This
week begins the celebration of Hanukkah, or the Feast of
Dedication. It is not one of the seven feasts of YHVH
mentioned in the Torah. But according to tradition it is
celebrated because of a miracle that took place in the
Second Temple period. Because the Temple had been
defiled, the feast of Succot (Tabernacles), which is an
eight-day feast, was not celebrated in the seventh month
of that year nor the previous two years (ca.167-164 BC).
After the priests consecrated themselves and cleansed the
holy place they found only a small jar of olive for the
Menorah. The miracle was that the oil burned for the
entire 8 days required for the feast (of Succot),
although by then it was already their third month of the
year.
One
of the main symbols, then, of this holiday is olive oil.
I would like to share with you this week the testimony
and observation of a dear brother and fellow servant in
the restoration of the House of Ya'acov, who lives with
his wife and two small children in Ashkelon, Israel.
Their
home is like a lighthouse for the Gospel, as he is a
gifted evangelist, who also translates and writes. This
precious young family, just like over 20% of the
population here in Israel, is in the ''below poverty
line'' category. However, in spite of their low-level
income our friends devote themselves to the work YHVH has
called them to, and pour out their limited resources to
those even poorer than themselves. The following article
is a product of his most recent experience in the
harvesting and the making of olive oil.
''It
shall be like the shaking of the olive tree'' For
many centuries olives have been a main source for light,
food, anointing, medicine, etc in the land of Israel and
along the Mediterranean coast. The olive tree is used in
some Biblical prophecies as a symbol for the judgement of
the world (Isaiah 24:13), for peace (Genesis 8:11), for
the house of Jacob
(Jer. 11:16, Romans 11:24), or for the life of Yeshua
through the Holy Spirit. This symbolism is also
manifested in the ''two witnesses'', Israel and
Judah (Zechariah 4:12,14).
We
are now approaching the feast of the dedication of the
temple (Chanuka), which celebrates the miracle that
happened during the second temple period, when a little
olive oil was miraculously sufficient to light the lamp
of the temple for eight days. This feast may also be
pointing at Yeshua, who was resurrected on the eighth day
(the day after the seventh).
During
the past couple of months I have been busy making olive
oil for the first time in my life, and God has opened my
eyes to many deep truths that are symbolized in the
production of this oil. It is a process with which our
forefathers, who walked this land thousands of years ago,
were very familiar. I would like to share this experience
with you, and its relation to us as believers. Olive
trees are some of the oldest trees in the world, as it
was the first leaf to be picked by the dove and to be
brought to Noah after the flood. It is estimated that in
Israel there are olive trees which are over 1000 years
old and still bear fruit, thus the tree is a symbol of
eternity. It is an evergreen with silvery green leaves,
and very handsome, especially when laden with fruit:
''A leafy olive tree, fair with goodly fruit''
(Jeremiah 11:16).
Those
who trust in the mercy of God are compared to an olive
tree (Psalm 52: . And according to Romans 11, we know
that YHVH views Israel as His choice olive tree, where He
is the root and the trunk and we are the branches that
bear the fruit. Let us start with this question:
''What is the purpose of an olive tree in
nature?'' Well, as we mentioned earlier it has many
usage's, primarily for the making of oil. Oil in the
Bible is usually a symbol of the Holy Spirit, the
presence of God. It was also used for anointing the kings
and priests, etc. The first time I put a freshly picked
olive in my mouth, I quickly spat it out as it had a
disgusting, bitter taste. A ripe olive is black and
bitter. This is a picture of the original Adamic
condition, the mature man of sin, before he is born again
through death, burial and resurrection.
When
I see people walking in the street with darkness and
bitterness on their faces, I think to myself:
''here goes another uncrushed olive''.
Let
us examine the process necessary to transform a dark
bitter olive on a tree to pure golden oil with rich
qualities, which can be used, for many different things.
In
Isaiah 24:13 YHVH says that the coming judgement of the
world will be like the ''shaking of the olive
tree''. We find here that God's judgement, like the
shaking of an olive tree, points to the beginning of the
production of the oil for the feeding of the Menorah in
the temple, which is a picture of Yeshua in this world.
