The Wise
Virgins had Oil, but the
Foolish Virgins had none—at the crucial time it was needed.
What is
the 'prophetic' meaning of the Oil? The Scriptures tell us,
so we must look there to
find the answer.
Oil is seen throughout the
Scriptures. Oil is seen for purposes of anointing, and for fuel for the
Lights. It is used to cook with, and is used for baking. It
is a necessary ingredient in many foods, as well as in prescribed
sacrifices. Our focus, however, will be only on Oil for
anointing, and for providing Light. Let's start with the following
passage:
Then all those
virgins arose,
and trimmed their lamps. 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.
(Matthew
25:7-9) Here we see Oil used as fuel
for the
Light. The wise had Oil, and the Foolish had none. This is a
parable, meant to convey some Scriptural truth to us, in picture form.
So we must ask, what does this Oil represent, and where does it come
from? Let's look.
An
Offering
from a Willing HeartLet's begin our quest by looking at a
few
passages regarding Oil for the Light:
"And
Moses
spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This
is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, Take ye from
among you
an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of
a willing heart, let him
bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and
silver, and brass... And
oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and
for the sweet
incense..." (Exodus 35:4-5,8)
"And
they brought the tabernacle unto Moses... The pure candlestick,
with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all
the vessels thereof, and the oil for light, And
the golden
altar,
and the anointing oil, and the sweet
incense..."
(Exodus 39:33a,37-38a) From the above
passages, we
see a very clear picture of what Yahuweh requires. First we
note in Exodus 35:4 above, that twice Yahuweh mentions that an offering is
to be taken from the people, but then He reveals the offering is only to be taken
from those of a "willing heart." The willing heart is one which,
although not required to do so, brings the offering anyway.
This
offering of Oil for the Lights is one that Yahuweh requires, but the
fact that it is based on "willingness of heart" tells us this is a New
Covenant parable or picture, rather than an Old Covenant
matter. Under the external Old Covenant, obedience was done from the motive of
Fear of Death. However, under the internal New Covenant, obedience
to the same Commandments is to be done from a motive of Love, which is
stronger than death, as a motive for obedience.
The
word heart in the above passage is the Hebrew word 'leb,' Strong's
number <03820>, and has many meanings, two of which are
"wisdom" and "understanding." Remember it was those with a
"willing heart," implying those that have wisdom and understanding, who
bring the offering. And this offering includes "Oil for the
light."
Oil for the LightThe
phrase "Oil
for the Light" occurs five times in Scripture, the number "5" telling
us immediately that this phrase is a 'prophetic' word-phrase
that refers to the Bride, as we saw in "Prophetic Numbers in Scripture." So it appears we
are on the right track in looking at these
passages.
Notice in
the Exodus passages above, that there are two separate offerings of
oil—one for the lights, and another for anointing. This
detail
makes it clear that the "oil for anointing" and "oil for the lights"
are two separate offerings. Thus we see that oil for the
lights is a separate issue, and is NOT related to the anointing
provided by the Holy Spirit.
So our first conclusion
is that the Wise Virgins' Oil is NOT the presence of the Holy Spirit,
as many have speculated. However, we must look further in
Scripture before we may conclude what this Oil is.
Light from the LampThe Oil we are looking for is something that provides
Light from the Lamp. So let's look into the nature of Light in Scripture:
And
God made two great lights; the greater light to rule
the day, and the
lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set
them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the
earth, And
to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the
light from
the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
(Genesis 1:16-18) Here
we see in this passage in Genesis, that Yahuweh is the originator of the
light. It is not until later in Scripture, that we see the following:
I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; (Isaiah 42:6) Here
in Isaiah 42:6, Yahuweh reveals that He will give Messiah "for a
light." Let us now compare the following phrases from Scripture:
"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world..." (John 8:12a)
"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:5)
"I am come a light into the world,..." (John 12:46a) We
are told in many ways, that Yahushua Messiah Himself is the Light, and that
He is the actual source of the Light. But notice in the following
passages, how that believing on, and following Messiah, results in the
"Life" and "Light" of Yahuweh within man:
"...he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12b)
"...that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." (John 12:46b)
"In him was life; and the life was the light of men." (John 1:4)
"The LORD is my light...the LORD is the strength of my life..." (Psalms 27:1a)
"For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light." (Psalms 36:9) Here
we see in the above passages, how Believing on, and Following Yahushua,
results in the Life of "Messiah-in-us," who is our Strength, and our
Light.
