The Tabernacle of Moses

Lesson 4  —  The Golden Lampstand

Exodus 25:31-40 KJV  And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.  [32]  And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:  [33]  Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.  [34]  And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.  [35]  And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.  [36]  Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.  [37]  And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.  [38]  And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.  [39]  Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.  [40]  And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

I.                  INTRODUCTION—LIGHT & DARKNESS

God is light and the truth is enlightening.  Furthermore to appropriate the truth will be to bring light into life.  Light provides the ability to fellowship with those in the Church and the same Light (Jesus Christ) cleanses us from all sin through the work of the Cross.  However, the priest who served in the ministry of the Tabernacle had no idea what the work of the Cross was.  He could not see into the future nor could he make the connection with his relationship with the lamp-stand.

A.    The Power of Light

            “Light” in Scripture is always expressive of the nature and manifested character of God.

1 John 1:5 KJV  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

(Numerous other Scriptures bear this point out also:  John 1:4; 1:9; 8:12; Job 33:30; Eph. 2:5-6; 5:8; Col. 3:3-4).

When one considers the power of light, especially from the standpoint of righteousness, several characteristics of light stand out in the biblical sense.

• Light is a symbol of purity and holiness and righteousness (1 Peter 2:9).
• Light removes the darkness from the surroundings (Proverbs 6:23; Isaiah 42:16).
• Light brings illumination to blinded eyes (1 Thessalonians 5:5).
• Light does not have any spots of darkness or sin (Revelation 21:23).
• Light brings the power for revelation (Proverbs 4:18).
• Light will shed truth on the nature and meaning of all things (1 Corinthians 4:5).
• Light brings truth concerning the world, sin, and God (Colossians 1:12-14).
• Light will clarify the path (Psalm 119:105).
• Light will serve as a guide and it will help one to walk out of darkness (2 Corinthians 4:4-6; 1 John 2:8).
• Light will dispel darkness and chaos (Psalm 27:1).
• Light has the power to wipe out, strip away, and erase the darkness of sin and deception (Matthew 4:16).
• Light will cry out to man (Ephesians 5:13-14).
• Light is the glory of God (Psalm 104:2; 1 Timothy 6:16).
• Light proves the power of purity (1 John 1:5).
• Light is compatible with the wisdom of God (Daniel 2:22).

There are numerous men in Scripture who found it necessary to walk in the light of progressive revelation.  As they found the light the God revealed to them, their fellowship with God grew deeper and they were able to lead others to a greater place in God.

• Abraham  —  The light of God pulled him out of a society that exalted human sacrifice to idols.  In fact there are seven different things that the light of revelation forced Abraham to separate himself from.
• Moses  —  The light from a burning bush encouraged him to accomplish the task of leading Israel out of Egypt and then to receive the Law.  The light of the burning bush would progress to a fire on the mountain that brought further revelation and finally this would be followed by the fire descending on the Tabernacle of God’s glory.  The light of the burning bush was for direction, the light of the fire on the mountain was for revelation (Law and components of the Tabernacle), and the light of the fire of glory was for worship.  Light brings direction, revelation, and worship.
• Joshua  —  The light of revelation assisted him in the crossing of the Jordan into the Promised Land.  Anytime that new avenues and conquests in the Spirit are to be taken, there will always be a fresh light of anointing and direction to accompany this process.

John clearly states in 1:5 that God is light and in Him there is no darkness furthermore, if God is within us then we fellowship the Light.  The premise from all of these references and principles is that there is no darkness in God at all!  Because God is the source of light it cannot in any degree fail.

B.  The Duress of Darkness

We can certainly count on the fact that if we fellowship “darkness,” it will have an effect on us.  The vast majority of those who are seeking to serve the Lord have the tendency to categorize sin and with a certain amount of self-rationalization and self-justification venture into the venues of the small foxes.  Of this mindset, we must remain very vigilant!

Far too often when we think of darkness it is common to think of murder, adultery, violence, sexual perversion, and a host of other things that we would consider as the “big” things that would prevail against us.  However, darkness has many more forms than just what we commonly think of as the large assaults on spiritual life.  One constantly must be on the offensive and be aware of the many voices calling you to fellowship the darkness.

