| (Copyright) by Nathaniel Burson (Big Sandy, Texas) |
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| When oil is mentioned in the Bible it always means olive oil unless specifically excepted (Esther 2:12 for instance). So, what we’re really asking is what does olive oil represent. And honestly, church people overthink things. When asking what the symbolism for oil is, they go all over the place and try to stitch together verses to prove a point like “holy spirit”; but if they just thought like a little child, and asked “what is oil”, they would know instantly: Oil is the FRUIT OF THE OLIVE TREE. Why are we still talking about this? All we need to know is what an olive tree represents; and that’s easy: Psalms 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. This was a prophecy of Christ speaking about the judgment of Satan (compare the rest of the Psalm to Isaiah 14). Now Christ’s body, in OC times Israel, in NT times the church, is also pictured as an olive tree: Romans 11:17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; As we all know, this is explaining how Gentiles can be grafted into the nation of Israel and partake of the blessings God promised Abraham. It says that the Israelites were branches in this olive tree, but those branches were cut off so that the Gentiles could be grafted into that tree (verse 24). So clearly, this tree represents the body of Christ, the church; Christ is the head, and we the members; a similar parable, this time casting Jesus as a grapevine, is told in John 15:1-8. Now the goal of this vine or olive tree, like all trees, is to bear FRUIT (John 15:16). And olive oil is, by definition, the fruit of the olive. So, if the olive tree pictures, in various metaphors, Jesus’ own body, His metaphorical OC/NC church body, or, by extension, the branches/members of that body… Then olive oil can only picture the fruits of Jesus, and the fruits of His followers. WATER INTO OIL Jesus told us plainly in John 7:37-39 that the holy spirit is pictured as a river of living water, like the one in Genesis 2 or Revelation 22 or Ezekiel 47. The purpose of a grapevine is to take that water and turn it into wine; yes, there is also sunlight (light, truth) and nutrients from the soil (bread, meat), but approximately 85% of a grape is water. So, when Jesus said, “I am the vine”, it is not surprising at all that He literally “turned water into wine” as a man; because that’s what vines DO! Now the olive tree also represents Jesus. Its branches represent Christians. And the FRUITS of those branches – the fruits of those Christians – is the oil. Remember, think of this as a little child would: what does an olive tree do? It converts water into oil. Some fertilizer is used of course, but the vast, vast majority of any plant’s consumption, by weight, is water. So, the oil is literally made out of the water of that river of life; just as our fruits are only made possible by the spirit of God. In Ezekiel 47:12, God specifically says that this tree brings forth fruits BECAUSE of the waters flowing out of the sanctuary. So, the fruits represent the PRODUCT of the tree which took the water and turned it into these “fruits”. Likewise, the purpose of an olive tree is to take that same living water and turn it into olives. Thus, the oil cannot be “the holy spirit” because the oil is MADE OUT OF that holy spirit! The oil is, quite literally, the FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT. THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD While oil is a finished food product on its own, it had many different uses; most importantly, oil was also the primary source of light in Biblical times. Exodus 27:20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. The olive oil causes the lamp to burn within the tabernacle. The seven-candled lamp. This oil brings light into the dark tabernacle. Now can it be an accident that it is OUR FRUITS in OUR OWN TABERNACLES which are the light of the world? Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. WE provide the oil that burns in that lamp! Yes, we get the source for our power from the Father, the river or husbandman; through Christ, the trunk of the tree or vine; but ultimately it is OUR FRUITS that light the candle of the church of God! Because no olive tree bears fruits directly from its trunk, but rather, through the branches! So, the world sees our light from the burning of our OWN oil and glorifies God BECAUSE OF OUR GOOD WORKS! Just as Jesus said in John 15:8: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit”. Judges 9:9 (BBE) But the olive-tree said to them, Am I to give up my wealth of oil, by which men give honour to God, and go waving over the trees? This clearly says that men give honor to God by the oil of olive trees; by our fruits. And since those fruits were created from the river of life, they were made from the spirit of God. Which means that your fruits, if any, are literally the fruits OF THE SPIRIT. God’s holy spirit is the energy; the energy is then converted into righteous character in us; and the oil feeds the flame of the candles in the temple of God. Which temple we are! (1 Corinthians 3:17). USING THE KNOWLEDGE Now that we have the basics down, let’s use this explanation in other areas and see if it fits. For instance, oil could not be offered