Messiah in Sukkot Chapter 9
- Faith without the works of the Holy Spirit is a “Dead Faith”
- The fruit of light
- The Messiah King is depicted as an Olive Tree
- A land of Olive Oil
Faith without the works of the Holy Spirit is a “Dead Faith:”
Insight #1. The Etrog is double minded. It is dual-natured. It is a mixture of good and evil.
Insight #2. The Olive Tree (in contrast) is single minded. It is single-natured. There is no mixture. It is good throughout.
Insight #3. The Etrog symbolizes the curse of our own self-reliance mixed together with the blessing of reliance solely upon the works of the heavenly Father. This ‘mixture’ leads to the false belief of justification by works of the Self that is imperfect and a futile effort that only leads to a life of enmity with the Holy One; rather than justification by the righteous works of Messiah and the Spirit of Holiness alone.
Insight #4. The Olive Tree symbolizes the blessedness (ashrei) of living a life of total reliance on the gracious and pure (sinless) works of the heavenly Father (Avinu Shebashamayim).
Insight #5. Practicing the traditions of men, our own works of self-righteousness that originate from our own self-centered vanity, will only lead to the appearance of our looking good on the outside (pious behavior); while the inner corrupt core of our minds, souls, and spirits remains corrupt (evil mixed in with good).
Insight #6. Faith (emunah) without exercising complete reliance on the works of the Holy Spirit (symbolized in the Olives) is a dead faith (symbolized in the Etrog). Therefore, only the new life of the Spirit of Life (Ruach Elohim Chayim) that is symbolized in the Olive Tree can change humankind from the Inside-out. Only the life of the Spirit of HaShem (the NAME) will ever restore us (redeemed humankind) back to our original state of ‘perfect’ moral innocence and physical-spiritual purity.
The fruit of light:
Olive oil is a symbol for the work of the Spirit of Wisdom (Ruach Ha-Chokmah).
One who is anointed in oil is a person who is empowered by the Spirit to walk in goodness, righteousness and truth. In Zechariah 4:1-14, HaShem’s invisible tree covering for the Golden Lampstand (a type of the Tree of Life) is clearly revealed to be the Olive Tree. HaShem’s covering of His glorious Indwelling Presence by a redeemed, regenerated (holy) new humanity will be accomplished by the two offices of Messiah: the (singular) offices of High Priest and King (symbolized by the “two olive trees” in Zechariah’s vision).
The Spirit of the Holy One is building up a “nation” of kings and priests (plural) to produce His fruit of goodness, righteousness, and truth. The ministry of this international nation, composed of both redeemed Jews (Israel) and Gentiles (Commonwealth of Israel) serves as a true covering for Adonai (the LORD), the Eternal One, in this age of good and evil (cf. the history behind the special blessing that was bestowed upon Shem and Yafet in Genesis 9:18-27).
The true beautiful tree that “covers” (whose fruit anoints) the Messiah our Great High Priest and King is—-the Olive Tree. It is the fruit of the Olive Tree that is sourced in the Life of the Spirit that is used to accomplish the royal activity of glorifying (anointing) the life of Messiah. This fruit of the Spirit that is grown, harvested, processed, and used to anoint the Messiah is produced in the fertile ground of our lives. It is the will of God our Father (Adonai Avinu) that our lives become the means by which our Redeemer and Savior is glorified. This is so because as the Son has glorified the Father, it has also been the will of the Father to glorify His Beloved Son.
The Messiah King is depicted as an Olive Tree:
Like King David the Messiah and his followers will become a great Olive Tree: “But as for me, I am like a Green Olive Tree in the house of God; I trust in the loving-kindness of God forever and ever” (Psalm 52:8).
A land of Olive Oil:
Mosheh called Israel the land of olive oil.
Moses called Israel a “land of Olive Oil” (Deuteronomy 8:8). Israel is to be a nation of priests and kings who produce in abundance the pure, righteous works of the Spirit of the Holy One. Israel is to be a nation that provides spiritual shelter to all the nations of the world. The king provides shelter from the sun and privacy for all those who seek a place to worship Adonai Eloheinu (the LORD our God). Meditate on His Torah and receive rest. In accord with the Almighty One’s promises to Father Abraham, Israel is to be a source of spiritual and material blessing to all the nations of the world (Genesis 22:17-18):
כי־ברך אברכך והרבה ארבה את־זרעך ככוכבי השמים וכחול אשר על־שפת הים וירש זרעך את שער איביו׃ והתברכו בזרעך כל גויי הארץ עקב אשר שמעת בקלי׃
כִּֽי־בָרֵךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ וְהַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ כְּכֹוכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וְכַחֹול אֲשֶׁר עַל־שְׂפַת הַיָּם וְיִרַשׁ זַרְעֲךָ אֵת שַׁעַר אֹיְבָֽיו׃ וְהִתְבָּרֲכוּ בְזַרְעֲךָ כֹּל גֹּויֵי הָאָרֶץ עֵקֶב אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקֹלִֽי׃
“Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My Voice.” (1, 2)