Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Give me oil in my lamp, I pray
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Keep me burning ‘til the break of day
I sang this song countless times growing up. As a child, I sang along not understanding the full meaning of the words. As an adult, Yahweh has given me a glimpse into the deeper implication this simple chorus offers.
In Exodus 27:21 Aaron, the first priest of Israel, and his descendants are charged to keep the lamp just outside the Ark of the Covenant burning all throughout the night. This command was considered a law that was to be followed for countless generations.
Fast forward to 1 Samuel 3 and the priest, Eli, who has grown old and nearly blind has passed this responsibility to Samuel, the son of Hannah. As Samuel lies one night outside the Holy of Holies where the Ark is kept, Yahweh calls out to Him and Samuel hears the voice of God for the first time.
The first thing that strikes me deeply about this story is found in verse 1. When Yahweh reveals Himself to Samuel, it came “when messages from the Eternal were rare, and sacred dreams and visions were given to very few,” (The Voice). Why, then, did Yahweh choose a mere boy to receive His Word?
I believe the answer is found in verse 2. “It was late at night…as the lamp of God still burned. Samuel was resting in the house of the Eternal One,” (The Voice). Samuel had only one responsibility that night – keep the lamp burning. And as he fulfilled that responsibility, he rested. He didn’t strive. He didn’t fret. He didn’t run around the Tabernacle and find other things to do.
The word rest that is used here literally means to lie down, to sleep, to rest. Rest in the Old Testament was considered a divine blessing. God wanted His people, former slaves, to have the privilege of rest and renewal. It was as Samuel rested in the presence of God that Yahweh revealed Himself. Revelation comes through resting where the Lamp of Yahweh burns. It does not come through our own efforts or striving.
The second thing that strikes me about this story is that Eli is nearly blind when Samuel has this encounter with Yahweh (verse 2). Could it be that Eli’s blindness was as much spiritual as physical? After all, Samuel woke him up three times before he realized who was actually calling. Notice that Eli was sleeping, which is considered by most to be a form of rest. What is the difference between the rest of Samuel and the rest of Eli? I believe it is that Samuel rested with Yahweh. He served diligently in the simple task of keeping the lamp burning, but rested throughout thus enabling Him to hear the voice of God.
Friend, we have many responsibilities in life. We are daughters, wives, mothers, sisters…we fill many roles that each require something of us. My challenge, to both you and myself, is to begin to rest with Yahweh as we do them. I, for one, am incredibly guilty of pulling up my boot straps and powering through each day only to find myself feeling heavy and empty of the oil that keeps my heart burning with the light and life Yahweh brings.
What if we were to learn to pause, take a moment, and rest in the middle of all the responsibility? How would our lamps burn then? How might the heaviness lift? How might God reveal Himself if we learn to rest where the Lamp of Yahweh burns?
-Liz