with a sin offering: Leviticus 5:11 …then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering. Also, if a man was suspicious of his wife, he could bring her to the priest and make her take a potion which basically said that if she was an adulteress her body would rot off, and if she wasn’t she’d be fine. But the interesting part is that no oil could be offered because this offering brought sin to remembrance! Numbers 5:15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. I have found no offerings that involved sin where oil was offered, and in fact it was specifically commanded not to be offered with the ones I have found. So why couldn’t oil be offered in a sin offering? Simple. A sin offering requires a CLEAN sacrifice. Only the sacrifice of Christ can forgive sin. But the oil is the FRUIT of the people of God. It’s not a product of God personally, it’s a product of the fruit of His branches; and as such, it is the product of people who are (or at least, have been) tainted with sin. Which is why it cannot be used as a sin-offering since it is not pure. Simple; obvious. If you approach the scriptures as a child would. While we’re on the subject of oil, there is another fun thing we can do with the concept. Oil is what burns in our lamps. And when you have an oil fire, can you put it out with water? No! Water only makes the oil fire spread. It jumps from place to place, splatters, and becomes even larger than before! So also, if you drop the holy spirit (water) on a fire of our fruits (oil), it cannot extinguish it; it only makes it grow, splatter, jump, and become more powerful than before! So, if you want to put out an oil fire, what do you use? Baking soda! LEAVENING! And so, if you want to put out a fire in the church of God, if you want to stymie the fruits of active Christians, you must LEAVEN them with tares! For only hypocrisy can quench the flame of the spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). TEN VIRGINS But let’s plug it into another parable and see if it makes good sense there too; this is one we’ve all heard over and over again. See if “fruits” doesn’t fit better than “holy spirit” or “truth” (although, “truth” was much closer to the answer than “holy spirit”). Starting in Matthew 25:1, Christ tells the parable of the Ten Virgins. Five were wise, five foolish. Five took an extra container of oil with their oil-lamps, and five didn’t. None knew exactly when the bridegroom was returning. His arrival was announced suddenly, and those who took no extra oil realized to their shock that they had run out! Matthew 25:8-9 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And of course, while they were out trying to find more oil, the groom returned and was married to the five who had brought extra oil along, just in case. The others found that the groom was no longer interested in them. And Jesus said the point of this story was… Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. This parable came in the midst of a series which had the same thread; that “in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44). The POINT of these stories was always the same; that some people thought that by obeying Christ JUST ENOUGH to get by, they’d be alright when He returned. They had made some fruits in the beginning, kept the Sabbath and unclean meats and such, and thereby saved up a little oil; but when the time wore on, they got lazy, complacent, and said… “My lord delayeth his coming;” (Matthew 24:48); which is natural enough, when they’ve been told He’s coming in “three to five years” for seven decades! So, they naturally got bored, distracted, and did things they would NEVER have done if Jesus really was returning “soon”! (Verse 49). Then when they realized Christ’s return was imminent, they all started behaving better, getting their act in a pile – trimming their lamps (verse 7). But they were just too far behind – they just couldn’t catch up fast enough to get their lamp burning by the time the bridegroom was coming! Because if the righteous will scarcely be saved… where will the seat-warmer and the Churchian appear?(1 Peter 4:18). THE SYMBOLISM OF OIL So no, oil does not represent the holy spirit, and it never did. It represents, as any child could see, the fruits of the olive tree; the end product of being a part the true body of Christ. The fruits of the true Christian. And by fruits, I don’t mean the pillow-fluffing and helping of old ladies across the road; but the changes they’ve made in their nature. An abundance of oil, and a lamp brightly burning in the world, is the result of a sincere Christian changing themselves into the likeness of God daily (2 Corinthians 3:18). It is the result of comparing ourselves to that spirit and becoming more like it. Oil pictures the fruits of that process of turning the water of God’s holy spirit into the flame of fire; oil pictures, self-evidently now, the fruits of the spirit. Ephesians 5:8-9 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) The light is produced by OUR works. Our righteousness, not God’s righteousness. Yes, yes, yes, it is only possible because of His spirit, but if we do not produce the light OURSELVES that shines before men, then it doesn’t shine from us, whether He gave us His spirit or not. So, the question is… do you have enough oil? I doubt it. And I certainly wouldn’t risk it (1 Corinthians 10:12). But that’s for you to decide; the oil is, after all your fruits, and yours alone. ————————————————————————————————————- See Nathaniel Bursons other articles at: Burson, Nathaniel – Church of God, Bismarck (church-of-god-bismarck.org) Reprinted with permission from: The Simple Answers https://www.thesimpleanswers.com ————————————————————————————————————- |
