Tabernacle Truths
The Lampstand
Exodus 25:31-40
 
For those of you who may not have been here the last few weeks, we are studying the Old Testament Tabernacle in the wilderness.  It was the structure that God's people used to worship during the  wilderness wanderings after their release from Egyptian captivity. 
 
As we've already seen, there was an outer court which has a white linen fence around it supported by posts topped with brass caps.  It had a gate for an entrance.  Immediately inside the fence, there was a brass altar where animals were sacrificed. 
 
In the outer courtyard there was also a brass laver or washbasin where the priests would wash their hands and feet.  There were specific requirements regarding cleanliness for those who ministered in the tabernacle.
 
Last week, we moved into the tabernacle itself.  It was a moveable structure.  The sides were wooden boards covered in gold.  The roof was a multi-layered covering of various cloths and skins.
 
The first section of the Tabernacle was known as the holy place.  It was 30 feet long, 15 feet high and 15 feet wide.  The second room is what is known as the holy of holies, and it was perfectly cube-shaped room of 15 feet.
 
 
Inside the first room, there were three articles of furniture.  To the right, there was a table that held twelve loaves of  what was called show bread, representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
 
In the middle of the room, in front of the veil that separated the two rooms, there was an altar, and to the left there was a lampstand which is what we'll be looking at today.  We find the details for the construction of the lampstand at
 
Exodus 25:31-40
 
So when Moses went up on the mountain, God gave him, not only the Ten Commandments, but all of the details for designing and constructing this tabernacle.  It would serve as the dwelling place of God among His people, and as you can see, God is very particular about where He lives. 
 
The details are astounding!  And once has to wonder why He was so particular about all of the detail work, especially for the lampstand.  After all, it served the very practical and utilitarian purpose of providing light in the tabernacle.  That means the only way they could see to do what they needed to do was because of this lampstand. 
 
There were no windows in the Tabernacle.  The curtains on the roof didn't allow any light to penetrate.  The walls are solid wood.  So, the lampstand was the only way anything could be seen inside the holy place.
 
 
 
And from a practical point of view, any old lampstand would have provided light.  But notice, God is very particular about the design and appearance of this lampstand. 
 
For instance, it isn't molded of various pieces that are joined together.  It was hammered out of one piece. 
 
verse 31
 
He's even more specific in
 
verse 36
 
That means they must have had some kind of extremely gifted goldsmith to make it!  In fact, that is true of the entire structure.  the finest craftsman of Israel were called upon to build and manufacture every part of the tabernacle.
 
They had people who knew how to embroider nad weave materials to make the curtains.  They had woodworkers and silversmiths and artists.  And here we are told that this lampstand was to be hammered from one solid piece of gold.
 
In fact, we are told specifically in verse 39 that the lampstand the utensils used to care for it were made from a talent of pure gold.  In today's measurements, that would be 125 pounds of gold worth over half a million dollars.
 
Add to that the labor force that made it and you have about a million dollars tied up in the light fixture for a temporary, portable tabernacle that would eventually be replaced.
In fact, some experts estimate the entire construction and furnishing cost of the tabernacle to be in excess of 19 million dollars. 
 
So why was God so specific and so extravagant when it came to the tabernacle?  It's simple:  It is His picture book of salvation and in particular, of Jesus.  I like to think abou tit like this:  God spared no expense when it came to telling us about salvation!
 
It was so important to God that these Jews know that He loved them and cared about them and wanted to be near them that He pulled out all the stops in providing a place for them to know and worship Him. 
 
And in New Testament terms, it is a picture book of Jesus.  And this tabernacle is a reminder that there is nothing more valuable or important than getting to God.   Therefore, everything about it tells us about Jesus because He is the only way to get to God.  
 
For instance, the white fence surrounding the tabernacle stood as a reminder that sinful man is separated from Holy God.  He is pure and perfect, and in His righteousness, He judges sin.  And the caps on the posts and the altar, all made of brass tell us about that judgment.
 