Thus far we have seen how the Life of "Messiah-in-us"
provides the Biblical Grace, which is simply the strength, or power He
gives us, to live His Resurrection Life within us. We have seen
how His "Life-in-us" becomes our Light. But to get a more
detailed picture of just what this Light is, we will home in on a few
other passages:
"I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only." (Psalms 71:16)
"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous." (Psalms 112:4)
"...we have received grace...for obedience to the faith..." (Romans 1:5)
"Ye are the light of the world...Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,..." (Matthew 5:14a, 16a)
"...by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." (Romans 5:19)
"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Romans 6:16)
"But if we walk in the light, as he
is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)
"He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now." (1 John 2:9) From
the above passages, we now get a clear picture of what the Light
is. It is simply the good works produced by Messiah-in-us,
works done by His Grace—His strength given to us for the purpose of
our obedience. To see what this obedience is, let's look at the
following Lamp/Light passages:
"Thy word is a lamp...and a light..." (Psalms 119:105a)
"...the commandment is a lamp...the law("Torah") is light..." (Proverbs 6:23a)
"The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out." (Proverbs 13:9) Here
we see that the Word is both the Lamp, and the Light.
Then we see that the Commandment—the Word of Yahuweh—is the Lamp, but
walking in obedience to the Torah, living out the Torah in our daily
lives, is the Living Word, or the Light produced by the Lamp.
So
the obedience that results in Light is simply the obedience of
"Messiah-in-us," by His own strength, as we allow Him to keep the Torah
in our daily lives.
We
see in these passages that if we walk in His Light, and in His
obedience, that His Righteousness in us becomes our Light.
This
finding of the Light gives us an astonishing new definition, of
exactly what it means to "Believe on" and to "Follow" Yahushua, as seen
in John 8:12 and John 12:46. If we truly "Believe" Yahushua, and
truly "Follow" Him, then we are allowing Him-in-us to provide our
"Light"—allowing Him-in-us to keep the "Law" or Torah, including
Yahuweh's Statutes, Commandments, and Precepts!
This is exactly in agreement with what we found in "Righteousness as the Light,"
that the "Light" is the "Fruit" of Righteousness—the "works" produced
by "Messiah-in-us" as we allow Him to do so. We also saw that
Righteousness and Peace are the results that come to those that Hearken
to "My Commandments." As we keep this thought in mind, we are now
ready to see one last piece of the puzzle. Let us now look at the Oil.
Oil for the LampWe begin our look at the Oil for the Lamp with the following passage:
"There
is... oil in the dwelling of the wise..." (Proverbs
21:20a) Logic would tell us that we
would find Wisdom in the dwelling of the wise. However, in
the above passage we are told that there is Oil in the dwelling of
the Wise. This 'prophetic' hint gives us a clue to search out
other Oil/Wisdom passages. Let's notice the following pair
of passages:"...that
he may bring forth... oil to make his face
to
shine..." (Psalms 104:14a,15b) Who
is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a
man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of
his face
shall be changed. (Ecclesiastes 8:1) Here
we are told in the first verse above, that Yahuweh brings forth
the Oil that makes man's face to shine. But in the
next passage, we are told that it is Wisdom that makes man's face to
shine. Is this a Bible contradiction?
This
is not a contradiction, but a "Riddle" for the Bride! These
two passages together reveal to us that the Oil that makes man's face
to shine is indeed the Wisdom that Yahuweh brings forth in man. Our conclusion is that the Oil that allows the Lamps to provide Light
is
WISDOM.
