Exodus: A Group StudySample

What is this passage saying?

Yahweh gives further instructions regarding the construction of the exterior of the tabernacle and the oil required for the lampstand. Skilled craftsmen are instructed how to tailor the priest’s garments.

What is this passage teaching?

The oil commanded to be brought couldn’t be just any olive oil. This oil had to be pure and beaten. To make the oil the people had to either pound or crush the olives by hand or by using an olive press. The pulp was then strained and filtered for a final yield of pure and clear oil that would produce a smoke-free light. This oil would then fuel the lamp in the tabernacle that would provide light to the priests as they performed their duties. The lamp would burn the whole night as a reminder that Yahweh neither slumbers nor sleeps. Even in the deep darkness of night, Yahweh’s presence is protecting and providing for His people.

How do I respond?

Imagine thousands of people bringing jars, cups, and basins filled with this pure clear olive oil! Although these contributions provided enough fuel to keep the lamp lit all those 40 years in the wilderness, God would later provide His oil for the light of the world that would never be extinguished. Like the oil in Exodus, Jesus too was beaten and “crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5), providing life and light to all men (John 8:12). As Christ-followers, we not only walk in this light but reflect it for the whole world to see (Matthew 5:14). In what ways can you reflect God’s inextinguishable light today?