The Tabernacle: lesson Five: The Candlestick
First things first…setting the record straight. There were some questions last week about what I said notably that frankincense was a vegetable and I was quoting Dr. Alex Ness from his book “Pattern for Living” who said, and I quote “In Smith’s Bible Dictionary Frankincense is referred to as a vegetable of the purest and whitest kind, bitter to the taste.” Unquote.
Dr. Ness, whose book I have BEEN USING to this point says, “It is said the frankincense aroma filled the room, keeping bugs, ants and other creatures away from the bread. The fact remains that it was bitter and when the priests ate the bread it was like the Passover with bitter herbs. Jesus sufferings was a bitter experience.”
Last week some of you challenged my statement about the frankincense being a vegetable…and you were correct. I was simply quoting Dr. Ness, who by the way was the founder of Lakeshore Gospel Tabernacle in Toronto and also the Queensway Cathedral in Toronto as well. He was a world evangelist known far and wide as an author, Bible teacher,
Missionary and the list goes on. I understand he is with the Lord now so I shall have to wait until I see Him to straighten him out. So if I make a mistake every now and then I am in good company. I AM GLAD NONETHELESS THAT YOU ARE KEEPING TABS ON WHAT I AM SAYING AND KEEPING ME STRAIGHT.
I DID FURTHER research on the subject and this time I found that frankincense is taken from trees.
Frankincense is tapped from the very scraggly but hardy Boswellia tree through slashing the bark and allowing the exuded resins to bleed out and harden. Sounds similar to tapping Maple tees. We used to scrape off the balsam from spruce trees and under the balsam you would find a gum and we would chew it. These hardened resins are called tears. There are numerous species and varieties of frankincense trees, each producing a slightly different type of resin. Differences in soil and climate create even more diversity in the resin, even within the same species. These trees are also considered unusual for their ability to grow in environments so unforgiving that the trees sometimes grow directly out of solid stone, which the tree attaches to by means of a sucker-like appendage. The deep roots and its sucker like appendage prevent the tree from being torn away from the stone during violent storms; the tears from these hardy survivors are considered superior due to their more fragrant aroma. The aroma from these tears are more valuable for their presumed healing abilities and are also said to have superior qualities. It seems that the highest qualities come through adversity doesn’t that seem like that to you? And that is the way it is in the lives who have known adversity…it’s like these trees. You get better quality.
I hope this clarifies and corrects my mistake, my purpose in doing any Bible study must be as accurate as possible. I shall continue to strive for perfection. Accuracy…let’s get to the Candlestick. Again we are reading from Exodus ch. 25 beginning at verse 31 and reading down to and including verse 40. Exodus 25:31-40 (New Living Translation)
Plans for the Lampstand
31 “Make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. Make the entire lampstand and its decorations of one piece—the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds, and petals. 32 Make it with six branches going out from the center stem, three on each side. 33 Each of the six branches will have three lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. 34 Craft the center stem of the lampstand with four lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. 35 There will also be an almond bud beneath each pair of branches where the six branches extend from the center stem. 36 The almond buds and branches must all be of one piece with the center stem, and they must be hammered from pure gold. 37 Then make the seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so they reflect their light forward. 38 The lamp snuffers and trays must also be made of pure gold. 39 You will need seventy-five pounds[a] of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories.
40 “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain. (One estimate put the Lampstand at 125lbs. either weight makes its value extremely high.)
Exodus 25:31-40 (New King James Version)
The Gold Lampstand
31 “You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. 32 And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. 33 Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. 34 On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 35 And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 36 Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. 37 You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it. 38 And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
I put a lot of time into this, a lot of research and I enjoy doing it but that is not my reason for doing it, not for personal gratification…it’s for Him; it’s for the Lord. The apostle said in Collosians 3:17 “And whatsoever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” That is my motivation. The reward of doing this is in itself….the praying over it for His leading in study is worth all the time and effort that goes into it, believe me. Isn’t Bible study great? Anyway …the CANDLESTICK. The Menorah the Jews call it…
The Candlestick was made of pure gold…notice there was no mention of it’s size or dimensions. The form and purpose are what we are given and also the weight. Depending on what a talent weighs it could have been any thing from 75 to 125 pounds of the purest gold. A Canadian gold coin is regarded as the finest in the world. And if you had enough to weigh 75 pounds it would be worth $981,240.00. (even though the face value of a one ounce coin is only $50.00)yet the value of an ounce of gold on the open market is astronomically high.
