The Answer is 42!

Because I think the Father often uses the foolish things of the Earth to teach us, I decided to explore the Bible and find verses or chapters that contained ‘forty-two.’   Why 42?  In the book The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, forty-Two was the “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.”  The book made the number 42 famous.   There has been a lot of speculation about what the author meant by this arbitrary number.  None of those include seeing a connection with the Bible, but I was curious!  The answer may be 42!!

There were several instances where I found insight from doing this exploration!  I was amazed!  I suggest you see for yourself.  I especially liked what I found in Psalms 42 and Chapter 42 in Isaiah!  I think they will bless you.  In addition to those, I found many ways to associate this number with the Bible.  It presents several interesting rabbit trails!

For this article, I am going to explore a couple of those rabbit trails.   Could Forty-Two lead to anything other than Psalm 42 and Isaiah 42?  As in most things that grab my attention, this excursion into ‘what if…’ yielded some surprising things to think upon.  Is it a ‘message from God?’  Perhaps!  I didn’t hear a voice from heaven, but a message was found all the same!

NOTHING BUT A FLASK OF OIL

I am not usually a big fan of plucking out single verses to make a point.  However, it is interesting to contemplate what a verse might lead us to understand.  Take the following ‘4:2’ verse:

2Ki 4:2 Elisha responded, “What shall I do for you? Tell me what you have in your house?” She replied, “Your servant has nothing in the entire house except for a flask of oil.”

The widow owed a debt she could not repay and a flask of oil was all she had!  The prophet told her to send her sons to collect all the pots and vessels they could find.  Then she was to shut the door behind her and her sons and was blessed with a miracle when the oil in a single flask was multiplied to fill all the pots!   With it she was able to save her children from slavery.  The oil saved and sustained her!

What has this to do with 42?  Hang in there!  Let’s explore the meaning behind a flask of oil and how it might connect to other verses with the numbers 4 and 2.  Along the way you may understand why I believe a flask of oil is all we need!

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF OIL?

Oil is often mentioned in the Bible.  During the rededication of the Temple (see Hanukkah article) it is traditionally believed that a single cruse of olive oil lasted for eight days to enable the Temple to be cleansed and sanctified again after it was defiled by paganism.   Oil shows up again and is of vital importance in the parable of the Ten Virgins!  Only five of them had sufficient oil when the Bridegroom came.

When I looked up ‘oil’ in my e-Sword, there were well over 200 matches for the word!  The first mention is in Genesis following Jacob’s vision of the ‘ladder”:

Gen 28:17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Gen 28:18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.
Gen 28:19 He called the name of that place Bethel (House of God)

The oil has something to do with making things holy or set-apart.  The oil was used to anoint the stone that Jacob had put at his head; the stone at the gate of heaven!   Later verses show oil is used to anoint altars, kings and priests.  In addition to anointing, oil is used to light the lamps of the Menorah.

Exo_27:20  “You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn.

Exo_40:9  “Then you shall take the anointing oil and ANOINT THE TABERNACLE and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it MAY BECOME HOLY.

The apostles performed miracles with anointing oil.   Oil is also a symbol for the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit helps us learn to walk as Yeshua walked.  With the help of the Holy Spirit we may become holy!

Lamps?  Light?  Oil?  What does it all mean?

Olive oil is used to fuel the light of an oil lamp.  Where do we find an allusion to a lamp?

Pro 6:20 Keep your father’s commands, my son, and never forsake your mother’s rules,
Pro 6:21 by binding them to your heart continually, fastening them around your neck.
Pro 6:22 During your travels wisdom will lead you; she will watch over you while you rest; and when you are startled from your sleep she will commune with you.
Pro 6:23 Because THE COMMAND IS A LAMP AND THE LAW A LIGHT,

What is it that makes the light shine?  In a Lamp it is the olive oil.  If the Commands are a Lamp, and the Law is a Light, then the Oil that keeps the lamp burning is that which enables the light (law) to be seen.   Still confused?