The Greek word for darkness is σκοτι?α (skotia) or another form is σκο?τος (skotos).  Not only does this word describe the state of the person but also the works of that person.  It symbolizes evil and sin.  Frankly it gives a good description of everything that life should not be and what a person should not do.  Biblically there are some descriptions of darkness in the life of a person:

Darkness will allow a man to be ignorant about God.

• A man will be vain in his imaginations about God and foolish in his thoughts about God.  Romans 1:21.
• A man will not live and walk according to the light of Scripture and Jesus Christ.  John 8:12.
• A man will be blind of the principles of the Lord and will stumble blindly through life.  John 11:9-10.
• A man walking in darkness cannot understand the light.  John 1:5.
• Darkness will not allow a man to see the glory of God in Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6.

Darkness will lead to evil behavior and actions.

• Darkness will cause the deeds to be evil and those who live in the dark will hate light.  John 3:19-21.
• Darkness will cause a man to live in hate and antagonism against others.  1 John 2:9-11.
• Darkness will cause a person to live a secret life in which the hidden things of darkness will not be able to bear the light.  1 Corinthians 4:5.

The darkness means that man’s nature is darkness.

• A man who is living in the dark will become the very embodiment of darkness.  Ephesians 5:8.
• A man who is living in the dark will have an eye focused on evil.  Matthew 6:22-23.
• A man who is living in the dark is unsaved and has communion with darkness.  2 Corinthians 6:14.
• A man who is living in the dark will have an unfruitful life.  Ephesians 5:11.

The darkness means that a man will live in darkness.

• The darkness will allow a man to live in darkness and be blind to salvation and of the Lord’s return.  1 Thessalonians 5:4-5.
• The darkness means that a person has rejected the call of God and still dwells in darkness.  2 Peter 2:9-10.
• The darkness means that a man will be under the power of Satan and is guilty of sin and there is unforgiven sin in his life.  Acts 26:18.
• The darkness means a place of punishment and hell, the pit of darkness, where the ungodly will be sent to live in the final judgment.  Ephesians 6:12; 2 Peter 2:9; Jude 13.

There are many who are under the great misconception that they may walk in fellowship with God even while they walk in darkness.

II.              THE LAMPSTAND

While the KJV translates the word as “candlesticks” it could probably be better understood to literally be a single lamp-stand.  It is the third piece of furniture that one comes to in Exodus 25 and can also be cross-referenced in Exodus 37:17-22.  Some scholars have characterized it as perhaps being the most beautiful and elaborate piece of furniture in the entire Tabernacle.  While that might be a debatable point, it is certain that was indeed a very beautiful part of the Tabernacle.  It was immediately visible to the priests as they walked into the sanctuary.

Having covered the Ark of the Covenant and the Table of Showbread, they were clearly measured out with an exact measurement provided to Moses.  But when we get to the Lamp-stand, there are no measurements as to its width and height.  Later the same fact will be noted with the Laver.  The corresponding thought concerning this is that the light of God cannot be measured that is to be revealed in the Church nor can the cleansing power of the water of the Word be measured either.  There are aspects of God’s greatness that cannot be measured out which translates into a power that cannot be fathomed or understood as He works through His church.

It was composed of a main shaft or a central stem that was straight upward with six branches the curved outward and upward.  There are several analogies that could be made with this.  One is the Spirit-filled believers, joined in Christ, part of Him (John 15:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12) and now shining His light (Ephesians 5:8; 1 Peter 2:9).  Representative also would be the seven spirits of God (Isaiah 11:1-2; Ephesians 1:17-19; Revelation 4:5).  Furthermore the thought of the seven churches from Ephesus to Laodecia (Revelation 2-3).

In addition were the buds, flowers, and fruit (Exodus 25:33-35).  The ornaments were there for beauty; the bowls, knops (or blossoms) and the almonds.  A saint has the “beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2) about their lives as they walk in this world.  The almonds are the first to come to life in the spring which suggests a type of resurrection and life.  The bowls resembling the almonds and the knops resembling buds and the flowers all gave the lamp-stand the appearance of a tree with all of its forms of life (cf. Numbers 17:8).  The resurrected, living Christ is our light (2 Corinthians 4:6) has impacted us in such a way that we should give evidence of life (Romans 6:22).

Give consideration to the aspects of light that were present in the Tabernacle.  There were three sources of the light.

