Post by R' Y'hoshua Moshe on Feb 27, 2007 23:35:14 GMT -8
The Oil Of The Spirit
For Parashah Tetzaveh
By Reuel D.
For Parashah Tetzaveh
By Reuel D.
We begin parashah Tetzaveh with the reading about the special oil that was to be used to the light the Menorah within the Mishkan (Tabernacle). This was not your average extra-virgin olive oil you get in your local grocery store! This oil was to be especially set aside to fuel the continual light that was to illuminate the dwelling place of Adonai. For those whom choose to become a Mishkan, that is, a dwelling place for the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit), we are supplied with a unique fuel to shine most effectively in this dark World. The Ruach HaKodesh is the source and power behind the light that we shine in the World. There is a special process that must be undergone to properly make this fuel, or this “oil of the Spirit”. In Shemot (Exo.) 27:20 it says,
"You shall command the children of Yisra'el, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.”
This olive oil that was brought to Moshe was to be “beaten”, crushed, or pressed in such a way that it produces pure olive oil to be fit for the Menorah inside the Dwelling Place of Elohim. The Jewish Sage Rashi notes that, “the oil was made by pressing each olive gently, until only one drop of pure oil emerged. Afterwards, the olives could be crushed and the remaining oil used for the meal-offerings” (Rashi). If this can be likened to the production of the oil that produces the light in the Mishkan of our body, what can we learn from this? For one, as our Heavenly Father sets us apart and sanctifies us He firmly squeezes us even to the point of sometimes crushing us to produce the anointed ones that He desires. This becomes most evident as we remember the crushing of our Master, Yeshua. Speaking of Messiah, Yeshayahu (Isai.) 53:10 says,
“Yet it pleased YHVH to crush Him, He has put him to suffering, so that If He should put His soul as a guilt offering, He shall see His seed; He shall prolong His days; and the will of YHVH shall prosper in His hand.”
We are to be like our Master. Are we willing to be bruised and crushed for The Kingdom? In the book of Romans chapter 12 verse 1-2 Sh’aul (Paul) exhorts believers in Messiah with the following,
“Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of Elohim, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to Elohim, which is your spiritual service. Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of Elohim.”
Various commentators throughout the centuries have compared Yisrael to the olive oil found in this parashah. It has been said that just as olives "...yield up its oil only when it is crushed, so the people of Israel reveals its true virtues only when it is made to suffer.". Believers in Messiah also produce this special oil of anointing when we go through our trials, and tribulations, which result in our sanctification. The book of 1Kefa (Peter) 1:6-16 states,
“Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been put to grief in various trials, that the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Yeshua the Messiah-- whom not having known you love; in whom, though now you don't see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory-- receiving the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Messiah, which was in them, pointed to, when he predicted the sufferings of Messiah, and the glories that would follow them. To them it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to you, they ministered these things, which now have been announced to you through those who preached the Good News to you by the Holy Spirit sent out from heaven; which things angels desire to look into. Therefore, prepare your minds for action, be sober and set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Yeshua the Messiah-- as children of obedience, not conforming yourselves according to your former lusts as in your ignorance, but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior; because it is written, "You shall be holy; for I am holy."
For us to properly produce a holy light we must take steps to obtain the proper oil for our lamps. Many of you are probably familiar with the parable of the Ten Virgins that our Master Yeshua taught. In Mattityahu (Matt.) 25:1-12 Yeshua said,
"Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'What if there isn't enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Most certainly I tell you, I don't know you.'”
We cannot rely on other people to prepare this oil for us. We must take time and make the sacrifice to prepare the pure oil that will produce an effective light showing the way in the darkness of this world. We will need this light to find our way to the marriage feast of the bridegroom! Otherwise, we will stumble in the darkness of this world. How many single olives had to be crushed by the cohenim (priests) to obtain the necessary oil to light the Tabernacle Menorah for just one full day? It would take a significant amount of time and personal sacrifice to obtain what was needed to produce enough oil to fuel the menorah continually. And, the anointing that we receive from the Father also is dependent on spending significant amounts of time and personal sacrifice as we draw closer to Him. Many of us know this…many of us could always use the reminder…maybe some of us need to be reminded (because of neglect), and perhaps some of us have never been told. It is not an easy task, but nobody said that loving God with our whole heart, mind, and soul would be easy. Yet, we are called to do just that! In Ya’akov (James) 4:8 we learn that if we draw close to Elohim, He will draw close to us. And, 1Yochanan (John) 3:1-3 says the following,
“Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of Elohim (God)! For this cause the world doesn't know us, because it didn't know him. Beloved, now we are children of Elohim, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is. Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.”