But
we must test our
conclusions against Scripture. To establish validity of an idea,
there must be two or three confirming witnesses of
Scripture. Let's look at several Scripture passages:
Then
I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light
excelleth
darkness. (Ecclesiastes 2:13) Here
we see a parallel/contrast, showing Wisdom and Light
contrasted against
foolishness and darkness. We saw in "Righteousness as the Light" that
the Light is provided by
Yahuweh Himself. Here we get the idea again that Wisdom is related
to the Light, and that foolishness is related to darkness, or lack of
Light. So let's look at some more Wisdom passages:
Behold,
I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as
the LORD my God
commanded me, that ye should do so in the land
whither ye go to possess
it. Keep therefore and do them;
for this is your
wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations,
which shall
hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise
and understanding people. (Deuteronomy 4:5-6)
And
unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
and to
depart from evil is understanding. (Job
28:28)
The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good
understanding have
all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
(Psalms 111:10)
Praise ye the
LORD. Blessed is the
man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly
in his
commandments. Psalms 112:1
The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the
knowledge of the
holy is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10) Scripture
reminds us many times, that Wisdom begins with the Fear of
Yahuweh. But
the Fear of Yahuweh is directly related to the keeping of His
Commandments. We then note in the above passages that Understanding is the same as departing from evil, and likewise Understanding is
the same as knowledge of the Holy (the One who is Holy).
But
Ezekiel 20:12, 20 reveals to us that the knowledge of Yahuweh
comes only to those that keep His Sabbaths—again confirming the
idea that Wisdom and understanding are shown by those who keep and observe Yahuweh's Torah!
Grace Necessary for OilSince we are not
able (in our own strength—without His Grace) to keep the Commandments,
so that we might have Wisdom, we then see in the following passage,
that Yahuweh has made provision for that also:
But
of
him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is
made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
(1
Corinthians 1:30) So we see in the
above passage
that, not only is Yahushua our Righteousness, Sanctification, and our
Redemption—but He is also our Wisdom.
So how is
Yahushua made to be Wisdom unto us? When we first received
Yahushua as Messiah, we obeyed the Commandments, and He then became our
Wisdom. At that time, our Lamps had Light.
It
is
Messiah, living in us, who provides the Grace—the ability to keep the
Commandments of Yahuweh—and so we continue to acquire Wisdom in
accordance with the requirements of keeping them and doing them, as seen in Deuteronomy 4:5-6, which requirements have not
changed. Thus we see again that it is "Messiah-in-us" who is the source of the Light.
But notice
what eventually happened:
And
the
foolish said unto the wise,
Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
(Matthew 25:8) Yes,
the lamps of the Foolish Virgins had gone out. At one time
their Lamps had been giving off Light, when they accepted the Seed of
Righteousness, Yahushua Himself, to be planted in their hearts.
They
had been "Born Again."
But
after the
Seed of
Righteousness sprouted within them, the Foolish Virgins heard some bad
teaching, which
affected their actions. By believing and embracing this false
teaching, they actually prevented "Messiah-in-them" from growing—from living in obedience to the same Commandments Messiah kept 2,000 years ago, when He lived in
His own
Flesh. Because this false teaching had convinced the Foolish
Virgins to forsake the Law, the Torah, their actions were now considered wicked according to Yahuweh. Notice the result of forsaking
the Torah, seen in the following passages:
Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law<08451> ('Torah'). (Psalms 119:53)
The
light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the
lamp of the wicked shall be
put out. (Proverbs 13:9) In
the above pair of passages, we see a vivid illustration of the result
of forsaking the keeping of Yahuweh's Law—His Torah. Here we see
the result: The Lamp of those that forsake Yahuweh's Torah will go
out—it will be extinguished! The fulfillment of this Proverbs passage is seen in the Foolish Virgins.
the Wise
Virgins, on the other hand, will rejoice, for their lamps are
providing the "Light of the Righteous." As we saw in "Righteousness as the Light,"
the Wise Virgins had Light in their Lamps. They were
producing the Fruit of Righteousness—which is seen in keeping the
Torah. But the Fruit produced by the Foolish Virgins is
wickedness—which we have seen is simply Refusal to keep the Law—the Torah.
Grace Given for
ObedienceAfter they were Born Again, and perhaps filled
with the Holy Spirit, the Foolish Virgins' Lamps flickered a few times,
and eventually went out. They were now considered wicked by their actions.