If a talent of gold weighed 125 lbs. it would cost you $1,635,400.00 cdn if you paid for it with the value of a new Maple Leaf gold Canadian coin. (I am talking about the Candlestick in today’s gold bullion prices.) Not the face value but the actual ounce value that dealers get for them. God does things first class doesn’t He? By the way the purity of a Canadian Maple Leaf gold coin is 99.999%. But the value of the Candlestick could not be measured in man’s values. The Candlestick as is the case with the rest of the furnishings, pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah Prophesied of Jesus as that Light in ch. 49 vs.6. Then in John 9:5, Jesus speaks of Himself. The Candlestick stood opposite the Table of showbread in the Holy Place, just outside the veil. It was the only light in the Holy Place and it provided light for services rendered, for the fellowship that the priests enjoyed there and it also illuminated the beauty of the interior of the Holy Place..
No outside light penetrated the interior of the Holy Place as the beauty of the interior could not be seen or understood in outside light. The light came from burning the oil in the candlestick lamp. The burning of the oil represents the Holy Ghost and Fire and this is how the Word is illuminated as revealed in Psalm 119:105 “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my path.
The Candlestick was made from one solid piece of pure gold 100% pure…not like Ivory soap 99 44/100 percent pure nor was it like the Canadian gold Maple Leaf coin—99.999%. It was 100% pure. It was a hammered piece of work. We will see later in our study that the craftsmen whom God equipped and ordained knew how to do this work. It is considered an impossible feat by today’s craftsmen. I can understand why it would be. But God had given a man by the name of BEZALEL special wisdom to do this work. We’ll talk about him later.
God raises up people to work in various ways that we do not realize many times. You don’t always have to be a preacher to be used by the Lord. It may be that he has called you to do what some would not consider to be spiritual things but God has called you for that purpose. Maybe it’s to prepare a meal for someone or write a letter, send a card, make a phone call, repair a fence…fix a window…whatever it is …do it with all your might. Maybe it is just to be an encouragement in a way that only you can be to someone else. But you will brighten someone else’s life. It may be the means of someone finding the Lord. You can be that light no matter how long or how short a time you have been serving the Lord. God wants to use each one here; not necessarily all in the same way.
The Candlestick had seven branches…seven being the number of God. The book of Revelation ch 1:4 speaks of the seven fold Spirit of God. Some versions call it the seven spirits of GOD but the sevenfold Spirit is probably the better translation. As I said, this Candlestick had seven branches and the center shaft was taller than the other six; the center shaft or branch had four sets of bowls, knops and flowers, while the six branches that come from the sides of the center shaft have only three, so that on one set of branches you have six sets of bowls, knops and flowers. Here we see again a picture, portrait of Christ and the church…six is the number of man; seven the number of God, the church came out of His side as Eve came from the side of Adam(not his head), he was created on the sixth day
Man was created on the sixth day; he was created a little lower than the angels and therefore just short of God and perfection; remember seven is the number of perfection and the only way we can achieve Godliness and ultimately and eventually perfection is by being engrafted into the Vine, by coming out of the side of the center branch. The Candlestick represents Christ and His church, His body, His temple. It’s that picture John saw while he was on the isle of Patmos in Revelation 1:12,13 and verse 20. Notice that Christ is in the midst of the candlesticks. 1 Tim. 3:14,15 speaking of the church says “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth “ Jesus said “you are the light of the world” We have the truth, it’s the Word of God and we have Christ within living in us by His Spirit and we are called to shine forth as He has ordained it to be and I thank God for making me a member of this great body that is the church. We are the church of the Living God. Can you shout amen? The Lampstand was all one piece; it does not matter that you are called a Pentecostal…it does not matter that you may be a Baptist…it makes no difference if you go by the name of an Anglican or Roman Catholic…it only matters that you are in Christ…His body is not divided…oh, it may seem that way, but if any man be in Christ, Paul says, “he is a new creature, old things pass away, behold everything becomes new”…it is all of one piece. Do you get the picture?
