“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” (Ex. 27:20).
In Exodus 27:20 and 21, we have a connecting link between the subject in the preceding chapters (God coming out to His people and instructing them in the building of the tabernacle) and the subject of the following chapters (God’s people approaching Him, namely through the priesthood). God says, “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 … Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the LORD.” Two things are presented in these verses: the maintenance of the light and the ministry of the priesthood. Even though these points are part of chapter 27, they really prepare the reader for the points in chapters 28 and 29.
Before any instruction is given concerning the garments and consecration of the priests, provision is made for a continual light in the sanctuary. The light was a top priority, and was to shine before the Lord. The priestly ministry functioned to benefit the people, but first God had to be satisfied—His interests were of utmost concern. This was certainly the order of Genesis when God said, “Let there be light,” for there had to be light before a single creature could be made. The same is true in Exodus with the function of the priesthood. This “light” could prefigure Christ, who first had to meet all the demands of God’s holiness before He could minister as our High Priest (first on the cross and then in His intercession).
It was at the Cross that the light shone forth in its holy illumination and where God’s holiness stood in opposition to sin. It was through the ministry of Christ that light came into the world. Only through Christ, the Light of the world, can we approach the Father in holiness and purity. Only through His sacrifice and His uninterrupted intercession at the throne of God can we experience the awesome privilege of worshiping God.
Also signified in this passage is the work of the Spirit in the lives of His saints. The Holy Spirit is given by Christ to God’s people to enable them to serve in the kingdom of heaven and to exercise their gifts in the church. He is the pure oil from heaven that supplies our gifts and our graces, without which our light cannot shine before men.
Take some time to read through some of the verses listed here. Meditate on what it means for you to follow the light. Exodus 13:21; Leviticus 24:2; 2 Samuel 22:29; Ezra 9:8; Psalm 18:28; 19:8; 27:1; 36:9; 43:3; 119:130; Isaiah 8:20; 9:2; 42:6; 60:1; Acts 26:23; 2 Corinthians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:5; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 2:8–9; and Revelation 21:23.