Connect the dots!

Let’s look at the symbolism, allegorical meanings and plain explanations given to us in the Bible.  Come along and follow the train of thought.

What is the fuel that enables us to follow the Law?  What animates our desire to walk as Yeshua walked?  We are told to be born again, and that is associated with the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Only the Holy Spirit can draw us into a desire to follow YHVH.  It is the Holy Spirit that animates our walk in the way.

The oil used in the Temple Menorah was the oil pressed from olives.  Israel is described as the Olive Tree.  Yeshua is the Root and also the Branch (Netzer) of the Olive Tree.  All of the life of the tree comes from the root, and it is manifested in the olives and the oil pressed from them.  One olive grove was frequented by Yeshua!  “… it was in the Garden of Gethsemane (Gat Shemen in Hebrew, literally, the place of the “olive press”), where Yeshua spent much of His time in Jerusalem with His disciples.” 1

To what end did Yeshua pray in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion?  Was it to fill up his oil (Holy Spirit) in the ‘olive press’ so that he could remain strong for the physical trial before him?  Was it to demonstrate how we are to keep our own oil tanks filled?  He promised his disciples he would send them His Spirit.

Joh_14:26  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Mar_1:8  I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

What’s the Fruit of the Spirit?

Yeshua told us he would send us a helper so that we could walk in all His ways.   He sent us the fruit of the spirit (olive oil) to help us walk in his footsteps.  Only those who have a lamp filled with the Holy Spirit can be a light to the nations.   The Holy Spirit enables us to follow the law.  It is manifested in what we Do.

In the parable of the Ten Virgins some were foolish and had not stored up oil for their lamps.  In other words, they held onto the commandments but didn’t do them!  They carried the lamp, but they didn’t utilize it as a light.  No oil, no Light.  No Holy Spirit, no Law-keeping.

Act_5:32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Psa_32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Go Buy a Clue

The foolish virgins didn’t have light because their lamps were not filled.  When they asked the wise to share their oil with them, they were told to go and buy their own.   In today’s vernacular they said, “Go buy a clue.”

What were they told to ‘buy?’  They needed Oil (the Holy Spirit)!  Can you ‘buy’ the Holy Spirit?  Isn’t the Holy Spirit the spirit of truth? (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13).  We find an answer in Proverbs!

Pro 23:23 Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

So, it sounds like if we will ‘buy’ oil for our lamps, we must find the store where we can find wisdom, instruction and understanding.  Where is the most likely place to purchase these tools for Truth?

It is clear that our ‘store’ is found in the Bible.  Truth comes with wisdom, instruction and understanding.  Some assembly is required!  We must put forth some effort to make it whole.  If we are to buy a clue, we need to take the gift of His spirit, and spend some time in understanding how to operate with it!  We need to read, study, pray, praise, seek His face, and learn what it is He needs us to know.  That hasn’t changed.

LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS!

What is the point of buying truth?  Isn’t it to learn from His Word and to teach others?

Deu_4:10  how on the day that you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them HEAR MY WORDS, so that they may LEARN to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may TEACH THEIR CHILDREN so.’

Deu_5:1  And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall LEARN them and be careful to DO them.

Isa_26:9 My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Isaiah said that when His judgments (commandments) are in the earth, all the world would Learn Righteousness!  He wants the whole Lamp Lighted!  It requires a flask of oil.   A flask that will be multiplied until the entire household is saved!  (see 2 Kings 4)

Act_1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

IS IT ENOUGH?

Will a single flask of oil be enough?  More and more I understand that we are filled only to the amount we seek Him.   Do we only want a day’s supply of oil, or do we want enough to light the entire Lamp?  If Yeshua needed to top up his supply of the Holy Spirit before he was tried, what makes us think we don’t have to?  Do we only want to burn a single light (keep one or two instructions) or do we want to fill up His entire Lamp (Keep all the commandments!) and light up the nations!?

Will we be found with our oil lamps filled?  How can the Light shine in the darkness if we fail?

