He is to pour olive oil on it – from Leviticus 2:1
The second command concerning the grain offering, was that there was to be olive oil poured upon it. We can walk into our local grocery store and take a bottle of olive oil from the shelf and go on our merry way, but how often do we stop and think about the process that goes into extracting olive oil, or of its importance and use in ancient Hebrew culture? The bigger question, however, is how Yeshua and the olive oil go together.
In ancient Israel, olive oil was precious, it was costly. According to israelolivebond.com, “Olive fruits provided the rich and poor alike with oil for cooking, lighting, cosmetics, and medicine, and for anointing prophets and kings (Judges 9:8-9). It was, with grain and wine, the third great product of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 7:13), and that olive oil was used as currency.”
The purest olive oil was used for the lighting of the menorah in the tabernacle and temple, along with specific spices it was used to create the anointing oil used to anoint the priests. Olive oil was poured upon the heads of kings. In turn, Yeshua is the Light of the world, our High Priest, and the King of Kings, and like the grain offering, He is the Bread of Life.
So, what exactly was the process for extracting the oil from the fruit of the olive? From commentary on erniecarrasco.com, we find this: “Olives, besides being good to eat, produce oil useful for many purposes. Extracting the oil from the olives required three pressings.[2] The first pressing extracted the purest “virgin” olive oil used for lighting the menorah and other lamps in the Temple. It was also for ceremonial anointing of special servants of God such as priests (Exodus 28:41; 29:4-7), kings (1 Samuel 15:1; 16:12-13), and also for the implements used in the Temple (Exodus 40:9). After extracting the virgin olive oil, the crushed olives were placed into burlap sacks, which were placed in the mortar table for a second pressing. A heavy weight was then added to the pestle wheel. The second pressing produced less pure oil suitable for common use such as cooking, medicine, and fuel for lamps. More weight was then added to the wheel for the third and final pressing, which extracted lye for making soap. At this point, the olives had nothing left to give.” From this explanation, we can see that it was a time-consuming process to extract the oil, and that the grade from the oil with each pressing was not as pure as the one(s) before it.
Let’s now put this into the context of Messiah, who paid the greatest cost. Isaiah 53:4-5 reads, “In fact, it was our diseases he bore, our pains from which he suffered; yet we regarded him as punished, stricken, and afflicted by God. But he was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining that makes us whole fell on him, and by his bruises (stripes) we are healed.”
In each of the Gospels, we read of Yeshua’s final moments in the Garden of Gethsemane. Gat-Sh’manim in Hebrew literally translates to “winepress of oils”, and it is here that Yeshua Himself went through three pressings. In Matthew’s account, it says that Yeshua told His disciples, “My heart is so filled with sadness that I could die!” Matthew 26:38 How often does our emotional pain become so tangible that it feels this same way? Yet, Isaiah 53 reminds us that it was our pains for which He suffered. I do not believe that it was just our physical pain that weighed upon Him as He prayed and was pressed in the garden. The crushing He underwent was for our physical, emotional, and mental pain, to make us whole. The oil from the first crushing is the purest, and Yeshua is the pure Light of the world. He asked for the cup to be passed from Him, but not what He wanted, but rather the will of the Father be done. The second crushing provided oil used for medicine and He is the Great Physician. He again asked for the cup to pass from Him yet said, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink it, let what you want be done.” Matthew 26:42 The third pressing extracted lye for soap making and the olives had nothing more to give. In Psalm 51, David uses the phrase “wash me” twice, in verses 4 and 9. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (v4) Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean, wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. (v9) Yeshua was crushed for our sins and it is only by Him that we are cleansed from them. After this third prayer, or pressing, He told His disciples to get up, for His betrayer had come. In Luke’s account of what took place in the Garden, he mentions one other further detail, that Yeshua’s anguish was so great that his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:44) Just as oil was extracted from the olive when pressed, so was the blood of our Savior as He went through His own pressing.
The Spirit of Adonai Elohim is upon me, because Adonai has anointed me to announce good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim freedom to the captives, to let out into light those bound in the dark; to proclaim the year of favor of Adonai and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, yes to provide for those in Tziyon who mourn, giving them garlands instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a cloak of praise instead of a heavy spirit, so that they will be called oaks of righteousness planted by Adonai, in which he takes pride. Isaiah 61:1-3
The olive oil was poured onto the cakes made of fine flour. Yeshua, the Bread of Life had the anointing of the Father poured out upon Him, and through His pressing bought us so much. Freedom from our sins, healing for our body, emotions, and mind, shalom, total well-being. It is up to us to taste and see that the Lord is good, to apply the Balm of Gilead to our wounds, to let Him pour out His anointing to destroy the yokes of bondage in our lives.
Comments