The
Foolish Virgins were initially given the measure of Grace, but they did
not grow in Grace, which is given to all men for the purpose of obedience (Romans 1:5). Perhaps because of their doctrines,
they trusted in the Grace they were once given, but did not cease the
behaviour defined in Scripture as wicked: they had
forsaken the Law—the Torah of Yahuweh (See Psalms 119:53).
This Grace for obedience is given to all, that we might be able to keep
the Law—the Torah of Yahuweh—which includes His
Commandments,
statutes, and ordinances. Without His Grace for obedience, we
would be just like the Israelites, who fell in the wilderness because
of their disobedience to the Torah. We are told that the
Israelites who fell in the Wilderness are examples for us, and are for
our warning (1Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 3:12; 4:1, 11).
At
one time, when they had first received Messiah, the Foolish Virgins had
Oil, and their Lamps provided Light. This Light was their
Wisdom and understanding, and was in plain view of the Nations.
But now the Light of the Foolish Virgins had
gone
out. Their Lamps remained, but there was no Light to be seen. So, what do the Foolish Virgins do next? Let's look.
Go To Those
Who Sell OilThe Foolish Virgins, their Lamps having gone
out, had no Oil. Let's look at the
following passage:
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 while they went
to buy, the
bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the
marriage: and the door was shut. (Matthew 25:9-10) Notice
that the Wise Virgins told the Foolish to go to them that sell, and
buy some Oil for themselves. For understanding on who it is
today that sells Oil to these Virgins, see "Those Who Sell
Oil." It appears the Foolish Virgins were
indeed
able to
go out and buy some Oil, because we see they later returned.
So
what other clues do we see in Scripture regarding buying of this Oil
of Wisdom? Notice the following:
Wherefore
is there a price<04242> in the hand of a
fool<03684> to get<07069> wisdom, seeing he
hath no
heart<03820> to it?
(Proverbs 17:16) The
Hebrew words in the above passage are very revealing. The Hebrew word 'm@chiyr,'
Strong's number <04242>, meaning "buying price, worth,
gain or hire," is seen in the above verse as a "purchase price" of
wisdom. This word <04242> appears 15 times in Scripture. We saw in "Prophetic Numbers in Scripture" that the number "15" in Scripture speaks prophetically of "rest" and of "My Sabbaths."
We can see additional significance in the word 'm@chiyr,' <04242>, the purchase price of wisdom, in that we see a double appearing of the number "42" in the Strong's number. As we saw in "Prophetic Numbers in Scripture," the number "42" in Scripture speaks prophetically of the Appearing of Messiah-in-you and of Resurrection Life.
The
Hebrew word for 'get' <07069>
used in the
passage above can have many meanings, including "buy, get, or
purchase." Likewise, the Hebrew word for 'heart' <03820>
used in the
passage above has additional meanings of "understanding and
inclination." Thus from the root meanings of the Hebrew words in
Proverbs 17:16, we see the above passage can
be read alternately as:
"Why is
there a purchase-price in
the hand of a 'Foolish one' to buy wisdom, since he has no heart—no understanding
nor inclination on his own?" (Proverbs 17:16—Author's
Paraphrase from alternate word meanings) So we see from the many
related Scriptures, that the Oil for the Lamps is speaking of Wisdom
that is lacking among those that are Foolish.
The
Foolish Virgins had a genuine desire to go with the Bridegroom to the
wedding. Yet they did not have the heart or inclination
to follow Yahushua wherever He went, even into unfamiliar Doctrinal
territory.
Yahushua Himself kept all the
Commandments, precepts, and ordinances of Yahuweh. But the
Foolish Virgins refused to allow Yahushua, and all Yahushua's Disciples,
to be their example, as we are exhorted in Scripture (Luke 4:16; Luke
22:13-15; 1Cor 5:7-8; Php 3:17; 1John 2:6).
Alas,
the Foolish Virgins had been influenced by the popular Theologians—and their
twisted Doctrines of Sin, Law, and Grace, twisted beyond recognition of
all of Scripture. They had become convinced that they no longer needed to keep the Commandments,
Statutes and Judgments of Yahuweh. So while the Foolish
Virgins were out to buy their Oil, noticed what happened:
And
while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready
went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came
also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But
he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you
not.
