[Exo 27:20 KJV] 20 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.
כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר
Kateet L’ma’or – “Beaten for the Light”
The root word ‘katat’ is a sneakily familiar one to us:
[Isa 2:4 KJV] 4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
[Joe 3:10 KJV] 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I [am] strong.The idea is that of being utterly broken down… The word for “light” is “ohr”. We are told, commanded, to be light.
קוּמִי אוֹרִי כִּי בָא אוֹרֵךְ וּכְבוֹד יְהוָה עָלַיִךְ זָרָֽח׃
“Ohree” – “Shine”
[Isa 60:1 KJV] 1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
We shine when we encounter the glory of the LORD:
[Exo 34:35 KJV] 35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
[Eze 43:2 KJV] 2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice [was] like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
[Rev 21:23 KJV] 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof.
So let’s talk a little more about glory:
כָּבוֹד
“Kavod” – Glory, Honor
“Kavod” can mean glory and honor. It’s root word can also mean heavy or harden. Here are some (pretty surprising) places where it shows up:
[Exo 8:15 KJV] 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
[Exo 10:1 KJV] 1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him:
[Exo 14:18 KJV] 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
[Exo 20:12 KJV] 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
[Lev 10:3 KJV] 3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This [is it] that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
“Kavod” carries the connotation of weight. When God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, He honored it… He “solidified” it… and hard hearts do not repent.
When we honor our parents, we give weight and value to their influence over us; we respect them.
The glory of the LORD has an actual, physical, pressing presence:
[Exo 40:35 KJV] 35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
[1Ki 8:11 KJV] 11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
So what is it about experiencing the heaviness of God that causes us to shine?
[Exo 27:20 KJV] 20 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.
The process of becoming oil is pretty brutal for the olive… When an olive branch is heavy laden with the ripe olives, it’s beaten against something to release them. The olives are then smashed into a pulp, gathered between filters, and squeezed for every last drop of oil. This was used to light the menorah in the tabernacle “to burn always”.
We are called to be light. So don’t be discouraged with the process that extracts the light-giving oil from you. When you suffer for righteousness’ sake, when you share in the persecutions of Christ, when you find it difficult to enter His presence and minister in His appointed place, rejoice! You are being beaten for light!
The final crushing will produce the ultimate glory. When you read Scripture, try to look for the promise of the resurrection in “glory” imagery. Like Adam and Eve clothed in light, or Christ at the transfiguration, we will come to bear that same shining image when we are raised with Christ.
[1Co 15:41-44 KJV] 41 [There is] one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for [one] star differeth from [another] star in glory. 42 So also [is] the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
The sun, moon, and various stars each carry their own light, their own glory. Our bodies that are broken and lifeless will be crushed and broken down in their corruptible frailty. But they will be raised again in the power of the Spirit, new, incorruptible, glorified and shining.
[Eph 1:13-14 NKJV] 13 In Him you also [trusted], after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
The word “guarantee”, here, is the same as “down payment”. You are bought and paid for. The Holy Spirit is the money in-hand to prove it. But the full payoff is yet to come. When He does “redeem His purchased possession” that will be the ultimate glory.
As we are sanctified by the Spirit working in our lives, we produce a light that stands for His glory. Do not be discouraged when you are crushed. It is a crushing for His glory.
You are being beaten for light!