It was the very epitome of craftsmanship, one piece of precious metal…gold…beaten, hammered into form and shape to the very “nth” degree; not cast into a mold and melted into shape but rather beaten and hammered. God the Holy Ghost is working in each one of us molding and shaping us to conform to the image of His Son through the process of beating. Every test, every trial, every sorrow every heartache and every misunderstanding and every false accusation …every Gethsemane brings us that much closer to God’s perfect plan and that is to be conformable to the image of Christ. Romans 8:29 , Eph. 1:4
The six branches were of beaten work as was the center shaft…the beating was the same. Do you think for one minute that we will escape the beating if we are going to conform to His own image? If we are to be like Him. Has life been a free ride for you? Haven’t you experienced some of this beating yourself? Paul wrote to Timothy and told him that all who live a godly life can expect persecution; now I don’t want to get sidetracked on the difference between persecution and afflictions, we’ll leave that for another time, but we ‘ll look at…2 Tim 3:10-12. And it does not always come from outside either. Look at verses 1-13 of 2 Tim. Ch. 2.
The knops, bowls and flowers:
It has been suggested that these knops were pomegranates that were worn on the hem of the priest’s robes. Other suggestions are the lily or a rose bud and you can see the types of Christ in all of these but the Bible says it was almonds and I feel that the almond fits here quite well. The almond was the first to bud in the spring indicative of new life in Christ; it goes with the scripture in 1 Corinthians 13:20; it bears the first fruit, John 12: 24; it was typified in Aaron’s rod that budded … the bud, the flower and the fruit.
There is a picture of the branches in Isa. 11:1-4. We see in this portion of scripture the relation to the branches of the Lampstand or Candlestick: the center shaft is the rod out of the stem of Jesse whom we know is the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of the Lord is upon Him. The first two branches that come out of the center stem are symbolic of the Spirit of wisdom and understanding. The next two represent the Spirit of counsel and might, the final two represent the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. These are characteristics of our Lord, amen? He is qualified to be the true ruler and judge! Let’s look at these seven things that make Him that Ruler and Judge:
The Spirit of the Lord it says shall rest upon Him so that 1.Shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord.
2.Shall not judge after the sight of His eyes.
3.Neither reprove after the hearing of His ears.
4.With righteousness shall He judge the poor.
5.He shall reprove with equity the meek of the earth.
6. He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth.
7.With the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked.
The bowls, knops, flowers and fruit are in all the branches just as they are in the center stem. They are all one because they are of One and that One is Christ.
Let’s look at the bowls…I can’t wait to look at the oil but first the bowls. In the original the word for bowls is “calyx” and it signifies a cup shaped formation that protects the bud and flower and ultimately the seed. Think about the seed because it is the seed that is reproductive. Again a picture of Christ and the Church. The Church came out of Christ, amen?, the branches came from the stem, each branch is reproductive , so we see the necessity of protecting the seed, that which reproduces. Jesus taught that any branch that does not reproduce is to be cut off. Let us pray and endeavor to be reproductive.
Again we see in the Ark that it held something…the Table upheld something and in the Candlestick; it to is holding something; each branch holds a lamp which in turn holds the oil to give the light. So let’s take a look at these lamps.
The lamps were made of pure gold. They were designed by God to contain the oil that would burn and produce light. Without these vessels…there would be no light . Jesus is the Light of the world and He has given us, the branches, the privilege to uphold the vessels (to actually be the vessels through whom the Light shall shine into dark places.) Wherever there is light, darkness has to disappear. We met a man while we were in Spain who is taking the light through an organization called enlace which is Spanish for link into the Muslim world and our missionary council has endorsed that ministry. They are taking Light, the Light into an extremely dangerous and dark world. It’s these kind of ministries that are deserving of our prayers.