The altar also teaches us the lesson of substitution.  You face God one of two ways when it comes to your sins.  Either you meet God with your sin on yourself or you meet God with your sins on the Lord Jesus Christ.  When Jesus died on the cross the Bible says He who knew no sin was made sin for us. That means all your sins were laid on the Lord Jesus Christ.  When Jesus died He was your substitute.
So that altar represents the cross. By the way, that altar was covered in brass, but it was made of wood.  Again we see the Lord Jesus, Who in His humanity, pictured in the wood, is covered over with the judgment of God.  "He Who knew no sin became sin for us", and as such, He took the full punishment for sin for all men for all time. 
 
He is not only the altar, He is the animal on the altar.  He was our sacrifice.  He took our place.  And that's why you and I can be saved.  The altar is all about salvation.
 
The laver—the washbasin—represents sanctification.  If you are going to fellowship with the Lord, you have to be clean.  So God has given us the laver of the written Word of God.  We read the Word of God and it washes our lives.  In the written Word of God we read about the living Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ who cleanses the heart.
 
Then we moved inside the tabernacle, and inside, the picture is completely different.  There is beauty and wonder everywhere.  Again, everything is constructed of wood, but now, instead of being covered in brass, it's covered in gold.
 
And that gold is a symbol of deity.  When Jesus was born the Bible says that the magi brought Him gifts that included gold.  It was a gift fit for a king.  And here we find the perfect deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Bible says that God has exalted Jesus and given Him a name that is worthy of worship and honor.  And everything we see inside is about Jesus.
 
 
 
Last week, we saw the table for the showbread.  It was made of wood and covered with gold.  Jesus was fully human, yet fully God.  So Jesus is the table, but Jesus is also the bread on the table and there we find a picture of satisfaction.   There were no other food items on the table other than bread.  There was no fruit or vegetables or meat, just the bread. 
 
The symbolism there is that Jesus Christ is sufficient to meet the deepest hungers and desires of your life.  Everything you are looking for, you'll ultimately find in the Lord Jesus Christ.  You don't need anything else.  He is the Bread of Life Who said, if you'll just fill yourself with Me, you'll never be hungry again.
 
Today, we consider the lampstand which teaches the lesson of illumination.  Light makes it possible to see.  And as I said a moment ago, if that lampstand hadn't been on the inside, the priests couldn't see to do what they needed to do.  But God provided a light that made it possible for them to see things that could not be seen otherwise. 
 
As New Testament Christians, the purpose for illumination is still the same.  God wants us to see things that we could not see otherwise and that those who are outside of Christ are unable to see.  And the primary thing He wants us to see is Jesus.   
 
Now, I think it safe to say that the safest and most accurate way we have of seeing what God wants us to see is through the Bible.  It is the voice of God revealing to us His purpose and His work through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. 
 
 
 
So with the lampstand burning in the Holy Place, everywhere they looked, the priests saw Jesus.
In like manner, when we open the Bible, everywhere we look we see Jesus.  
 
Now watch this:  as you probably noticed, there are a lot of numbers included in the description of this candlestick, and if you mess around with them a little bit, some amazing things emerge!  
 
Notice, God instructed Moses to make a lamp stand that had seven branches with three branches on each side of a center branch. And according to verse 33, on each of the branches there was to be a bowl that was adorned with a knob and a flower.
 
Then, verse 34 says the center branch was to have four bowls, again, with each bowl having knobs and flowers.
 
So the total number of requirements on each of the outer branches, which by the way, is the part that actually provided the light, is 9 (3 bowls 3 knobs and 3 flowers) and the total number of decorations in the center branch is 12 (4 bowls, 4 knobs, and 4 flowers). So the overall total number of decorations for all seven branches can be summed up like this:
 
9 + 9 + 9 + 12 + 9 + 9 + 9 = 66.  So what?
 
Well, let's think for a minute.  Now many books are there in the Bible?  The number 66 comes to mind. 
 
So the lampstand is a picture of the Word of God reminding us there are 66 books in God’s Word that gives light to all that would read and study it.
 
But that's not all.  If we take the first 4 branches, we have three branches with nine ornaments and one branch with twelve ornaments.  Again, let's do some math.  (9 + 9 + 9 + 12 =39). There are 39 books in the Old Testament.
 