May we all learn His Commandments (Lamp) and be guided by the Holy Spirit (oil) to Do them as a light to the end of the earth!

IS THE ANSWER 42?

Daniel 4:2  It gives me great pleasure to tell about the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
Psalms 119:42  Then I can answer the one who insults me, for I place my trust in your word
Deuteronomy 4:2 Do not add or subtract a thing to what I’m commanding you. Observe the commands of the LORD your God.
Proverbs 4:2 I give you sound teaching, so do not abandon my instruction.
Mic 4:2  Many nations will approach and say, ‘Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the Temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways, and we will walk according to his directions.’ Indeed, the Law will proceed from Zion, and the message of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Christmas? Bah Humbug!

I find myself in agreement with Scrooge!  You all know the story of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  It is a classic that has been made into innumerable plays, staged readings, movies and cartoons to retell the wonderful story of how an old miser like Scrooge could find generosity and forgiveness by embracing the Christmas spirit.  Before his conversion his curmudgeonly retort to all who espoused Merry Christmas was, “Bah! Humbug!”

After some study, I now think that Scrooge was on to something!  He certainly needed a change of heart, but he was right about Christmas being a humbug!  Why do I say I agree with Scrooge?

I looked up the definition of Humbug. 

Here it is from the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary:

humbug

noun hum·bug  : language or behavior that is false or meant to deceive people : someone or something that is not honest or true : a hard peppermint candy

Full Definition of HUMBUG

1 a :  something designed to deceive and mislead

b :  a willfully false, deceptive, or insincere person

2 :  an attitude or spirit of pretense and deception

3 :  Nonsense, drivel

Hmmmm.  Am I saying that everyone who celebrates Christmas is ‘willfully false, deceptive and insincere?’  Not exactly.  I believe that the majority of Christians are sincere in their wish to ‘keep Christ in Christmas,’ and have no intention to deceive or pretend the holiday is anything other than a celebration of the birth of our Savior.  They would be, and are, offended to have their celebration characterized as nonsense or drivel.

But, and this is the hard part for almost everyone to swallow: What if the concept of Christmas is offensive to the Father?  What if Christmas itself is humbug?

If you are still reading this, I guess you are willing to explore the possibility that Christmas might not be based in Biblical instructions.  I am hoping you are looking for me to explain what I mean so that you can make an assessment of whether I am sincere, or a humbug.

Everyone can point to the lovely Charlie Brown Christmas cartoon where Linus reads the recounting of Jesus’ birth from the book of Luke.  “That is what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown;” and, for many, that is enough.  It is a justification for all that Christmas has become.  The fact of Jesus’ birth, the shepherds abiding in the fields by night, and the singing of the heavenly hosts is familiar, inspiring and gives us all that warm fuzzy feeling.  Christmas is the memorial of this event that brought Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Men, isn’t it?

We are all drawn in by our memories of movies and Christmas stories.  Films like It’s A Wonderful Life, White Christmas and many others are perennial favorites that show the spirit of Christmas as a generous and loving heart for our fellow man.  But, no story other than A Christmas Carol concentrates on the Spirits that animate our love-affair with all things Christmas.

So why did Scrooge call Christmas a humbug?

Scrooge was a bitter and disillusioned man.  His spirit was so darkened that he couldn’t accept that people might actually have love and goodwill in their heart, and certainly that these feelings were not the result of Christmastime.  Until he was visited by four spirits (Marley, and the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future) he was unable to recognize that his misery was the result of his own heart and behavior.  He became a miser that worshipped money and it cost him the love of his life.  To him, all of the good cheer and love others portrayed was a deception.  It was, indeed, a humbug.  A spirit of deception, insincerity and dishonesty.

Let’s look again at the definition of Humbug.  It is “language or behavior that is false or meant to deceive people, someone or something that is not honest or true, or a hard peppermint candy.”