To be most effective this light was to shine “against itself.” The lamps are to “give light over against it.” The light of the Church, the pillar and ground of the truth’ is from Him for Him. As the light shines on the center shaft, it lights itself and dissipates all darkness and as it shines in the Holy Place the food from the Table is shared and praise and worship covered with prayer ascends as sweet incense to the very throne of grace. The light has to shine in the Presence of God and the Church before it can be effective in the world…we need the Church folks tonight …you can’t get this by staying home. We need the Light and we need it to shine in us and on Jesus. (song: let it shine on me, let it shine on me, let the Light from God’s lighthouse shine on me)
Jesus said, “I Am the Light of the world” John 8:12 and in Matt. 5:14, “Ye are the light of the world” and in verse 16, He says “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.” That is how our light will shine when men see your good works. Some of the richest teaching that I for one have received up until now has to do with the truths contained in this Golden Candlestick…the Ark…what a subject…the Table…so beautifully representing sweet fellowship, but there is something about this Candlestick that goes down into the very innermost recesses of my soul and my spirit that changes me and causes me to rejoice in its truths. It is a picture of Christ and His Church and I am a member of His body…I am a partaker. Hebrews 3:1. Now the Oil:
You may have the stands, lamps and the wicks(we’ll be talking about the wicks later on), but unless you have the oil and the fire…there will be no light. Think about what I’ve just said…the stands(branches) lamps and wicks are oh, so necessary but without the oil burning in your soul tonight there will not be any light to shine in our midst. The oil is the key ingredient. The oil represents the Holy Spirit and as I said if He is not burning His fire in us, there can be no light. The oil was to be the very best golden variety made from olives, and it had to be pure. Every impurity had to be beaten out of it. Ex. 27:20, 21 “And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of compressed (beaten in KJV) olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. In the tabernacle of meeting outside the veil which is before the testimony.” You and I have got to bring the oil folks. We are the vessels and we have the oil and if we don’t have it we had better get it quickly before the bridegroom comes or we shall be left out. We’ll miss the wedding and what greater tragedy could there possibly be? We bring the oil. He is the light and He is the oil, we are the vessels, the bowls. We can’t bring the oil if we don’t have it. Remember the five wise and the five foolish virgins?
We need the oil…you can’t do it on your own…we need the oil. We need the oil …you can’t make it by yourself you need the oil. Pray that your lamp is full of oil. Amen? The oil is our source of fire and our source of light. The Holy Spirit is our source of fire and He is our light. His fire burns in us…His Word is like a fire burning within us…it is that lamp unto our feet and that light for our path. You can’t separate God from His Word. David said in Psalm 39:3, “My heart was hot within me, while I was musing, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue” Jeremiah speaking in ch. 20 vs. 9 says “Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name. But His Word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary of holding it back. And I could not. Jeremiah could not stop proclaiming the Word of the Lord. It was a fire within his bones. Hallelujah!
Oil was also used for food. The widow of Zarephath had only a little oil in a cruse 1 Kings 17:12. In 2 Kings another widow, ch. 4 vs. 2 had nothing in the house except for a pot of oil…they use it on bread for breakfast in Spain. In fact they use it on most everything they eat. It was used for anointing also. And we will come back to the oil in a later lesson.
Lastly tonight I want to mention the wicks, tongs and snuff dishes; the utensils…If you don’t get anything else I say tonight, get this. The wick is the human portion of the lamp. The tongs and snuff dishes were used to trim the wick and store the burned part. Every day, morning and evening the wicks were trimmed and adjusted. Do any of you remember the old oil lamps? I REMEMBER THE Alladin lamps. Where I came from there was no electricity until I was eight years of age. You had to refill the lamp with oil repeatedly…it did not stay full on it’s own. You had to clean the shade repeatedly… it could not clean itself…if it burned all on one side the shade would turn black from the smoke because when it was lopsided it would not burn clean.. so you had to adjust the wick and trim it with a pair of scissors or such like…round off the edges and clean the shade and then it would burn clean for a while. It gave a brighter light when it was clean burning. Balance in our walk is extremely important.
We are the wicks, the channels through which the light flows as well as the oil and for that light to flow there must be oil burning and as it burns the wick burns. In order for clean burning and good lighting the wick must be trimmed daily. Only the priest was allowed to do this. If the wick could talk and if it had feelings then no doubt it would say to the priest, why do you have to trim me so often? Am I not shining brightly enough? The oil does not flow well through the burned portion, it must be cut off. The burned part will not keep on burning…it must be trimmed…cut off. That which burned yesterday…has to be trimmed today Skillfully the priest’s trained hands would cut it off and place it in the golden snuff dishes. Past victories, past accomplishments, past successes and past blessings will not suffice for today. We have to be put into the snuff dishes, they are but history. They cannot be channels for today’s light; they are but history. We need a fresh anointing.The only source of light is Jesus and we need to abide in Him if we are to shine as lights in this world…we need the trimming. We need the old burnt portion cut off.
