Clay Lamps

Persons may choose to get a clay lamp for a variety of reasons. Some for the experience of owning a lamp from Jesus’s parable of the Ten Virgins, others because they want to protect the environment, still others because they believe that clay lamps are very useful.

When one thinks of lamps in the New Testament, the parable of the Ten Virgins immediately comes to mind. This was a story of ten virgins who were guests at a wedding which evidently took place in the night as the virgins all had their lamps.

Psalm 119 verse 105 is a popular scripture text that reads: Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Everyone can relate to the importance of light in our daily lives especially in the nights when the God-given natural light, the sun, has withdrawn for that day.

As one considers biblical lessons from oil lamps, the parable of the Ten Virgins as recounted by Jesus comes to mind. The parable indicated that ten virgins had their lamps all trimmed and ready for the wedding, but the five wise virgins took extra oil while the five foolish virgins only took the oil in their lamps.

Long before there was kerosene (aka paraffin) lamp oil, people used olive oil lamps for lighting their homes. These oil lamps are straightforward to use. They are natural, don’t produce toxic byproducts, and can be used in a pinch during power outages.

These items are becoming more popular these days, with many new persons becoming enthused about owning clay oil lamps, which are perfect replicas of those found in archaeological digs.

Clay lamps have been and still are practical and functional today. It is considered that its operation, although today we can consider it simple, was very ingenious at that time. It is not known for sure how it came about, but it is known that around the first millennium BC there was already evidence of its use, especially in the areas of Egypt and Mesopotamia.

In Matthew 25:1-13, Jesus speaks about the parable of ten virgins who together awaited the coming of the bridegroom. Five of them took their lamps with oil, and the other five forgot to refill their lamps with oil. At midnight, the bridegroom arrived and the virgins who were ready were able to enter the wedding.

In Israel you can find beautiful antiques such as lamps made of clay, which, more than illuminating your life and your home, can decorate and ornament your home. They come in different styles and colors: ceiling lamps, table lamps, wall lamps, rustic lamps, modern lamps, lanterns, lighters, and many other varieties.