This just keeps getting better all the time. Good stuff.
So, the oil is not the Spirit, and it is not preparedness necessarily, but maybe, just maybe, the oil is representative of a measure of forgiveness from the Lord after having confessed and repented:
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Perhaps unrighteousness depletes our "oil" so to speak, and in that state of depletion, one is therefore not prepared by way of continual confession and daily repentance, one is left unprepared for when He comes. That suggests an inverse thought process about the oil, does it not, thus masking the meaning from those who do not study to show themselves approved of God?
In these discussions, therefore, we can share the precious things with others that help encourage them to likewise delve into the scriptures, and seek the Lord for the greater depths of what He may give liberally to all who ask with hearts having been cleansed through confession before the Lord, and active repentance every day. That's one of my daily mottos..."Repent every day so that I may not continue in repeating past sins."
In other words, sin pokes holes in our oil reservoir, and thus we go about the day unprepared for when He comes for His own.
Hmm. This drives me to even deeper reverence before the Lord in this moment. The more our eyes are opened toward the Holy of Holies to see His Light, the more we are driven to our knees, on our faces, in worship of the Most High.
So, the "purchase" is the price for confession and repentance. THAT I can agree with when it comes to what we may "buy" in a not-so-physical sense. Prayer is special, within which we confess, and declare our active repentance validated by our actions. That seems more consistent with the text, would y'all agree?
MM