The fruit of the olive tree also helps us to understand
why the scriptures say that the seed of Jacob will be
shaken throughout all the nations, but not a grain will
fall to the ground (ref. Amos 9:9). The falling to the
ground of a ripe olive takes place when the tree is
beaten. Thus not until the fullness or ripeness,
according to YHVH's purposes for the House of Jacob, will
He gather in the harvest of both branches (which form the
house). The first step in gathering the olives entails
spreading out a large sheet under the tree, so that the
olives can be gathered more easily. Then the branches are
forcefully beaten (usually with rods or sticks), so that
the fruit drops to the ground. An example of this process
can perhaps be seen when a remnant of Jews came back to
the land of Israel, after the beating of the tree by the
European judgement sticks (the Holocaust).
The
place the olives are gathered into is called a pressing
house. The land of Israel can be compared to such a
place, where the olives (of Jacob) from all nations are
being brought together for the processing.
The
olives are usually dumped into a large mound, which at
that point may be compared to the Mount (mound) of
Olives. The first step in the pressing or transformation
is the immersion of the dark, bitter olives in water
(''mikva''), in order to clean them from all the
dirt and dust which has clung to them. From this point on
the olives are on their way to becoming a product which
will produce light, just as the olives of the tree of
Israel are to be processed in order to become a light to
the nations. Next, the washed olives are put under
pressure and crushed. In days past it was done by a large
stone, turned by an ox. They, thus, begin their
transformation process (though at this point the olives'
'flesh' and oil are still mixed). Then the mixture is
squeezed again and sifted through a layer of much smaller
stones, which separates the olives' 'flesh' from the oil.
The leftovers of the olives' 'flesh' become cattle
fodder, and the murky oil is poured into containers. This
process is amazingly symbolic as it clearly shows how we,
as individuals and as a nation, are being transformed
from bitter dark Adamic creatures, into glorious
light-producing sons of God. Another beautiful allegory
is that after the whole process of pressing and squeezing
the oil is still murky and light does not yet shine
through it. It has to sit (rest) for a while for the
residue to settle, making the oil clear and pure, so that
when it burns it will not smoke up the holy place.
This
is why we enter the rest (Shabbat) only after testing and
trials (even the weekly ones). The rest after we have
passed through the process of pressing is needed, so that
the result of God's merciful chastening can be seen. It
is also interesting to note that in the end product, the
oil, the individual olives are no longer seen, because
they have blended into a oneness; they have become the
''one new man'', the one nation, flowing together
with grace, harmony and beauty, ready for use!
Now
that we have examined the process we can understand why
YHVH, out of all the mountains of the world, specifically
chose the Mount of Olives for His ascent and descent to
and from Heaven. This olive pressing process is
fundamental to our understanding of God's ways with us,
and with Yeshua.
Gethsemane
is at the bottom of the Mount of Olives. The Hebrew word
for Gethsemane is 'Gath-Shemanim' which means an 'oil
pressing house'. This is where our Redeemer and Savior
sweat blood in the process of His pressing (as a matter
of fact, when black olives are squeezed, they release a
juice exactly the same color as blood!). Yeshua's death,
resurrection and ascension brought forth the pouring out
of the Holy Spirit (oil) upon His called out ones, the
remnant of the House of Jacob.
One
last thing is that in order for the holy place to be lit
up, the oil, after being put into the Menorah, has to be
set on fire, much like the heavenly flames of the Holy
Spirit which are to kindle our new creation life. In both
cases any ''strange fire'' is unacceptable, in
fact it is an abomination.
May
we all endure and be over-comers through the times and
the experiences of our own pressing, so that YHVH may
remove our bitterness and darkness and deliver us to our
final resting place in the Menorah.
''What
are these two olives that drip into the receptacles of
the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains? Then
he answered me and said,
'Do
you not know what these are?' And I said, 'No, my lord'.
So he said, 'These are the two sons of fresh oil, who
stand beside the Lord of the whole earth'''.
Our daily prayer is: ''Press us, and remove all our
bitterness and darkness, that the world may see Your pure
golden character in us.''
Bless
His Name forever.
Shabbat Shalom,
(Ephraim Frank) Date: Fri, Dec 22, 2000, 7:53pm Achim)
Behold
how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell
together in unity, IT IS LIKE THE PRESIOUS OIL (OLIVE)
UPON THE HEAD. Psa. 133
