Oil Part 3 A

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Oil Part 3 A

Exodus 29:2 NKJV

and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil (you shall make them of wheat flour).

When the priests were consecrated, oil was poured on their heads. They also ate unleavened bread and wafers mixed with oil.

Spiritual parallel: A symbol of the anointing and the Holy Spirit was poured on their bodies. They also took the symbol of the anointing and the Holy Spirit inside their bodies. The oil upon would represent the equipping for ministry to others. The oil within would represent their connection to the Spirit of God for their personal lives. The anointing within would also help with ministry.

  1 John 2:27 NKJV

But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

John 14:16-17, 26 NKJV

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

This will help explain why we sometimes feel the anointing coming upon us to minister. Yet we have that anointing inside of us to give us access to the ministry of the Holy Spirit for ourselves as well as for ministry.

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Oil Part 2F

Exodus 27:20 NKJV

"And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.

It took effort to extract the oil. It involved pressing. 

Spiritual parallel: Look at what the apostle Paul said.

Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

If you were walking and suddenly decided it was more urgent than you previously thought to get where you were going, you would press - start running. A basketball team may be starting their defense at half court, but if the score on the board and the time left on the clock indicated they might lose using the current strategy, they might change to a full court press in an attempt to overcome. The more oil you want, the harder you need to press. Jesus was among the olive trees in Gethsamane on the Mount of Olives when He experienced the ultimate pressing. His sweat became as blood when He pressed through to the decision to give His life in a cruel fashion as our substitute. His temporary separation from the Father was the most difficult part of the journey. But He did it for us.

Luke 22:41-42, 44 NKJV

And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

The author of Hebrews encouraged us to remember Jesus' ordeal when we are undergoing a pressing from the enemy in his attempt to get us to sin or be discouraged.

Hebrews 12:3-4 NKJV

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

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Oil Part 2E

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Oil Part 2E

Exodus 27:20 NKJV

"And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.

When it was time to harvest the olives, the tree was shaken to get the olives off.

Spiritual parallel: We have to shakes things up to get what we need or want. The status quo will not do. Business as usual will not get it. The common rehearsed rituals will not work. We must be willing to shake things up, following a path we have not walked, doing things we have not done, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us so we can obtain the fresh oil He has for us.

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Oil Part 2D

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Oil Part 2D

Exodus 27:20 NKJV

"And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.

It took a lot of resources to make olive oil - 10 lb. of olives for 4 cups of oil. Then you had to use the right utensils to get and collect the oil. 

Spiritual parallel: We must be willing to give our time and resources to get what we need. The value we place on the end product will determine what we are willing to give to get it. How do we compare what we give with what we are getting in return? King David was an example of putting value on an offering to God. In 2 Samuel 24:24 he said, "......I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing..." 

Olives were valuable. The trees and the oil were listed among the things that made the Promised Land so valuable.

Deuteronomy 6:11 NKJV

houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant.......

Deuteronomy 8:7-8 NKJV

For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey;

Even the wood from the tree was valuable. See how it was used in the construction of the famous temple built by King Solomon.

1 Kings 6:23,31-33 NKJV

[23] Inside the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.

[31] For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and doorposts were one-fifth of the wall. [32] The two doors were of olive wood; and he carved on them figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. [33] So for the door of the sanctuary he also made doorposts of olive wood, one-fourth of the wall.

The olive tree and the oil from it are mentioned a number of other times in the scripture, each time revealing the value of this tree and its products.

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Oil Part 2C

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Oil Part 2C

Exodus 27:20 NKJV

"And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.

Pruning had to take place to get the most abundant harvest to ensure the largest quantity of oil possible. 

Spiritual parallel: Pruning is getting rid of hindrances. Look at a quote from the author of Hebrews. "......let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us......"(Hebrews 12:1 NKJV)

Now let's see some quotes from letters written by the apostle Paul.  Romans 13:12 NKJV:

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

Ephesians 4:22 NKJV: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,

Colossians 3:8 NKJV:  But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

Look at what Jesus said. Matthew 5:29-30 NKJV: If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Of course this is symbolic text. Jesus was talking about how serious we need to be about getting rid of things that are hurting us spiritually. He is talking about pruning.

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Oil Part 2B

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Oil Part 2B

Exodus 27:20 NKJV

"And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you PURE oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.

Let's continue to look at how this verse can help us grow in our relationship with God and be valuable to His kingdom.

PURE indicates care had to be taken in the process. It could not be haphazard. The oil had to come from pressed olives. This took time and effort. A sense of value for the end product had to be in the hearts of those who produced it.

Mediterranean olive oil - one of the best, for example, requires a lot of time. The olive tree must mature for several years. In the mean time, pruning takes place to enable the tree to be most productive.

Spiritual parallel: We must wait for the Lord. We cannot be in a hurry to get what we want. It always takes time to get quality. Gourmet food takes longer to prepare than "fast" junk food. God does not operate a drive-thru. He has no junk to offer us. His restaurant is a fine dining institution. We must be prepared to sit and wait patiently as each course is prepared carefully with excellence. It is not the kind of place you eat in a hurry and run out. It is the kind of place you go to and expect to spend some time, not just because it takes time to receive what you want, but you want to enjoy the experience. It's not the average joint. You take time to dress up for this place, so you stay long enough to enjoy the food, the service and the ambiance.

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