources):

1. It is to be shaped by hammering out one large piece of pure gold that weighs around 75 pounds;
2. It is to be large enough to completely light up the interior of the Holy Place, and according to rabbinic tradition the Lampstand was about 5 feet tall and over 3 feet in width;
3. It is to have a central shaft resting on a golden base with six branches extending outwards, three shafts on each side facing the central branch in the middle;
4. It was to be made with a cup on top of each branch to be refilled daily with olive oil to fuel the lights;
5. It was to be fueled by pure olive oil and was not to be made for candles;
6. It was to be elaborately decorated with images of a flowering almond tree that had blossoms, buds and flowers;
7. It was to be lighted every evening and kept burning through the night until morning;
8. It was to receive daily maintenance by the priests that involved cleaning the Lampstand, trimming the wicks, and refilling the cups of olive oil on each branch;
9. It was for private use by the priests inside the Tabernacle and not to be seen by worshipers outside;
10. It was to be carefully covered by a special blue cloth and a layer of fine leather when the Israelites broke camp and continued their wandering.

Three Oils in the Wilderness. There were three oils produced as dictated by the Lord in the wilderness travels of the Israelites: the pure olive oil to keep the lampstand in the Tabernacle burning all night; the special anointing oil; and the oil-flour mixture made for the healing ceremonies for the lepers in their midst. A logical question would be to ask how, in the middle of a desolate and arid wilderness in the Sinai desert, were the Israelites able to maintain a ready, consistent supply of olive oil? After all, olive groves were not able to grow in that particular climate. The apparent answer is that the Israelites regularly met up with traveling traders and caravans during their forty years of wandering, who were able to trade with the Israelites from their stores of goods from more fertile lands. Also, there was the likelihood that the Israelites had escaped Egypt with large quantities of olive oil that they carefully protected in their clay jars from sun, heat, and leaking.

Olive oil is made by a couple of different methods. It could be produced by bruising and smashing the olives with mortar and pestle and then extracting the juicy oil. Or one can use a huge stone press, a large roller used to crush the olives to a pulp, and then after removing the impurities, one can collect the oil for use.

(1.) The Lampstand Oil. The Lord told Moses that only the finest, purest olive oil can be used for lighting the lampstands. Only the ripest and unblemished olives were to be crushed to produce this oil. The lighting oil must be of the highest quality, perfectly pure, carefully cleaned of any impurities, and colorless. Only this type of olive oil will produce a bright, pure light with little smoke. And there was going to have to be an ongoing supply of oil for the lampstand, because the Lord specifically declared that the light is to be continuously burning each and every night in the Tabernacle until daybreak, with never one moment of darkness in His Dwelling Place after the sun went down.

Zechariah’s Vision of the Holy Oil and the Golden Lampstand. In this spiritual vision of Zechariah 4:1-3 and 11-12, he was given a symbolic prophecy of a golden lampstand, otherwise called a candlestick or a menorah, the official source of light in the Tabernacle and then in the Temple. In this vision, the lampstand symbolizes the nation of Israel and God’s watchfulness over His people. This lampstand in the vision is miraculously fueled by the two olive trees on each side of it that continuously pour out its olive oil into the reservoir bowl that stores the oil, on top of the lampstand. This ongoing source of oil assures that the lampstand will have a continuous supply of oil so that it will be lit constantly. The light of the lampstand will never go out because of its supply of olive oil. Israel will once again be restored and will achieve its high calling of being a light to the world, illumination for all the nations, as it is empowered by the oil of the Holy Spirit. God Himself is the eternal source of this miraculous oil of His Spirit, the secret to blessing and spiritual success. The Lord made this abundantly clear by including in this vision these memorable words, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Zech. 4:6). This vision in Zechariah brings to mind the powerful vision of John in Revelation 1, where we see Jesus “tending the lampstands,” which means He was providing the fuel, He was making sure the lampstands were lit. In other words, Jesus was the olive tree providing the Holy Spirit so those seven churches could thrive as lights in their world!

