Keep the Fire Burning

 “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.” Exodus 27:20

God gave Moses instructions to make a beautiful candlestick with seven oil lamps and place it in the holy place inside the tabernacle. The lamps would give light to the priests who came in to minister before the Lord. God told Moses that He wanted the lamps to be always burning; but in order for that to happen, someone had to provide a constant supply of oil. There are many parallels to the Christian life found in a study of the articles within the tabernacle, and we can find a practical lesson in the continual demand for oil to keep the fire burning in the lamps of the candlestick. The Israelites were in the wilderness, and there were probably not very many olive trees there. The olive oil that they did have would have had to have been carried with them everywhere they went and carefully stored each time they stopped along their journey. Depending on the size of the lamps and the type of wicks that were used, the lamps would have needed tending quite often, both during the day and at night. Some of the Levites were given the sacred responsibility to ensure that these lamps never went out. Just like it required a great deal of effort for them to keep the oil lamps burning, it requires a great deal of effort to keep our spiritual lights burning. God’s Word is the source of our light, and it is important that we consistently spend time in its pages in order to keep His light burning brightly in our hearts and minds.