Commentary - Exodus 27:20-21

Bird's-eye view

In these two verses, we transition from the construction of the Tabernacle's furniture to the ongoing life and worship within it. This is not merely a practical instruction about lighting; it is a profound theological statement about the nature of God's presence among His people. The central theme is the perpetual light that must burn before Yahweh. This light is a type, a shadow, pointing forward to the true and perpetual Light of the World, the Lord Jesus Christ. The instructions reveal a pattern of divine initiative and human responsibility. God commands, but the people must bring the oil. The priests must tend the lamp, but the fuel comes from the whole congregation. This passage establishes the foundation for the continual ministry of light within the covenant community, a ministry fueled by a costly process and maintained by priestly diligence, all of which finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ and His Church.

The details are pregnant with meaning. The oil must be pure, from beaten olives, signifying a purity that comes through pressure and affliction. The lamp must burn continually, a testimony to God's unblinking watchfulness and the constancy of His covenant faithfulness. Its location, outside the veil but before the testimony, places this light as a witness to the law of God, illuminating the way of access. This is a perpetual statute, meaning it is woven into the very fabric of Israel's covenant life. It is a foundational principle of worship: God's presence requires light, and that light is a shared responsibility, a costly gift, and a constant testimony to His glory.

Outline

Context In Exodus

These verses come at the end of a long section of detailed instructions for building the Tabernacle and its courtyard (Exodus 25-27). Having described the Ark, the Table, the Lampstand, the curtains, and the bronze altar, God now turns His attention from the structure to the service. This is the first command concerning the actual ministry that will take place within the completed Tabernacle. It logically precedes the instructions for the priestly garments (Chapter 28) and the ordination of the priests (Chapter 29) because the work of the priests is defined by such duties. The perpetual light is fundamental. Before the priests are even formally consecrated, their central task of maintaining God's light is established. This shows the priority of light in God's house. God's dwelling place is not a place of darkness. His presence among His people is a presence of illumination, and this command sets the stage for the entire system of worship that is to follow.

Key Issues

The Light Before the Law

It is significant that this lamp is to be placed "outside the veil which is before the testimony." The testimony, of course, refers to the tablets of the Ten Commandments stored in the Ark of the Covenant. The light, therefore, shines before the law. This is a critical theological point. The law of God cannot be rightly approached or understood apart from the light that God provides. To approach the law in darkness is to stumble over it and turn it into a source of condemnation and death. But when approached in the light, the law reveals the holiness of God and our need for a Savior. This light is a gracious provision. God does not give His law and then leave His people to grope their way toward it in the dark. He provides the illumination necessary to see it for what it is.

In the New Covenant, Christ is this light. He is the Word made flesh who illuminates the true meaning of the law. The Holy Spirit, symbolized by the oil, is the one who opens our eyes to see the glory of God in the face of Christ, who is the fulfillment of the law. Without the Spirit's illuminating work, the letter of the law kills. But in the light of the Spirit, we see that the law points us to Christ, and we are able to delight in it as a reflection of His righteous character.

Verse by Verse Commentary

20 “And you shall command the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.

The instruction begins with a command, not a suggestion. This is a matter of divine obligation. And notice who is commanded: the "sons of Israel." This is not a special duty for the Levites alone; it is a corporate responsibility for the entire covenant community. Every Israelite had a share in keeping the light burning. This is a foundational picture of the priesthood of all believers. While the priests have a specific duty to tend the lamp, the fuel for that lamp comes from the people. The ministry of light in the church is not the exclusive domain of the pastors; it is fueled by the faithful lives and contributions of the whole congregation.

The fuel itself is specified. It must be "clear oil of beaten olives." Not just any oil would do. The finest olive oil was produced not by a heavy press which would crush the pits and skins, but by gently beating or bruising the olives first. This initial process yielded the purest, clearest oil, free from sediment. The symbolism is potent. This is a costly purity. It speaks of a righteousness that comes through affliction, through being "beaten." This points us directly to the Messiah, who was bruised for our iniquities (Isa 53:5). The light that shines in God's house is fueled by the suffering of the righteous one. It is also a picture of the work of the Holy Spirit, who is the pure and clear testifier to Christ. There is nothing murky or confused in His witness. And for us, it means that our contribution to God's light in the world often comes through the trials and pressures that God uses to purify us.

The purpose of this pure oil is "to make a lamp burn continually." The word here is tamid, which signifies constancy, regularity, without interruption. This was to be a constant flame. God's presence is not a flickering, on-again-off-again affair. He is the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17). This continual light was a constant, visible sermon to Israel about the faithfulness of their covenant God. In a world of darkness, chaos, and uncertainty, the light in God's house burned steady and true.

21 In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Yahweh; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout their generations for the sons of Israel.

Here the specific duty of the priests is laid out. While the people provide the oil, "Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order." This involved trimming the wicks, refilling the lamps, and ensuring the flame never went out. This is the work of the ordained ministry. Pastors are called to tend the light of the gospel, to keep it burning brightly through the faithful preaching of the Word and administration of the sacraments. They are to remove the "soot" of false teaching and ensure the pure fuel of the gospel is always supplied to the lamp of the church. This work is done "from evening to morning," signifying that the light is most crucial during the darkest times. The world is dark, and the church's light must be diligently tended to shine through that darkness.

This entire arrangement is declared to be a "perpetual statute." This is not a temporary bylaw. It is a foundational principle for worship for all time. The forms may change from Tabernacle to Temple to Church, but the substance remains. God's people must always provide the fuel of their consecrated lives, and the ministry must always tend the flame of the gospel, so that Christ, the Light of the World, is held high for all to see. This is our duty "throughout their generations." The task of keeping the light burning is passed from one generation to the next. We have received the light from those who came before us, and we have a solemn obligation to ensure it is burning brightly for those who will come after us.

Application

This passage is not simply a historical curiosity for Christians today. It lays down the permanent principles for how the light of Christ is to be maintained and displayed in the world. First, we see that the light is costly. It comes from "beaten" olives. Our salvation was purchased at the infinite cost of Christ's suffering. He was beaten that we might have light. Furthermore, our participation in this life of light will also involve pressure and trial. God beats and presses us, not to crush us, but to bring forth the pure oil of the Spirit's work in our lives, so that our lives can be fuel for His light.

Second, we see a shared responsibility. The whole church, the "sons of Israel," is responsible for bringing the oil. This is our corporate worship, our financial giving, our acts of service, our pursuit of holiness. These are the things that fuel the ministry of light. We cannot abdicate this responsibility and leave it all to the pastors. At the same time, pastors have a unique and solemn duty to "keep the lamp in order." They must preach the Word with clarity, confront sin, refute error, and ensure the testimony of Christ shines without distortion. A faithful church is one where the people are bringing pure oil and the ministers are faithfully trimming the wicks.

Finally, this light must be continual. Our witness cannot be something we turn on for an hour on Sunday and then extinguish for the rest of the week. Christ is the light of the world, and we are to be lights in the world because we are in Him. In a culture that is growing progressively darker, that is celebrating darkness and calling it light, the church's flame must be tended with ever greater diligence. We are to be a city on a hill, a lamp on a stand, shining forth the steady, constant, and perpetual light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, before a world that desperately needs to see it.