(2.) Anointing Oil. No one could accuse the Lord God of being careless, unclear or blasé as He gave instructions for the Tabernacle in the wilderness. God was precise in His instructions, and He demanded Moses and the artists be meticulous as they prepared and built a portable Dwelling Place for Yahweh. His directions for the production of the anointing oil were no exception, as He gave a very particular recipe for His sacred oil (Ex. 30:22-25). The holy oil’s ingredients and the amount of each ingredient were made abundantly clear, and in this case the letter of the Law had better be obeyed:

1. 12 1/2 pounds of pure liquid myrrh (the gummy resin made from the sap of certain trees; from the root word for ‘suffering,’ and is a symbol for suffering love; the rabbis referred to myrrh as ‘tears from a tree’);
2. 6 1/2 pounds of sweet-smelling cinnamon.
3. 6 1/2 of fragrant sweet-cane (a fragrant plant with aromatic oils in its leaves and roots).
4. 12 1/2 pounds of fragrant cassia (an aromatic spice made from the flowers and the inner bark scrapings of the cinnamon tree).
5. 1 gallon of pure olive oil.

The ingredients were precise, the amounts of each ingredient were also precise, and so was the preparation and application. The ingredients were kept to the highest standards, to be blended and “compounded” with the expertise of a gifted perfumer. The Lord wanted the blending of these ingredients to become an art form. The ingredients must be pure, fresh, and carefully blended together to make the finished product, which was a completely unique anointing oil for the most sacred place on earth… The holy Tabernacle.

Why the Aromatic Spices?  The Lord purposely included some strong, sweet-smelling spices in his recipe for the holy oil. It’s obvious that He wanted the oil to be deliciously fragrant. Why did He do that? Perhaps the Lord simply wanted the anointing to be a pleasant experience, the oil spreading a delicious aroma onto the person being anointed and into the immediate area for others to enjoy. Far from a killjoy, the Lord wanted to use an oil that would bring joy. After all, God created a world that we could enjoy, and He called it “good,’ which was a Hebrew word that means ”Excellent,” “Beautiful,” “Just what I was hoping for!” Aromatic plants were invented by the Creator God to be used and enjoyed. They were His idea in the first place! It looks like the Lord wanted to make a profound spiritual experience an enjoyable one. A meaningful and life-changing experience doesn’t have to make us miserable, a serious experience doesn’t have to be bland. And we shouldn’t forget that our sense of smell is our most powerful sense, the sense that most effectively triggers a memory, quickly and vividly bringing experiences to mind. God wanted the anointing to be unforgettable, a lingering experience that would be lodged into our memories and our spirits, and easily remembered. Perhaps the fragranced oil was intended to be a symbol as well, helping us to consider the idea that God wants us to be a sweet-smelling fragrance to those around us, just as the anointing oil was to those around it. Perhaps the fragrant holy oil was God’s subversive way of anticipating the aroma of the Anointed One… “Walk in love, as the Anointed One also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” (Ephesians 5:2). How can our lives be a pleasing fragrance to God? By walking in love, following the example of Jesus. He offered Himself up and sacrificed Himself for our sakes. And that sacrifice was like a delicious perfume inhaled by God. We can offer up a sweet fragrance as well by loving others in the same spirit, the spirit of self-sacrifice. Make love a lifestyle, a slow and steady walk that defines our life and sets our direction every day. “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in the Anointed One and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of the Anointed One…” (2 Cor. 2:14-16).