Yochanan (John), tell us that everyone whom has their hope set on Elohim purifies himself…even as Adonai is pure! This reminds me of the scripture passage that says, “be holy, for I am holy”. Have we set our own personal goals of holiness and purity high…even to the lofty goal of His purity? With His help it is possible, otherwise He wouldn’t encourage us so. As we read about the special oil that was gradually set apart and crushed one olive at a time for the use of the Menorah, it was to be brought to Moshe (Moses) first for approval. There is another name for the Menorah in this parashah. In Hebrew it is called the “Ner Tamid” which means, the “Eternal Light”, or “Eternal Lamp”. For this light to be eternal, the oil that fuels it was first to be approved by Moshe. In other words, it is Moshe’s “thumbs up” that determines what fuels the true light of God. Has Moshe given you a thumb’s up? Or, are there areas of our life that we know that we have produced unauthorized oil that needs to be purified and inspected by Moshe?
Besides the Hebrew words, “Menorah” meaning “lamp”, and “Ner Tamid” meaning “Eternal Light”, we have yet another word for the light that illuminates the Mishkan of Adonai. In Hebrew it is, “Or HaOlam”, which is translated “The Light Of The World”. In Yochanan (John) 8:12 Yeshua said,
…"I am the light of the world (Or HaOlam). He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life."
Yeshua says that he is the “Or HaOlam” and that if we follow him we will not walk in darkness, but will have what is called in Hebrew, “Or Chayim”, the “Light of Life”. In Mishlei (Proverbs) 6:23 it states, “For the mitzvah (command) is a lamp, and
(the law) is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life”…Note how the
is connected to light and the way of life. It is the “Light Of Life”. This brings us back to the word that we “heard from the beginning” (1Yochanan/John 2:3-7)…In B’resheet (Gen.) chapter 1 verses 1-3 it states,“In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God's Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. Elohim said, "Let there be light," and there was light.”
The first creative act that Adonai did on our Earth was to speak forth “light”. But, as we have been making it through our lesson here we cannot help but connect “light” and the word of Elohim with His
. From the very beginning the first good and perfect will of Avinu Melchenu (our Father and King) was that there would be , as it was the source of the light. This would spawn the light separating it from the darkness. It would correct the chaos that was described as “formless and empty”. For many in this World their lives may feel “formless and empty”. The reason for this is the lack of the light of in their life. Just as it was in the beginning when Adonai wanted to create that which is good, so he wishes to do in the heart of men and women as He makes them into new creations. This is why the Shaliach (Emissary) Sha’ul says the following in 2Corinthians 5:17,“Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.”
If we allow ourselves to be the Mishkan that the Spirit of God is looking to dwell in, than we will be a vessel in which Messiah can live His life through. After all, we are not called the body of Messiah in vain. In Collosians 1:26-28 the Shaliach Sha’ul (Paul) speaks of “the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations”, he states,
“But now it has been revealed to his holy ones, to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Messiah in you, the hope of glory; whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Messiah Yeshua…”
The Biblical idea of “Messiah in you” is significant when we think of this special oil that is used for “Or HaOlam”, the Light Of The World. The word “Messiah” in Hebrew is “Mashiach” which means “Anointed One”. Our Hebrew forefathers used oil for anointing. Moshe anointed Aharon. Sh’muel (Samuel) anointed David. They were also a type of a “Mashiach”. The presence of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) in us and “Mashiach” in us indicates that we have been anointed, appointed, consecrated, and empowered to be the Mishkan Ruach HaKodesh, the “dwelling place of the Holy Spirit”, a source of holy light in a World that desperately needs it.
The concept of over coming trials and tribulation as we are being purified and becoming an effective source of light can certainly be linked to the fact that our people Yisrael have shown their ability to rise above (as does oil) their trials and tribulations by exerting their virtues. As this parashah takes place right before the celebration of Purim we can appreciate what it means to be a people whom sometimes being pressed and crushed produce the special oil of anointing that Adonai is looking for. As we remember Haman and the Persian Empire in the Purim story we know them as the evil characters. And, they do have their purpose. As we are faced with HaSatan (the enemy) and the enemies of our souls, we are forced to remember whom we are, the people of God. We remember that we are to be an anointed nation of Kings and Priests (where ever we are), and to be a light unto the nations.
Some, rabbis have likened God’s people to olive oil in that we keep ourselves separate from the other nations. It is taught that just as olive oil remains separate even when mixed with other ingredients, we are to avoid assimilation into the pagan culture that surrounds us. I believe this teaching is essentially true. But, I believe that this separation has it’s limits when reviewing it’s purpose. Although I believe we are to maintain a distinct identity wherever we may be, I also believe that it is possible for us to do so while residing next to our neighbors whom may not share that identity. Many times when we allow this to happen we are able to (like oil) be a source of light, thus sharing “Or HaOlam”, the Light Of The World. But, to reproduce our light most effectively we must share with others the proper way to obtain this oil. They cannot rely on the oil we have prepared for ourselves. We must point them to the source. When we do this, the Nations will be enabled to be grafted into the Olive Tree of Yisrael, the source of the anointing (Romans 11:17-26).
B'rachot b'Yeshua HaMashiach!
on us and possibly making things difficult for someone later on to convince one of those Christians of our message. 