Now, let’s look at the other definitions.  “Someone or something that is not honest or true.”  Christmas celebrations probably fall into this category.  If we are honest, we must conclude that Christmas and its attendant trappings of trees, holly, mistletoe, Santa and reindeer etc., are all based on myths or ancient pagan practices.  A quick search on the internet yields an abundance of evidence that places all of these things we associate with Christmas as pagan symbols and celebratory customs that we have ‘Christianized.”  They are found nowhere in the Scriptures.  The reason all of these pagan practices were adopted by the Christian church may sound okay to you, but it flies directly in the face of what the Father asked of us.

He said, “Do not learn the ways of the heathens and say you do them unto me, it is an abomination!” (Deu 18:9, Jer 10:2)

You will not find in the Bible, including the New Testament, an instruction to celebrate the birth of our Messiah.  None of the apostles observed Christmas, and for centuries it wasn’t even on the radar screen!  In fact, it was well into the 1800’s before it was even legal for Americans to erect a Christmas Tree because our founding fathers (you know, those folks who fled England because of religious persecution) understood that it was a pagan practice!

So, aside from the traditions that have been co-opted from pagan celebrations (which surely we could conclude fits the definition of a deception), the dark under-belly of Christmas is also a deception.

Why do I say that?

Sadly, the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ is not for many people. It is well-reported that there is a spike in suicides during the Christmas season.  The expectation and hype associated with this holiday results in further alienating those who are alone, mentally unstable, or are experiencing a down-turn in their lives. When the magic of Christmas fails to materialize, many cannot cope with the disappointment.

Another deception is our ability to ‘rational-lies’ to our children.  We tell them fantastic tales of flying reindeer, Santa and elves that bring good girls and boys the desires of their heart, and elves on shelves that watch everything they do and say in the run up to Christmas morning.  We think we are creating a spirit of ‘magic’ when in fact we are just lying to our children and setting them up for disappointment and disillusionment when the truth comes out.                                                                                          
                                                
                                          Deception! 

On every level!  We all want to embrace the thought of ‘good will and peace on earth.’   And many actually attain a level of that, until the post-Christmas crash and bills for how much we over-spent in the ‘spirit’ of generosity arrive in the mail.  We have substituted honest emotions of love and goodwill for Black Friday fist-fights over material goods.  We feel pressured to purchase gifts for everyone we see lest we fail to embody the Christmas spirit.  We strive for and expect the ‘Christmas spirit’ during December, and fall back into our everyday mode the rest of the year!  If it is from the heart, it should be apparent all year round, don’t you think?

If you really examine the theme of It’s a Wonderful Life, it really isn’t about Christmas at all.  Although it is a holiday classic and the climax occurs on Christmas Eve, the real story is the culmination of a life well-lived.  George Bailey is a man of integrity.  He honors his father and mother by giving up his dream to leave Bedford Falls in order to handle his father’s business.  He lives his life with a heart to help others, and because of that, this honest, hard-working man is rescued by his community in his hour of need.  Incidentally, his rescue from his own suicide was the result of a prayer for help, but it is easy to gloss over that and hang the entire ending on the ‘Christmas Spirit.’  It makes for a nice setting, but the story could have been told without Christmas in the picture and the result would have been the same.

Now I guess I have ruined your favorite Christmas movie.  It shouldn’t have.  It is still one of my favorite ones too, but I can see it as a reward of a life well-lived and an answer to prayer.  The setting is irrelevant although the snow is nice, and the winter-time ties it all up in a neat bow.  It wasn’t Christmas that caused the happy ending, it was love.

       SHAMELESS PLUG: for more on It's a Wonderful Life go here

So, now that Christmas can be properly characterized as humbug (deception), what should we do with that information?

What if we love the Father enough to search out the truth?  What if we discover that He instituted Feasts that He does want us to observe?  What if we understand that Leviticus 23 is for all mankind, and not just for the ‘Jews?’  What if we realize that celebrating Christmas that began as a pagan festival is no different than the Israelites who built the golden calf and declared it a feast to YHVH?

What if we rightly call Christmas a Humbug?