• The natural light of the sun in the outer court (Romans 1:20).  This is significant of our studying for natural understanding.
• The light of the sanctuary provided by the lamp-stand.  This light came from the fire of God off of the Brazen Altar.  The fire on the altar was for destruction and the light on the lamp was for instruction.  This is much like the disciples who were enlightened by Jesus Christ before they received the Holy Ghost.
• The light in the Holiest of all was the Shekineh.  This was the pure revelation of God that comes to those who are Spirit-filled (1 Corinthians 2:7-16; Ephesians 1:17-18).

In the outer court was the natural light of day that assisted the priests in their duties.  When they went into the Holy Place, the only light present here was the light that came from the Candlesticks.  Suddenly the natural light is being replaced by candlelight.  The closer that a man gets to God the more that the natural light will disappear and the greater the holy light will become in his life.  Notice that the further the priest progressed into the Tabernacle the more he depended on the light that was directed by God.

When a man is first converted through the new birth, he will often stumble about in the natural light of his flesh until spiritual maturity comes to a place in his life that he willingly starts seeking light that can only come from God.  This is what David was bringing to bear when he wrote in Psalm 119:

Psalms 119:105 KJV  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

The same Hebrew word is used when describing the candlesticks in the Tabernacle as is used in Psalm 119.  It is by the lamp of God’s word that we find direction for life.  This divine light can only be useful to us when we are exposed to it.  But as long as a person is content to stay outside of the Holy Place there are battles that will always have to be fought out by the natural man which will always lead to failure.  It is important for spiritual maturity to take place in such a manner where we desire to come closer to the source of light.

A.     The Content of the Candlesticks

Exodus 25:31 KJV  And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.

The whole lamp-stand was made of pure gold and it was also to be of beaten work.  The lamp-stand was taken from a talent of gold and then the hammers would do their work.  Even the knops on the extended ends of the lamp were carefully and intricately designed by the craftsmen, Aholiab and Bezaleel.

Contrast that to Aaron’s golden calf which was molded into shape.  The golden calf shows to us the easiness of sin and the baser instincts of idolatry while the beaten lamp shows us the difficulty of holiness, of creation, of worship, and literally of the light.  It was in keeping with the pattern that God had established by which it was constructed.

The gold had to submit to the hands and hammers of the workers for it to be established into its correct shape.  This same process takes place as God works in the church.  He is constantly using the difficulties of life to create a saint of God or the church corporately.  The fiery trials, the testings, and the sufferings of life create great power in our lives.  The purpose is that we will be conformed to His image.

Job 23:10 KJV  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

1 Peter 1:7 KJV  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 4:12 KJV  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

1 Peter 5:8-10 KJV  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  [9]  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.  [10]  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

In addition to this lesson that is established.  Also of importance is the fact that the lamp-stand was one solid piece of gold.  All throughout the Tabernacle there is an expression of oneness and unity that portrays over into the fact of the monotheism of God.  There is only one way to come to God, through Jesus Christ.

• There is one God and one mediator—1 Timothy 2:5
• There is one great High Priest—Numbers 7:89; John 14:6-9
• There is one sacrifice for sin—John 3:16; Hebrews 10:7-12
• The church is one—Hebrews 2:11
• One Tabernacle, one Temple, one Bread, one Body, and one Church—1 Corinthians 10:17; 12:13; Ephesians 2:20-22.

B.     The Lessons of the Light

Looking back to the Table of Showbread it is important to see that the light of the lamp-stand fell on the table of fellowship.  This light had to shine on the showbread so that it could be seen.  The Word of God will always be in darkness until the Spirit shines the light of illumination in our hearts.  Just as the light gave guidance for the bread, the Holy Ghost will manifest the Lord Jesus Christ who is our true bread from heaven (Galatians 3:24-25).

• The seven lamps were to be made for the lampstand so they would reflect the light forward—Exodus 25:36.
• The light of Jesus Christ is the only true light—John 1:7-9.
• The light of Jesus Christ shines in the darkness and brings life—John 1:4-5.
• The light of Jesus Christ will keep us out of darkness—John 8:12.
• The light of Jesus Christ is the only way for believing men to escape darkness—John 12:46.
• The light shows us how to approach God and worship Him—Psalm 27:1; 84:11; Isaiah 60:20; Micah 7:8; 1 John 1:5-7; Revelation 22:5.
• The light of Jesus Christ brings us out of darkness into the marvelous light—1 Peter 2:9.