First things first…setting the record straight. There were some questions last week about what I said notably that frankincense was a vegetable and I was quoting Dr. Alex Ness from his book “Pattern for Living” who said, and I quote “In Smith’s Bible Dictionary Frankincense is referred to as a vegetable of the purest and whitest kind, bitter to the taste.” Unquote.
Dr. Ness, whose book I have BEEN USING to this point says, “It is said the frankincense aroma filled the room, keeping bugs, ants and other creatures away from the bread. The fact remains that it was bitter and when the priests ate the bread it was like the Passover with bitter herbs. Jesus sufferings was a bitter experience.”
Last week some of you challenged my statement about the frankincense being a vegetable…and you were correct. I was simply quoting Dr. Ness, who by the way was the founder of Lakeshore Gospel Tabernacle in Toronto and also the Queensway Cathedral in Toronto as well. He was a world evangelist known far and wide as an author, Bible teacher,
Missionary and the list goes on. I understand he is with the Lord now so I shall have to wait until I see Him to straighten him out. So if I make a mistake every now and then I am in good company. I AM GLAD NONETHELESS THAT YOU ARE KEEPING TABS ON WHAT I AM SAYING AND KEEPING ME STRAIGHT.
I DID FURTHER research on the subject and this time I found that frankincense is taken from trees.
Frankincense is tapped from the very scraggly but hardy Boswellia tree through slashing the bark and allowing the exuded resins to bleed out and harden. Sounds similar to tapping Maple tees. We used to scrape off the balsam from spruce trees and under the balsam you would find a gum and we would chew it. These hardened resins are called tears. There are numerous species and varieties of frankincense trees, each producing a slightly different type of resin. Differences in soil and climate create even more diversity in the resin, even within the same species. These trees are also considered unusual for their ability to grow in environments so unforgiving that the trees sometimes grow directly out of solid stone, which the tree attaches to by means of a sucker-like appendage. The deep roots and its sucker like appendage prevent the tree from being torn away from the stone during violent storms; the tears from these hardy survivors are considered superior due to their more fragrant aroma. The aroma from these tears are more valuable for their presumed healing abilities and are also said to have superior qualities. It seems that the highest qualities come through adversity doesn’t that seem like that to you? And that is the way it is in the lives who have known adversity…it’s like these trees. You get better quality.
I hope this clarifies and corrects my mistake, my purpose in doing any Bible study must be as accurate as possible. I shall continue to strive for perfection. Accuracy…let’s get to the Candlestick. Again we are reading from Exodus ch. 25 beginning at verse 31 and reading down to and including verse 40. Exodus 25:31-40 (New Living Translation)
Plans for the Lampstand
31 “Make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. Make the entire lampstand and its decorations of one piece—the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds, and petals. 32 Make it with six branches going out from the center stem, three on each side. 33 Each of the six branches will have three lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. 34 Craft the center stem of the lampstand with four lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. 35 There will also be an almond bud beneath each pair of branches where the six branches extend from the center stem. 36 The almond buds and branches must all be of one piece with the center stem, and they must be hammered from pure gold. 37 Then make the seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so they reflect their light forward. 38 The lamp snuffers and trays must also be made of pure gold. 39 You will need seventy-five pounds[a] of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories.
40 “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain. (One estimate put the Lampstand at 125lbs. either weight makes its value extremely high.)
Exodus 25:31-40 (New King James Version)
The Gold Lampstand
31 “You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. 32 And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. 33 Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. 34 On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 35 And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 36 Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. 37 You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it. 38 And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
I put a lot of time into this, a lot of research and I enjoy doing it but that is not my reason for doing it, not for personal gratification…it’s for Him; it’s for the Lord. The apostle said in Collosians 3:17 “And whatsoever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” That is my motivation. The reward of doing this is in itself….the praying over it for His leading in study is worth all the time and effort that goes into it, believe me. Isn’t Bible study great? Anyway …the CANDLESTICK. The Menorah the Jews call it…
The Candlestick was made of pure gold…notice there was no mention of it’s size or dimensions. The form and purpose are what we are given and also the weight. Depending on what a talent weighs it could have been any thing from 75 to 125 pounds of the purest gold. A Canadian gold coin is regarded as the finest in the world. And if you had enough to weigh 75 pounds it would be worth $981,240.00. (even though the face value of a one ounce coin is only $50.00)yet the value of an ounce of gold on the open market is astronomically high.