(Matthew 25:11-12) The
Bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in, and the door was
shut! When the Foolish Virgins returned, they were ultimately told, "I
never
knew you!" Why were they told these words? Let's discover the reason
in several companion passages:
"And
then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work
iniquity<458>." (Matthew
7:23) In
the Matthew 7 passage
above, we are given the exact reason the Foolish Virgins are told, "I
never knew you." Notice the additional phrase, "ye that work
iniquity<458>." Notice that the word <458> is
the Greek word 'anomia' meaning "transgression of the Law,"
which is the
Bible definition of "Sin" (1 John 3:4). The Foolish Virgins heard those words
because they continued to transgress the Law, and as a result they were not known by
The Bridegroom.
It is only by abiding in
Yahushua that we truly know Him. But it is only by keeping
Yahuweh's Commandments that we abide in Him. If we transgress the
Law (Sin), we can NOT know Him. (Romans 2:13; 1 John 3:6, 14, 24).
Unless
the covenant provisions for knowing Yahuweh are met, we can NOT know Him, nor
can we know Yahushua. Notice the following Scripture passages.
Take careful note in these verses what is required to know Yahuweh.
Note also why the Israelites fell in the wilderness:"Wherefore
I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them
into the wilderness. And I gave them my statutes,
and shewed
them my
judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.
Moreover also
I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they
might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
But the
house of
Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not
in my
statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do,
he shall
even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted:
then I said,
I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume
them." (Ezekiel 20:10-13) It
is well for us to remember the above passage in Ezekiel. The Foolish Virgins
had not read the above passages in
Ezekiel, and those in the Book of Hebrews, and other passages that explain, in detail, why the Israelites
fell in the Wilderness.
The
Foolish Virgins did not realise that the Scriptures warn us that we,
too, can fall in the Wilderness, for the SAME reason the Israelites
fell in the Wilderness. The Scriptures reveal that
the keeping of Yahuweh's Sabbaths
are the sign or banner of them that Know Him (Ex 31:13; Eze 20:12; Eze
20:20). No, the
Foolish Virgins lacked the Oil of Wisdom. They continued to transgress the Law, which is iniquity<458>, and is Sin (1John
3:4).
The Oil for the Lamps—the
Wisdom from Yahuweh—is available to all who are willing to pay the
price for it. But notice the price:
"...the
price
of wisdom is above
rubies." (Job 28:18)
Here
we see the price of Wisdom is "above Rubies." But
notice what we see next:"Who can find
a virtuous woman? for her price is far
above rubies." (Proverbs 31:10)
We
have seen in a previous study that the Woman of Proverbs 31 speaks of
the Bride, who is one and the same with the Wise Virgins. Now
in
the above passage, we are told that the price of this Woman is far
above Rubies, telling us that, from her merchandise and her
worth,
the Virtuous-Woman-Bride is able and willing to pay the "Ruby" price of Wisdom.
Those
that will be among the Company of the Bride, are those who are willing
to pay the price for the Oil of Wisdom. These are the Wise
Virgins.
All others, no matter how sincere, are not willing to pay the
price for the Oil of Wisdom. These are the Foolish Virgins.
ConclusionThe
Virgins picture all those who have
been set free by the Blood of the Lamb. The Wise Virgins had Oil in their Lamps. The
Wise Virgins had
Wisdom.
The Foolish Virgins, on the other hand, had no Oil in their Lamps. They had no Wisdom.
All who have
been set free by the Blood of the Lamb, now have a
choice. Are we willing to follow the Lamb, wherever He
goes—no matter how unfamiliar the path? You may not know
the Way, but you must trust Him to lead you on the right path:
I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. (Proverbs 4:11)
And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16) The
paths of Righteousness and
Wisdom are ways we have not known, but
they are the Right paths,
and they lead us to "Messiah-in-you," who provides the Oil for the
Light. It is when we allow Messiah-in-us to walk in obedience to Torah,
that He provides further Light, and further Wisdom, and further Oil.
Our Light will not go out.
It is those who walk with Him in His pathway, living by His example of walking in Torah, who know Him.
It is the Oil for the Light, that will allow us to proceed through the Door, to Resurrection, and
into the Marriage
of the King.
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