A Double Portion

I have been thinking about how blessed I am to be gaining deeper insights about the gospel of grace — the milk, salvation of the spirit, and the free gift of eternal life, plus the gospel of the kingdom — the meat, salvation of the soul, and the reward of entrance into the Millennial Kingdom; knowledge that I consider to be my “earthly” double portion.

Had my eyes and ears not been opened to see and hear the gospel of the kingdom, I would have spent the remainder of my Sundays in a Laodicean church, hearing subtle variations of the same message week after week.

I would have continued to struggle wearily under weight of this world without any real encouragement or the lasting comfort of our blessed hope, which is the visible and earthly return of our Lord Christ Jesus.

I would not have been warned that the hour is growing very late and that I need to be in the Word and resting in God every day, allowing Him to work through me to produce works of gold and silver — and not self-driven works of hay and stubble — so that when I stand before the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ, I have a chance to receive the reward of salvation of my soul, my heavenly double portion.

I would have continued to believe that all Christians are the bride of Christ, that we are all overcomers, and that we will all receive the same inheritance.

I would have been one of the five foolish virgins, awakened from my slumber at the midnight hour, begging the five wise virgins to give me some of their oil before the door was shut forever. I would not have understood that I must buy that oil for myself by studying Scripture from beginning to end, learning more about the Bridegroom and the things that I must bind and loose if I hope to be found worthy enough to become His bride.

Through the parables in Matthew, Jesus tells me that if I am a wise and faithful servant who provides meat in due season, and if I am faithful over a few things, I can become a ruler over many things in the Millennial Kingdom. It is hard to imagine.

I think it would be humbling enough just to gain entrance into the kingdom and feel His presence from behind, like the woman who touched his garments in Mark 5:21-34.  

Ears to Hear

I was listening to an audio version of Leviticus 14 today and was struck by verse 17:

 And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering.

Leviticus is rich with symbolism and this passage made me wonder about the symbolism of the ear.  Walter W. Wilson writes that the ear is a type concerning the consecrated hearing of the believer.  An ear that is touched by oil now only hears God’s Word and is to refuse the call of all other leaders.  In his commentary, David Guzik states that the right ear was chosen because that side was considered to be superior and have more strength and skill.  Most people were right-handed and God wanted their best to be dedicated to him.

I believe it is Pastor Royce Powell who says that whenever Scripture uses the phrase “ears to hear” we need to listen carefully.  The first use of this expression is in Deuteronomy 29:1-4 (emphasis is mine).

 ¹These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.  ²And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;  ³The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:  ⁴Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. 

Jesus uses a phrase similar to “he who hath ears to hear, let him hear” three times in Matthew, three times in Mark, and twice in Luke.  Most of the time, He is speaking in parables.  When the disciples asked Him why He spoke in parables, He replied:

Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.  ¹²For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.  ¹³Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.  ¹⁴And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:  ¹⁵For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.  ¹⁶But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. (Matthew 13:11-16)

When Jesus first came to offer His Kingdom, Israel shut up their ears, which is prophesied in Ezekiel 12:1-2:

 

 ¹The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,  ²Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house. 

Unless believers have eyes to see and ears to hear, I fear that history will repeat itself when Jesus appears a second time.

Is Your Lamp Lit?

In Old Testament times, people used lamps made from small clay saucers that were filled with olive oil.  These lamps typically had a single wick that provided illumination when lit.¹  Prior to a Jewish wedding ceremony, a bridegroom would leave his house and travel to the house of his bride.  This was a celebratory procession that included the groomsmen, musicians and singers, and people holding lamps.^1,2 

Lamps and oil also have symbolic meanings in Scripture:¹  

• Leviticus 8:10-13:  ¹⁰And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them.  ¹¹And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them.  ¹²And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.  ¹³And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnets upon them; as the LORD commanded Moses.

• 1 Samuel 10:1: Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

• 1 Samuel 10:6: And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

• 1 Samuel 16:13: Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.

These Old Testament passages tell us that oil is symbolic of receiving the Holy Spirit.¹  Now see what Scripture tells us about lamps.

• 2 Samuel 22:29: For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.  

• Psalm 119:105: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

These passages tell us that a lamp is symbolic of God’s Word. 

The importance of having oil

Jesus often spoke in parables, a style of teaching that was very common among Jewish rabbis who lived during his time.³  When the disciples asked why He spoke in parables, Jesus said in Matthew 13:11 (NIV):  "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 

Knowing that the Word of God is a lamp, and that the Holy Spirit is the oil that keeps a lamp burning, helps us understand the meaning of Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins. 

Matthew 25:1 tells us: Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  The bridegroom, of course, is Christ Jesus. 

In Matthew 25:3, we learn that the foolish virgins took their lamps, and took no oil with them.  The other five virgins were called wise because they took oil in their vessels with their lamps (Matthew 25:4). 

Then something happened to all the virgins: While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept (Matthew 25:5).  It is my opinion that this parable describes many believers who are sleeping today because they are not eagerly anticipating the Lord’s return. 

Yes, the virgins are believers!

Mathew 25:3-4 states: ³They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: ⁴But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  These passages say that the five foolish virgins did not take any oil.  They do not say that they did not have any oil to begin with (the Amplified Bible reads that they did not take any [extra oil]).  It would be impossible for the five foolish virgins to take something they did not already have. 

The five foolish virgins clearly understand the importance of having oil — and the consequences of being unprepared.  Matthew 25:8 reads: The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'  This is an important distinction because many assume that the five foolish virgins are unbelievers.  But if they were unbelievers, they could never have had any oil (the Holy Spirit) to begin with!

If you have doubts about this, do a word search using the terms “harlot” and “virgins” to see what Scripture says about both.  Never rely on man’s interpretations because humans (myself included, and may God forgive me if I ever err here) are fallible.  Always use Scripture to interpret Scripture, praying for guidance and wisdom.

When the Lord returns

In Matthew 25:6, Jesus says: And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.  According to Jewish tradition, the friends of the bridegroom usually traveled at night to bring the bride and her bridesmaids to the home of the bridegroom. 

This was a celebratory procession marked by the shout of the bridegroom: "Behold the bridegroom cometh!" (see Jeremiah 7:34; Revelation 18:23).  The procession occurred at night so that those who worked during the day could attend.⁴  It was also customary for the bridal procession to carry lamps with them. 

When the cry went out, Matthew 25:7 tells us that Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.  But something tragic happened to the five foolish virgins when they were on their way to buy oil.  Matthew 25:10 warns us about it: And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Sadly, when the foolish virgins shout for the bridegroom to open the door in Matthew 25:11, saying Lord, Lord, open to us (and if they were unbelievers why would they call the bridegroom Lord?), he tells them, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. (Matthew 25:12).

References: 1. Merril F. Unger and R.K. Harris, ed.  The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary  (Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1988), 253, 753, 818, 819, 937.  2.  Alfred Edersheim.  Sketches of Jewish Social Life.  (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.,1994), 143.  3.  Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg.  Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus.  (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009) 30.  4.  Eager GB.  “Marriage.”  The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.  Orr J, ed.  http://www.searchgodsword.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?action=Lookup&word=marriage&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=Lookup.  Accessed June 17, 2010.