And the remaining 3 branches give us 27 (9 + 9 + 9) which speaks of the 27 books in the New Testament. I don't know about you, but I find that pretty amazing! 
 
No wonder David wrote in the 119th Psalm, "Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path!", and no wonder Jesus said, "Search the Scriptures because they will tell you about Me!" 
 
Keep in mind, everything in this tabernacle is about Jesus. Just as He was the table and the bread on the table, He is also the lampstand and the light that shines from the lampstand.  So what does this lampstand tell us about Jesus? 
 
First let's think about
 
1. The Formation of the Lampstand
 
Notice how this lampstand was to be formed.
 
verse 31
 
The first detail I notice is that it had a shaft which would have been central to everything else.  As you continue reading, you discover that the other six branches came out of this central shaft.
 
 
That means the light that was produced by the lampstand flowed from this central shaft which is an Old Testament picture of the Lord Jesus Christ Who is identified in the New Testament as the light of the world. He was God in the flesh, bringing light to men in darkness, which is exactly what the lampstand provided in the tabernacle. 
 
First John 1:5 says God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.  Now, when the Bible says God is light it means several things. 
 
- Physically, light represents the glory of God. 
 
The Israelites who worshipped in this tabernacle were instructed to follow God. He would direct them.  And physically, they say a cloud hovering over this tabernacle that represented the glory of God.  At nighttime, it glowed like it was on fire.  But it was a constant physical presence of the glory of God.
 
- Morally, light represents the holiness of God.  
 
What did we read from John's writings a moment ago?  "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."  That's John's way of saying that God is absolutely holy and sinless.  That's why you and I who are sinners need to be made holy by the shed-blood of the Lord Jesus Christ in order to even have fellowship with God.  So physically, light represents the glory of God.  Morally, light represents the holiness of God. 
 
 
 
 
Intellectually, light speaks of the knowledge of God.  
 
Listen to
 
John 8:12:
 
"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
 
He is the only one Who could ever honestly and rightfully say, "I am the light of the world." That's why people outside of Jesus Christ are walking in darkness.  By the way, that's why they can't see what you and I see.  They are outside fo the tent and there is no light out there!
 
So He's the shaft of the lampstand, and notice also, verse 31 tells us the this lampstand shall be of "hammered work".
 
The goldsmith literally took a hammer and softened the gold in fire and beat it into shape.  That reminds us that when our Lord Jesus Christ was here on earth, He was hammered also. 
 
What did Isaiah prophecy in Isaiah 53:5?  He said,  "He was wounded for our transgressions.  He was bruised for our iniquities.  The chastisement of peace was upon him and by His stripes we are healed."  
 
They put Him on a cross.  They took the hands and drove nails into them.  They took the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ and drove spike into them. 
 
And the Bible reminds us in the 10th verse of the same chapter of Isaiah that it was none other than God the Father who hammered Jesus to the cross when it says, "It pleased the Lord to bruise Him." 
 
The same God that designed that lampstand and ordered that it be prepared through hammering is the same God that designed a plan of salvation that would allow you to see His glory!  Jesus Christ became the Light of the World because it was God the Father who hammered His own son to the cross of Calvary, and that hammered, central shaft points to Christ. 
 
Then, on each side of that shaft, there are branches and those branches represent God's people.  In this original setting, that was the twelve tribes of Israel, but now it's us and all Christians who've ever lived.  We are the branches on the lampstand. 
 
The church, corporately, is commanded to be the light of the world.  There is a graphic illustration of that responsibility found in the first chapter of the Revelation.  Listen to
 
Revelation 1:12-13
 
John says, "Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lamp stands, and in the midst of the seven lamp stands One like the Son of Man. . ."
 
Red the rest of the letter and you will discover those lamp stands represented the churches of Asia Minor.  The church is compared to a lampstand. 
 
