Leviticus 24:1–2: “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually.'”

January 7th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The main lamp stand was a seven-branched, oil-fueled menorah that provided light in the Tabernacle. It reappears symbolically in Revelation 2:5: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place—unless you repent.”

In Revelation the lamp stand represents the body of Christ, the Church, and the light of God, which we are to be in the world. But the part that catches our attention today is the description of the kind of olive oil that they were commanded to bring to fuel the lamps. The Hebrew word that describes the olive oil is literally translated “beaten out, pure, pounded fine (in a mortar), costly.” We know that olive oil that has been lightly pressed contains a high moisture content, making it more likely to give off an offensive smoke that dims the light. However, olive husks that have been beaten, yield a finer oil with less water and little to no smoke. Therefore this higher quality, more costly oil, yields a brighter light.

Knowing that we are the light of God in the world, we can identify with the olive oil used in the lamps, or more specifically, with the methods used to make the oil as pure and useful as possible. Does it feel like God is pounding you in a mortar? Are you being pressed harder than you ever have been before? Take courage; it is a process God is taking you and I through so that we can burn brightly, without smoke. Jesus said, “you are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:13). Paul wrote “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).

“LORD, we desire to walk today as children of the light and not to wander in the darkness. We want to be Your bright light for others. Be our source of light this day we ask.”