| Iron Sharpening Iron In regard to: Symbolism Of Oil Article by Nathaniel Burson Comments by Darwin Lee (Bismarck, North Dakota) |
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| Ten Virgins Controversy Burson in his article “Symbolism of oil”, states, “So no, oil does not represent the holy spirit, and never did.” Then goes on in the third sentence of that paragraph with this statement, “The fruits of the true Christian”. Meaning the oil represents that as he explains it in all that paragraph. Next sentence. “And by fruits, I don’t mean the pillow fluffing and helping old ladies across the road; but the changes they’ve made in their nature.” Well, my, my, my, try that without God’s Holy Spirit and see where that gets you! God’s very nature cannot be produced in you without His Sprit in you. Ro 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Furthermore, Zec 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts”. (Emphasis mine throughout) Not by one’s own might or by one’s own power, but the power of and by God’s Holy Spirit! That is the only way you are going to change your nature! With out God’s Holy Spirit, no oil can be produced. That to me then can be likened to God’s Holy spirit and five of the virgins did not have any oil, “for their lamps had gone out”. No Holy spirit, no oil, no fruits, no truth, no “change in their nature”, as the author put it. He then goes on to say this, “An abundance of oil, and a lamp brightly burning in the world, is the result of a sincere Christian changing themselves into the likeness of God daily (2 Corinthians 3:18).” What, we are changing ourselves into the likeness of God? Bible course 101 and any one serious in understanding what God is doing one would see that is a bold face lie and be able to site. Ge 1:26 ¶ “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: ….” No, not at all, just the opposite, God is making us in His likeness. Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Isa. 45:9……. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou?………. Here are some of the fruits of the spirit, Ga 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” Helping old ladies across the road (pillow-fluffing) would be gentleness-goodness and love. The New Testament throughout is filled with examples of so-called “pillow-fluffing! Loving your neighbor as oneself is changing one’s nature with God’s help. Again, you can’t change your carnal nature on your own into the likeness of God. Oh yes, we have our part in the matter but only if we let and desire God to fashion us in His likeness. Let’s stop playing word games. 2Ti 2:14 ¶ Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. As far as truth being closer to representing the oil, this is what God has to say about truth, 1Jo 5:6 ¶ This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. One needs (#1) God’s Holy spirit foremost to produce (#2) truth, to produce (#3) fruit. So the oil consists of all of these and perhaps more. Choose the one that best fits your pet narrative and stop arguing- disputing over words to make yourself feel more “holier than thou”! One sure falsehood (lie) in Burson’s article second to last paragraph he says this, “The light is produced by our works. Our righteousness, not God’s righteousness.” Oh, such nonsense. This is what God says about “our righteousness”, Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Jesus says, Mt 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. Just what is His righteousness? Ps 119:172 My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness. When we live by the righteous commands of God’s Holy law we are doing, living the ways of God, His righteousness in us, not ours. That can only be accomplished in us by God’s Holy Spirit! Yes, yes, yes, God’s righteousness, not ours! Last, if not least, Burson says this, “So the question is… do you have enough oil? I doubt it.” Oh, what a judgement on others reading his “truth” about the ten virgins. Everyone reading his article including you if you read his article have been judged by him that you do not have enough of God’s Spirit or oil to be God’s child. What a flat out arrogant Hollier than thou perception he has of himself. So again, everyone, even if God Himself has you as one of His, (only He knows) Burson has judged if you come upon his article, as not one of Gods! Now, how is that for self-righteous judgement of others? Arrogance reeks here. God says pride and arrogance is a man’s downfall. Pr 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Pr 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Da 4:37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. So, brother Burson, Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Then God won’t have to do it for you! Because God does correct every son whom he loves. Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. |
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