The Wise and Foolish Virgins Revisited

 I posted on the topic of the wise and foolish virgins parable a couple of years ago which included a sermon from Jacob Prasch. In this posting I want to examine the parable a bit closer. Something that nags at me is the fact that all the ten virgins in the parable go to sleep. It is dark, it is night. That is the time when most normal people go to sleep (excluding of course those who work in the middle of the night such as policemen and emergency workers, etc) .

Taking this as a typology, the darkness could mean:

Abscence of light

Jesus tells us that He is the light of the world. All ten virgins had lamps. All ten had lamps that went out, therefore they all had oil in their lamps before it got very dark. 5 were wise and had extra oil for their lamps and 5 did not. David had said “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet” (Psalm 119:105)…and the prophet Amos tells us that there will come a day where there will be a “famine for the word of God” (Amos 8:11,12) ….no word of God equals no light… are we seeing the beginnings of that time? Is there a famine for the word of God? Are the churches closing their doors for lack of attendance, for lack of hunger for God’s word? People are starving for the truth but do not even realize they are starving. The light is growing dim. The church is going to sleep.

All ten were “virgins”…all ten were “good people”. All ten started out with oil in their lamps. All ten started out awake. All ten went to sleep. They all had many things in common. 5 had extra oil and 5 did not. Our good works can bring some light to a dark world. There is nothing wrong and Jesus even encouraged feeding the poor, visiting the sick and those in prison…but it is not enough to keep our light burning during the darkest hours. When the goats said to Jesus “when did we not feed you, clothe you, visit you in prison, etc. ?” (Matthew 25:31-46) Both groups sheep and goats had done good things for people…read that parable carefully and you find that the good works of one group was accepted while those same good works were not accepted from the other group. Jesus was left out of one of those groups and made the good works all for nothing. If they neglected even one person that needed help and didn’t give it they did that neglect to Jesus. The other group if they only helped one person in Jesus name their works were acceptable to the Lord. One group had true light, the other group’s works even though good, had no light of Christ to give a lasting effect. 

Is the land becoming like the darkness of sackcloth? Are we in that time of deep darkness when the famine for the word of God is growing and spreading throughout the earth? Do we have extra oil for our lamps while it seems our lamps have gone out? Who can supply us with that much needed extra oil? Can we buy it from merchants? (Pastors selling their prosperity gospels perhaps? People selling lessons on how to become healthy, wealthy, and wise?) Or is it “purchased” through trials by fire and only from the Lord? By seeking Him as we go through our trials in life?

Daniel 2:20-22 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.

 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;

 he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

Daniel 12:3  And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 

To read my previous posting on this topic:

https://bibletreasuresandpearls.blogspot.com/2019/10/wise-and-foolish-virgins.html