burning-bush-web“The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.“ (Leviticus 6:12-13, ESV)

This is a continuation of my previous post, All Consuming Fire, and is not necessary to read before continuing further, but doing so is highly encouraged.

If you took a match and lit a curtain with it, the flames would spread, but the initial spot you lit on fire would die out almost immediately once the fire has consumed all there is to consume, and leave behind ashes.  This is why you need to continually add the fuel to the fire to keep it burning.  That way the fire doesn’t just affect what it touches and move on, but continues to burn in the same spot as well.

This is also why the priests were continually adding wood to the fire night and day. The requirement for the them mentioned in our opening text concerning the burnt offering would serve as a special exhortation for the priests to be faithful in their duties so that the worship of the Lord could continue uninterrupted. The bush Moses saw in Exodus chapter 3 was burning but didn’t disappear or get destroyed.  This is a profound symbol of the torch the Christian believer is supposed to be.  If the Christian would burn for the Lord and keep maintaining his fire, allowing passion and zeal to consume him like a fire, then there’s no reason we can’t continually burn for Him, and destroy the works of darkness, changing the atmosphere wherever we may find ourselves.

In Exodus 25 we read of the instructions for how the different items for the tabernacle were to be built, and we notice that the lampstand was such that it had 3 branches on one side and 3 branches on the other. And in each branch there were 3 knobs. You will notice that there are 9 sections on each side, which this writer believes represent the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit on one side and the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit on the other side.  The oil used for this was from the olive, of which there could be no oil unless it was pressed, symbolizing that the oil of the Spirit doesn’t flow from the inner man until the outer man–our flesh–is completely crushed. We could do a whole study that would edify the reader concerning the symbolism of the olive oil and olive branches, but suffice it to say for today, oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit in Scripture.

That being said, we read in Matthew 25:1-13 the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins waiting for the Bridegroom to come back for His Bride. Jesus is likened here to the Bridegroom, and the Church (Christians) are His Bride.  Since the warning at the end of this parable is intended for the listener/reader, we can assume then we are also likened to the virgins in this parable.  Therefore, we are in charge of whether we will be foolish or wise–whether we will remain filled with the Spirit of God or whether we’ll be foolish like the ones who did not have enough oil for their lamps and the fire went out by the time of His return.

It was the Jewish custom for the groom’s father to have worked with the family of the bride details concerning the wedding arrangement, including the date of the wedding ceremony.  Oftentimes women were betrothed in their teenage years, and the groom would go to his father’s house and build a place for himself and his bride to live, attached to his father’s house.  Jesus said “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3)  The Bridegroom would not know when the day was, but sometime after building the house, the father would then tell “go, it’s time.”

At that time, the groom and his friends would leave his home and proceed to the home of the bride, where the marriage ceremony was conducted, often at night. Usually a servant was sent first some time ahead of the bridegroom, to ‘pave the way’ and awaken the bride and the virgins.  Since the servant would not know which one was the bride, she would sleep in her wedding dress since the wedding ceremony would customarily be at night. After this the entire wedding party returned to the groom’s home for a celebratory feast.  This engagement process could last any number of months, possibly a year or more if the bridegroom was preparing their place in a far distance away to travel to, and return from.

The lamps they used here were large dome-shaped torches, fueled by rags soaked in oil and used for walking outside.  With extra containers of oil, the torches could last for hours, and as a result they needed regular refilling.  Therefore, since the bride and the virgins did not know how long it may take before the bridegroom returned, they had to always be prepared. Who knows how much oil they needed to buy in the first place, but in keeping with other Scripture, they probably had to do it sacrificially in order to continually afford to buy oil to keep their lamps constantly refilled.  The foolish ones, didn’t count the cost, and were only prepared up to a certain point–’just enough’ in their own estimation.  But the wise ones kept their fire burning.

Unfortunately, I’m afraid much of the Body of Christ is like the five foolish virgins.  The five foolish ones had lamps, but not enough oil, which speaks of having form and style, but no substance.  Many a church and its programs are going on continually without the fire, without the power of the Holy Spirit, the oil of gladness (Psa 45:7). This isn’t a stretch since we still have a large portion of the Body of Christ that doesn’t even believe in being filled with the Holy Spirit.  But on that day when He returns for His Bride, some will not be ready, and at that time it will be too late to refill the oil in their lamps.

Ephesians 5:17-18 says “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” The words used in the original Greek refer to a continual on-going filling, so as to more accurately say keep being filled [with the Spirit].  The Holy Spirit is a like a fuel, or oil to the fire of God’s presence in our live.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2.  The same way the fat and flesh of the animal was placed on the altar to be burned up, we too are to have none of our flesh in the way that the flowing of the Holy Spirit through us would continually burn that which needs to die.  Doing so helps us to be filled with Him, and to know what His perfect will is.  The more we’re burned up with His fire and His presence, the less like the world–and like our old man–we’ll be.

Colossians 3:16 says “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Jeremiah referred to the Word of the Lord as a fire that burned in his bones (Jer 20:9).  Let the Word of the Lord dwell in you richly, and stay continually filled with the Holy Spirit, and you will keep the fire of God burning in your life, and you will be ready for His revival presence when He comes in power.  The oil of the Spirit will ignite the Words of Christ in you if you are storing them in your heart.

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More fuel for your fire:

A message from Jerome Ocampo on Keeping The Pure Fire Burning that is similar in content, and preached at a past Fire For Life Summer School in the Netherlands.

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