The Oil Belongs to the Lord. It’s not surprising that the Lord was also particular in His instructions as to how this holy oil was to be used… It was to be applied to the Tent of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the Table of Shewbread and all its utensils, for anointing the golden Lampstand and all its utensils, the bronze Basin, the Altar of Incense, and the bronze Altar of Burnt Offering. The holy oil was then to be applied to Aaron and his sons in the priesthood to set them apart for their service to the Lord. The special oil was not under any circumstances to be produced for personal use or to anyone who is not a priest. If these rules were broken, the guilty parties would be expelled from the community in the middle of nowhere. This sacred oil was only to be applied to priests and prophets, and some time later was also poured over the head of each king at his coronation. The Lord was very careful to the extreme about His plans for the anointing oil, how it was made and how it was applied, because it appears He considered the anointing oil to be His and His alone. God claimed ownership of this holy oil right from the start, so He wanted it to be perfect. “This sacred anointing oil shall belong to Me throughout all your generations, it will be sacred to Me and used in My service for all time to come.” (Ex. 30:31).

(3) The Healing Oil for Lepers. Another type of oil that the Lord dictated to Moses was an interesting mixture of flour and olive oil. God did not want leprosy to sweep through the Israelite community, so He made special plans to heal anyone who had leprosy (Lev. 14:1-32). It was a rather complicated religious healing ceremony, but the gist of it is this… As soon as it was clear that someone had contracted leprosy in the camp, the leper was brought outside the camp to meet with the priest and confirm the disease. A living clean bird was then sacrificed and its blood sprinkled on the leper seven times. The leprous person was then thoroughly cleansed and his head completely shaved, and then brought back into the camp. He was told to remain outside his tent for seven days, after which he was once again thoroughly scrubbed again and shaven. On the eighth day the leper was brought by the priest to the entrance to the Tabernacle and a lamb was sacrificed, with its blood then dripped onto the cleansed leper’s right ear lobe, the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. Finally, the special healing oil was applied to the same parts of the man’s body, only this time the oil was also poured onto the man’s head to complete the ceremony.

Olive Oil as Biblical Symbols: Olive oil represented abundance, prosperity, and blessing because owning it in large amounts was considered a luxury; the fuel for the light of God’s presence in the Menorah; the oil of joy and gladness because of its many benefits and because one’s face became radiant and shiny when oil was rubbed onto the skin; a symbol for death because of its use in burial practices; a sign of gracious hospitality that respects visitors because of its soothing  and rejuvenating effects on the skin and the delicious fragrances a visitor would enjoy; a sign to use when celebrating God’s restoration and favor, and intentionally not used during a time of mourning. Perhaps most importantly, oil was a sacred symbol of the Holy Spirit throughout Scripture from beginning to end, in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.

Oil as a Symbol of the Holy Spirit: Olive oil was used throughout Scripture as a symbol for the Spirit of God, for the presence of the Holy Spirit being poured onto those who sought God’s blessing, approval, empowerment and transformation. The Holy Spirit doesn’t partially come to the person being blessed, not in bits and pieces. The Holy Spirit isn’t dribbled, drop by drop, but instead is poured till overflowing. Whenever we see the Holy Spirit being applied, He is poured like the holy oil in Scripture:

• “...till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high.” (Isaiah 32:15);
• “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.” (Joel 3:1, Acts 2:17);
• “Exalted to the right hand of God He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” (Acts 2:33);
• “They were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.” (Acts 10:45);
• “God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” (Romans 5:5);
• “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (Titus 3:5-6).

Oil as a Symbol of Joy. God, your God, has anointed you more than any other, pouring out the oil of joy, the very fragrance of heaven’s gladness.”(Psalm 45:6-7).Olive oil was a potent symbol of joy because whoever was fortunate enough to have an abundant supply of olive oil possessed: a healing ointment, a cooking ingredient for bread and other staples, a refreshing and soothing oil for dry and weathered skin, a fuel for lighting their lamps, an effective health food, a body cleanser and skin care ointment, the base for fragrant perfumes, an hospitable way to show honor when welcoming guests, a respectful way to care for the dead body of a loved one, and a valuable commodity that could be traded or sold for money. It’s no wonder why olive oil brought joy to its owners, and so was a biblical symbol of great gladness.