so the previous owner didnt know how to change a valve cover gasket or neglected it for a loooong time. The jeep has hardly any oil in it and when you turn the key to "on" the oil light on the dash comes on. would that tell the computer to not let the engine start to prevent any catastrophes?
also, it seems like its cranking a bit slower than im used to in older cars. maybe im just not used to the jeep yet.

You definitely want a hot blue-white spark.
You should borrow/rent 2 diagnostic tools:
1. fuel pressure tester
2. compression tester
Post up the results of both tests.

There's nothing that would prevent the engine from starting due to low oil pressure. When you do an oil change the light may linger (like less than 2s) on for a brief moment longer than normal as the oil is pumped into the empty filter and the such.

Try the starting fluid and let us know if anything changes (like does it begin to start up on the fluid).

Also did you test the spark with a new plug? How does it look?
Did you test for spark via a plug wire (in other words through the distributor) or only directly from the coil? Is the result the same?

It really does sound like a fuel issue since even if it's a weak spark it could still run (just very poorly).

Ok, so i put starter fluid in, still no start.
Just checked the spark with the plug in the wire and its a sort of blue i guess, still see some yellow in it.
The spark seems slow, not sure if its supposed to be fast while its attempting to start.

will go rent the tools to test compression and fuel pressure tomorrow. im hoping its not a lack of compression in a cylinder.

thanks for everyones help/imput.

if leaning towards a fuel issue (no pun intended).... you could always pop the inline fuel filter off and see if it's clogged. Make sure you blow the right direction or you'll pop your own eyes out. lol...follow the arrow on the side for flow direction.... it's normal to have a little resistance, but you shouldn't need a second set of lungs to blow some of your own air through it. If that's clogged, good news is those are dirt cheap to replace. Just make sure you use rubber hose clamps to pinch off the fuel lines on both sides of it so you don't get a face full of gasoline.

So. I started to check compression.
Chamber 1-0
chamber 2-30
whent towards the back just to see
chamber 5-40

now i get that i shoukd check them all, maybe even twice. But to get 0 on a compression check told me there was something far worse going on than what i had thought.

so im guessing the engine is shot.

+1

With the way the original spark plugs looked combined with the compression test results, I am guessing that the pistons are going to be missing some pieces...

Sorry about your rough start to Cherokee ownership. I would double and triple check the compression to make sure its not a problem with the tool, etc. Until I got to that post, I was thinking, how hot did it get? Losing a freeze plug is about the worst thing as the cylinders lose all cooling quickly and that leads to catastrophe. If the compression indeed is that low, the engine is shot. Fortunately, these engines are plentiful on the used market. I was looking at one on ebay the other day that was very reasonably priced.

Make sure you have the throttle wide open when doing this test. Also you can add a small drop of oil to see if it helps.