If a talent of gold weighed 125 lbs. it would cost you $1,635,400.00 cdn if you paid for it with the value of a new Maple Leaf gold Canadian coin. (I am talking about the Candlestick in today’s gold bullion prices.) Not the face value but the actual ounce value that dealers get for them. God does things first class doesn’t He? By the way the purity of a Canadian Maple Leaf gold coin is 99.999%. But the value of the Candlestick could not be measured in man’s values. The Candlestick as is the case with the rest of the furnishings, pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah Prophesied of Jesus as that Light in ch. 49 vs.6. Then in John 9:5, Jesus speaks of Himself. The Candlestick stood opposite the Table of showbread in the Holy Place, just outside the veil. It was the only light in the Holy Place and it provided light for services rendered, for the fellowship that the priests enjoyed there and it also illuminated the beauty of the interior of the Holy Place..
No outside light penetrated the interior of the Holy Place as the beauty of the interior could not be seen or understood in outside light. The light came from burning the oil in the candlestick lamp. The burning of the oil represents the Holy Ghost and Fire and this is how the Word is illuminated as revealed in Psalm 119:105 “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my path.
The Candlestick was made from one solid piece of pure gold 100% pure…not like Ivory soap 99 44/100 percent pure nor was it like the Canadian gold Maple Leaf coin—99.999%. It was 100% pure. It was a hammered piece of work. We will see later in our study that the craftsmen whom God equipped and ordained knew how to do this work. It is considered an impossible feat by today’s craftsmen. I can understand why it would be. But God had given a man by the name of BEZALEL special wisdom to do this work. We’ll talk about him later.
God raises up people to work in various ways that we do not realize many times. You don’t always have to be a preacher to be used by the Lord. It may be that he has called you to do what some would not consider to be spiritual things but God has called you for that purpose. Maybe it’s to prepare a meal for someone or write a letter, send a card, make a phone call, repair a fence…fix a window…whatever it is …do it with all your might. Maybe it is just to be an encouragement in a way that only you can be to someone else. But you will brighten someone else’s life. It may be the means of someone finding the Lord. You can be that light no matter how long or how short a time you have been serving the Lord. God wants to use each one here; not necessarily all in the same way.
The Candlestick had seven branches…seven being the number of God. The book of Revelation ch 1:4 speaks of the seven fold Spirit of God. Some versions call it the seven spirits of GOD but the sevenfold Spirit is probably the better translation. As I said, this Candlestick had seven branches and the center shaft was taller than the other six; the center shaft or branch had four sets of bowls, knops and flowers, while the six branches that come from the sides of the center shaft have only three, so that on one set of branches you have six sets of bowls, knops and flowers. Here we see again a picture, portrait of Christ and the church…six is the number of man; seven the number of God, the church came out of His side as Eve came from the side of Adam(not his head), he was created on the sixth day
Man was created on the sixth day; he was created a little lower than the angels and therefore just short of God and perfection; remember seven is the number of perfection and the only way we can achieve Godliness and ultimately and eventually perfection is by being engrafted into the Vine, by coming out of the side of the center branch. The Candlestick represents Christ and His church, His body, His temple. It’s that picture John saw while he was on the isle of Patmos in Revelation 1:12,13 and verse 20. Notice that Christ is in the midst of the candlesticks. 1 Tim. 3:14,15 speaking of the church says “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth “ Jesus said “you are the light of the world” We have the truth, it’s the Word of God and we have Christ within living in us by His Spirit and we are called to shine forth as He has ordained it to be and I thank God for making me a member of this great body that is the church. We are the church of the Living God. Can you shout amen? The Lampstand was all one piece; it does not matter that you are called a Pentecostal…it does not matter that you may be a Baptist…it makes no difference if you go by the name of an Anglican or Roman Catholic…it only matters that you are in Christ…His body is not divided…oh, it may seem that way, but if any man be in Christ, Paul says, “he is a new creature, old things pass away, behold everything becomes new”…it is all of one piece. Do you get the picture?