That's why, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "You are the light of the world, a city that is set on the hill cannot be hid."  A church is to be like a lamp, a light, on a hill that is visible and inextinguishable.  Just as those branches were connected to the shaft, we take His light and share it with others
 
We are to do that corporately as a church and we are to do it personally and individually as well.  And it's interesting in the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus illustrated both.  He said we are like a city that can't be hid.  But He also said we are like a candle that gives light to all that are in the house.
 
We're to be a light for Jesus corporately through the work and ministry of the church in the city and we are to shine for Jesus in the personal relationships we have, beginning with our own family.  And as a branch, with a vital connection to Jesus, just shine!  Just take the light that was given you by God and let in shine in the darkness around you so that people can see what they could not see otherwise. 
 
As Paul told the Philippians, "be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom you shine as lights in the world."  The central shaft represents Christ.  The branches
represent Christians, corporately and individually.
 
The second thing I want to talk is
 
2.  The Fuel for the Lampstand. 
 
We're kind of spoiled in our day and age in that if we enter a dark room, we just flip the switch and the lights come on. 
But in those days they didn't have electric lights and switches so providing light was a little more involved.  They had to have some fuel. Notice,  
 
Now if you were paying attention as I read our text a moment ago, you may have noticed that fuel was not mentioned.  We are told about the branches and the bowls and the wicks and utensils, but nothing about what would fuel the lamp.  But we can read about it a couple of chapters later.
 
Exodus 27:20
 
So there we discover that the fuel for the lampstand was pure olive oil. Normally they would put olive oil in an olive press and either crush it with a rock or stomp it with their feet.  But however they prepared it, Moses was instructed to use "pure oil from pressed olives."
 
Now Biblically speaking, oil is a picture of the Holy Spirit.   We find a reference to that in
 
Luke 4:18
 
where Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed. ."
 
Very often in Scripture, oil is used for anointing, but here it is the source of providing the light for the tabernacle.
 
Now follow the analogy.  We as branches are connected to Jesus, the light of the world and given the commandment to be lights ourselves.  So what fuel shall we depend on to get the job done? 
 
it is the fuel of the Holy Spirit.  Just as the source of the light for the lampstand is the pure olive oil, the source of the light for the Christian is the indwelling presence of the pure Holy Spirit of God.  When you are saved, you are not only connected to the Son of God, the light of the world, you are connected to the Spirit of God, who fuels the light.
 
By the way, there is an interesting little phrase found in
 
Philippians 1:19
 
"For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,"
 
That tells me that whatever I need to be a light for Jesus, the Holy Spirit who dwells within my heart will supply.  So does that mean when I get saved, God just fills me up and I do what I do from this reservoir of the Holy Spirit in my life?  After all, that's what Exodus 27:20 leads us to believe.  We will "burn continuously". 
 
But watch this:  The lamp only "burned continuously" because of what happened in verse 21. 
 
Exodus 27:21
 
In order for the light to stay on, the lampstand had to have a continual supply of oil. 
So every day, Aaron and his sons would make sure the oil was available.  They would fill the bowls and adjust the wicks and make sure everything was in order. 
 
There is a great lesson in that for those of us who want our light to shine.  We must depend every day and at every moment for the Holy Spirit of God to provide what we need to shine.  By the way, that's why when the Bible says, "be filled with the Spirit," it uses exactly the same wording that is found here in Exodus. 
 
Being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time deposit of the power of the Holy Spirit into our life.  We are indwelt by the Spirit at the moment of salvation.  But the filling is something that must continually happen.
 
And it requires that humbly depend upon God so that the pure oil of the Holy Spirit will be available to fuel us to do the work and ministry of God as His lamps.
There's one final thing I want you to see regarding this lampstand. 
We've talked about how it was formed and we've seen how it was fueled.  Let me say just a word about
 
3.  The Flame of the Lampstand.
 
Everything that we've studied so far was to make certain the flames on the lamps burned brightly because those flames dispelled the darkness and made it possible to see. 
 
So what did the priests see when they went in?  Well, in simple terms, they saw Jesus. 
He was there in the bread and the table.  And he was there in that  beautiful lamp stand.  In particular, the lampstand was adorned with depictions of almond buds and blossoms.
 
