"Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually" (Lev. 24:2).
The olive tree has always held an important place in the world. You may have noticed that the illustration of an olive branch is still a symbol for peace. It is a very rugged tree with a gnarled trunk, willow-like leathery leaves and yellow blossoms. Even with little care it will often still be producing olives even though it may be more than a thousand years old. (Some of the trees brought to California by the Spaniards are still alive.)
In Bible days olive trees had a special part in the lives of people in Palestine and neighboring countries and are often referred to as tokens of God's blessing on His people. Their fruit, the olive, not only provides food, but its oil has been used for centuries for lighting lamps, cooking, ointment, lubricants, in soap, etc. Kings and priests were usually anointed with olive oil before taking their place of honor among the people. But more importantly, God's people, Israel, were carefully instructed to use olive oil in many places inside the tabernacle and the temple in connection with sacrifices offered to the Lord, as our opening verse shows us.
Olives in the Mediterranean and Jordan areas ripen in the fall or early winter. When finally ripe, entire families often pick together-pulling the fruit off by hand-fathers up on ladders, mothers reaching lower limbs, and children climbing up the trunk for others.
The oil is then taken out of them by presses. In olden days, donkeys, walking slowly in a circle around big millstones, provided the power to crush the oil from the olives, but now this is usually done by modern machinery.
When trees eventually produce too little fruit they are cut down, mostly to be used for firewood. However, some selected hard pieces, yellow in color and with patterns showing in the grain, are more likely to go to skilled artists who make lovely carvings which sell for high prices in tourist shops as souvenirs.
In the first chapter of Genesis we learn that on the third day of creation God created fruit trees, and when He looked on this lovely creation He "saw that it was good." (Read Gen. 1:11-12.) Many years later, when King Solomon thought about the beauty and wonder of God's creation, he wrote: "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth" (Eccl. 12:1).
All of us, young or old, should be glad when we see the marvelous works of creation. They show us a little of the majesty and wisdom of the Lord God, our Creator. How thankful we should be that all things were made by Him for us to enjoy.