It was the very epitome of craftsmanship, one piece of precious metal…gold…beaten, hammered into form and shape to the very “nth” degree; not cast into a mold and melted into shape but rather beaten and hammered. God the Holy Ghost is working in each one of us molding and shaping us to conform to the image of His Son through the process of beating. Every test, every trial, every sorrow every heartache and every misunderstanding and every false accusation …every Gethsemane brings us that much closer to God’s perfect plan and that is to be conformable to the image of Christ. Romans 8:29 , Eph. 1:4
The six branches were of beaten work as was the center shaft…the beating was the same. Do you think for one minute that we will escape the beating if we are going to conform to His own image? If we are to be like Him. Has life been a free ride for you? Haven’t you experienced some of this beating yourself? Paul wrote to Timothy and told him that all who live a godly life can expect persecution; now I don’t want to get sidetracked on the difference between persecution and afflictions, we’ll leave that for another time, but we ‘ll look at…2 Tim 3:10-12. And it does not always come from outside either. Look at verses 1-13 of 2 Tim. Ch. 2.
The knops, bowls and flowers:
It has been suggested that these knops were pomegranates that were worn on the hem of the priest’s robes. Other suggestions are the lily or a rose bud and you can see the types of Christ in all of these but the Bible says it was almonds and I feel that the almond fits here quite well. The almond was the first to bud in the spring indicative of new life in Christ; it goes with the scripture in 1 Corinthians 13:20; it bears the first fruit, John 12: 24; it was typified in Aaron’s rod that budded … the bud, the flower and the fruit.
There is a picture of the branches in Isa. 11:1-4. We see in this portion of scripture the relation to the branches of the Lampstand or Candlestick: the center shaft is the rod out of the stem of Jesse whom we know is the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of the Lord is upon Him. The first two branches that come out of the center stem are symbolic of the Spirit of wisdom and understanding. The next two represent the Spirit of counsel and might, the final two represent the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. These are characteristics of our Lord, amen? He is qualified to be the true ruler and judge! Let’s look at these seven things that make Him that Ruler and Judge:
The Spirit of the Lord it says shall rest upon Him so that 1.Shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord.
2.Shall not judge after the sight of His eyes.
3.Neither reprove after the hearing of His ears.
4.With righteousness shall He judge the poor.
5.He shall reprove with equity the meek of the earth.
6. He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth.
7.With the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked.
The bowls, knops, flowers and fruit are in all the branches just as they are in the center stem. They are all one because they are of One and that One is Christ.
Let’s look at the bowls…I can’t wait to look at the oil but first the bowls. In the original the word for bowls is “calyx” and it signifies a cup shaped formation that protects the bud and flower and ultimately the seed. Think about the seed because it is the seed that is reproductive. Again a picture of Christ and the Church. The Church came out of Christ, amen?, the branches came from the stem, each branch is reproductive , so we see the necessity of protecting the seed, that which reproduces. Jesus taught that any branch that does not reproduce is to be cut off. Let us pray and endeavor to be reproductive.
Again we see in the Ark that it held something…the Table upheld something and in the Candlestick; it to is holding something; each branch holds a lamp which in turn holds the oil to give the light. So let’s take a look at these lamps.
The lamps were made of pure gold. They were designed by God to contain the oil that would burn and produce light. Without these vessels…there would be no light . Jesus is the Light of the world and He has given us, the branches, the privilege to uphold the vessels (to actually be the vessels through whom the Light shall shine into dark places.) Wherever there is light, darkness has to disappear. We met a man while we were in Spain who is taking the light through an organization called enlace which is Spanish for link into the Muslim world and our missionary council has endorsed that ministry. They are taking Light, the Light into an extremely dangerous and dark world. It’s these kind of ministries that are deserving of our prayers.