On the lampstand, we find almond tree buds and blossoms. A we saw earlier, there cups that looked like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. The Lampstand base and central branch had four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms.
 
One almond bud was under the first pair of branches, a second bud under the second pair of branches, and a third bud under the third pair of branches.
 
So why all this emphasis on almonds?  A couple of things come to mind.  First almond buds and blossoms were a reminder of the, the constant watchfulness of God over His people.
 
We find the connection between the almond tree and the watchfulness of God over Israel in
 
Jeremiah 1: 11 – 12. The Lord asked Jeremiah, What do you see? Jeremiah’s response is, “I see the branch of an almond tree.” God returns, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”
 
So when those flames were lit and the light made things visible, every time those priests went in the Holy Place, their eyes would fall on the table and the bread, reminded them of the salvation and security of God, and they would see those almond buds and blossoms and know that God was watching over them.
And I want you to know, God is continually and constantly watching over you also. But seeing that depends upon the flame burning brightly. 
 
Secondly, those almonds were significant in that almonds were always one of the first trees to blossom in Israel after the cold, winter months. The first tree to bring forth life from death.
 
And there we find an Old Testament reminder of Christ's resurrection from the dead, and the promise of new life in Him.  After all, is that not why we bear his light?  Don't we share the light of the gospel so people can be saved and be a part of the resurrection?  That's why we shine!
 
So how do I learn to live in the comfort of God's care and the anticipation of His return?
 
A moment ago, I mentioned that the priests had two primary responsibilities when it came to tending the lamp.  First, they had to fill the bowls and make sure there was plenty of oil.  And second, they had to trim the wicks.  
 
Listen:  just because I know God has saved and secured me and is always watching over me does not mean I can just float along and expect Him to do all of the work.
 
I've got to make sure the bowls are filled and the wicks are prepared.  I mean by that, I must be filled with His Spirit and constantly at a place where I can burn the brightest. 
 
 
We've already talked about the oil.  Let me focus for just a minute on the wicks.  Sometimes those wicks would burn a little low and they would have to adjust them a little bit by pulling them up.  Does that describe anyone you know?  I don't know about you, but I know in my own life, sometimes my wick is burning a little low! 
 
I need to be adjusted a little bit, and sometimes a whole lot!  And by the way, isn't it interesting that as wicks burn, they are always adjusted up?  The Holy Spirit is always about moving you up!  He doesn't come to condemn or judge you.  He comes to move you closer to God and to become more like God.  he moves in our life to adjust our flame so that we are burning at maximum efficiency and productivity! 
 
Sometimes the wicks needed to be trimmed.  They had to trim off the charred ends which would no longer burn brightly.  By the way, that picture is seen in the Revelation lamp stands as Jesus, the High Priest is pictured as moving among those churches, cutting away those things which were not needed and which frustrated the shining.
 
And it may be there are some things in your life that need to be trimmed.  Sometimes it is worldliness or sinfulness.  Sometimes it's a bad attitude or negative spirit.  Our tongue is hateful and our responses are unChristlike and when we get in the presence of the flame, it's easy to see we are not like Christ.  Therefore, our light is distorted or dim.
 
And today, if we would shine brightly, we need to be filled and we need to be trimmed and adjusted by the Holy Spirit of God. 
 
Sometimes those wicks burned up. After the death of John the Baptist, Jesus described him as "a burning and shining lamp".  Now John the Baptist said of himself, "I must decrease and He must increase" and there we find the key to keeping ourselves useable.
 
We can't really shine for Jesus until self burns out.  You have to die to self. 
 
We aren't told what the priests were to do with the burned up wicks, but I assume that's what the trays were for that are mentioned along with the wick-trimmers in Exodus 25:38. 
 
They would remove those wicks and place them in the trays and take them away.  And I like that thought!  I'm speculating, I know, but it just seems to me that what Scripture is telling us is that after we've burned for Jesus, and our time of service is over, the High Priest of God shows up to take us away!
 
In the meantime, keep your wick trimmed and your bowls full. Live your life so those on the outside see the beauty that's on the inside! And Live in the lcomfort and care of God knowing that one day God will take you home
 
Let's pray.