To be most effective this light was to shine “against itself.” The lamps are to “give light over against it.” The light of the Church, the pillar and ground of the truth’ is from Him for Him. As the light shines on the center shaft, it lights itself and dissipates all darkness and as it shines in the Holy Place the food from the Table is shared and praise and worship covered with prayer ascends as sweet incense to the very throne of grace. The light has to shine in the Presence of God and the Church before it can be effective in the world…we need the Church folks tonight …you can’t get this by staying home. We need the Light and we need it to shine in us and on Jesus. (song: let it shine on me, let it shine on me, let the Light from God’s lighthouse shine on me)
Jesus said, “I Am the Light of the world” John 8:12 and in Matt. 5:14, “Ye are the light of the world” and in verse 16, He says “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.” That is how our light will shine when men see your good works. Some of the richest teaching that I for one have received up until now has to do with the truths contained in this Golden Candlestick…the Ark…what a subject…the Table…so beautifully representing sweet fellowship, but there is something about this Candlestick that goes down into the very innermost recesses of my soul and my spirit that changes me and causes me to rejoice in its truths. It is a picture of Christ and His Church and I am a member of His body…I am a partaker. Hebrews 3:1. Now the Oil:
You may have the stands, lamps and the wicks(we’ll be talking about the wicks later on), but unless you have the oil and the fire…there will be no light. Think about what I’ve just said…the stands(branches) lamps and wicks are oh, so necessary but without the oil burning in your soul tonight there will not be any light to shine in our midst. The oil is the key ingredient. The oil represents the Holy Spirit and as I said if He is not burning His fire in us, there can be no light. The oil was to be the very best golden variety made from olives, and it had to be pure. Every impurity had to be beaten out of it. Ex. 27:20, 21 “And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of compressed (beaten in KJV) olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. In the tabernacle of meeting outside the veil which is before the testimony.” You and I have got to bring the oil folks. We are the vessels and we have the oil and if we don’t have it we had better get it quickly before the bridegroom comes or we shall be left out. We’ll miss the wedding and what greater tragedy could there possibly be? We bring the oil. He is the light and He is the oil, we are the vessels, the bowls. We can’t bring the oil if we don’t have it. Remember the five wise and the five foolish virgins?
We need the oil…you can’t do it on your own…we need the oil. We need the oil …you can’t make it by yourself you need the oil. Pray that your lamp is full of oil. Amen? The oil is our source of fire and our source of light. The Holy Spirit is our source of fire and He is our light. His fire burns in us…His Word is like a fire burning within us…it is that lamp unto our feet and that light for our path. You can’t separate God from His Word. David said in Psalm 39:3, “My heart was hot within me, while I was musing, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue” Jeremiah speaking in ch. 20 vs. 9 says “Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name. But His Word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary of holding it back. And I could not. Jeremiah could not stop proclaiming the Word of the Lord. It was a fire within his bones. Hallelujah!
Oil was also used for food. The widow of Zarephath had only a little oil in a cruse 1 Kings 17:12. In 2 Kings another widow, ch. 4 vs. 2 had nothing in the house except for a pot of oil…they use it on bread for breakfast in Spain. In fact they use it on most everything they eat. It was used for anointing also. And we will come back to the oil in a later lesson.
Lastly tonight I want to mention the wicks, tongs and snuff dishes; the utensils…If you don’t get anything else I say tonight, get this. The wick is the human portion of the lamp. The tongs and snuff dishes were used to trim the wick and store the burned part. Every day, morning and evening the wicks were trimmed and adjusted. Do any of you remember the old oil lamps? I REMEMBER THE Alladin lamps. Where I came from there was no electricity until I was eight years of age. You had to refill the lamp with oil repeatedly…it did not stay full on it’s own. You had to clean the shade repeatedly… it could not clean itself…if it burned all on one side the shade would turn black from the smoke because when it was lopsided it would not burn clean.. so you had to adjust the wick and trim it with a pair of scissors or such like…round off the edges and clean the shade and then it would burn clean for a while. It gave a brighter light when it was clean burning. Balance in our walk is extremely important.
We are the wicks, the channels through which the light flows as well as the oil and for that light to flow there must be oil burning and as it burns the wick burns. In order for clean burning and good lighting the wick must be trimmed daily. Only the priest was allowed to do this. If the wick could talk and if it had feelings then no doubt it would say to the priest, why do you have to trim me so often? Am I not shining brightly enough? The oil does not flow well through the burned portion, it must be cut off. The burned part will not keep on burning…it must be trimmed…cut off. That which burned yesterday…has to be trimmed today Skillfully the priest’s trained hands would cut it off and place it in the golden snuff dishes. Past victories, past accomplishments, past successes and past blessings will not suffice for today. We have to be put into the snuff dishes, they are but history. They cannot be channels for today’s light; they are but history. We need a fresh anointing.The only source of light is Jesus and we need to abide in Him if we are to shine as lights in this world…we need the trimming. We need the old burnt portion cut off.
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