25:1.
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,”
25:2.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every
man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.”
The offering
was to consist of the materials to be used in building the Tabernacle, and
it is emphasized that they were to be given willingly. They were to be the
glad expression of love for God, and the same principle is to govern our
giving today, as it is written, “Every man according as he purposeth in his
heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a
cheerful giver,” 2 Corinthians 9:7.
25:3.
“And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and
brass,”
It is
instructive to note that, contrary to the normal order in Scripture, gold is
mentioned here before silver, and for a very good reason: gold represents
Divine glory; and silver, redemption. The Tabernacle was for the display of
God’s glory, but since it represents the Church which has been redeemed by
the precious blood of Christ, the practical lesson being taught symbolically
is that we who constitute the Church are to live our lives for His glory.
Brass,
incidentally, represents judgment, and the lesson being taught here in its
coming after the mention of gold and silver, is that when we refuse to
glorify God by obedience, we incur His judgment.
25:4.
“And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine (white) linen, and goats’
hair,”
Further
instruction lies in these colors of the entrance material, for blue, the
color of the heavens, speaks of Christ as the heavenly One. Purple the
royal color, speaks of Him as King of kings, and Lord of lords. The scarlet
points to His precious blood shed for the remission of sin; and the fine
white linen represents His perfect righteousness.
Nor will any
spiritual mind have difficulty seeing the correspondence between these four
colors and the four Gospels, for Matthew presents Christ as the King, the
corresponding color being purple. Mark presents Him as the perfect Servant
Who crowned His service with the pouring out of His life's blood for the
remission of our sins, the corresponding color being red or scarlet. Luke
presents Him as the perfect Man, and the corresponding color is obviously
white; and John presents Him as the heavenly One, Son of God, God the Son,
blue being the corresponding heavenly color. As therefore the four Gospels
hold Christ up to the view of the reader, so also did the curtains of the
gate, suspended from the four pillars, present Him symbolically as “the way,
the truth and the life,” apart from Whom no man can come to the Father, John
14:6.
The goat’s
hair curtain was the second layer of the roofing material of the Tabernacle,
and as the scapegoat symbolically carried Israel’s sins off into the
wilderness each year, this covering represents Christ as the Sin-Bearer, Who
by dying in man’s guilty stead, has expiated all the sin of those who trust
Him as Savior and Lord.
25:5.
“And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,”
These red
rams’ skins represent Christ made sin for us, for it is written, “Come now,
and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall
be as wool,” Isaiah 1:18. That miraculous transformation is made possible
only by the Lord’s vicarious death.
Opinions
differ as to the identity of the animal here called a badger, but the
thought being symbolically expressed is generally understood to be that of
drabness. It represents the Lord as described in Isaiah 53:2, “He hath no
form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we
should desire him.”
The shittim
wood came from a small thorny tree that grows in desert wadis. It speaks of
the Lord Jesus Christ living here in the spiritual desert of this world “as
a root out of a dry ground,” having “no form nor comliness ... no beauty
that we should desire him,” Isaiah 53:2. Since thorns are the symbol of
sin, see Genesis 3:18, the shittim tree also portrays Christ as our sin
bearer, as it is written, “For he hath made him who knew no sin, to be sin
for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him,” 2
Corinthians 5:21.
25:6.
“Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,”
Oil is a
symbol of the Holy Spirit Who anoints every believer, and Who takes the
things of Christ and reveals them unto us, i.e., enlightens us, see 1
Corinthians 2:10-12; and since incense is a symbol of worship, we are here
reminded that only that which the Holy Spirit indites is true worship,
everything else being merely the product of our emotions, and therefore
worthless..
25:7.
“Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.”
The onyx and
other precious stones set in the ephod and in the breastplate were symbols
of Christ’s glory as the High Priest of His redeemed people. Each stone was
engraved with the name of an Israelitish tribe, so that the typological
picture is of the truth that believers’ names are, as it were, carried on
the breast of our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, it being
written, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come
unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them,”
Hebrews 7:25.
25:8.
“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.”
The sanctuary
was the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, God’s presence in both being
symbolically represented by the shekinah glory that hovered continuously
over the mercy seat in the innermost compartment of the Tabernacle, and
later the Temple, the tangible evidence of His presence in the midst of His
redeemed people. During this present age of grace reality has replaced
symbol, as it is written, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and
that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16, see also 1
Corinthians 6:19 and 2 Corinthians 6:16, and Ephesians 2:20-22.
25:9.
“According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and
the pattern of all the instruments thereof.”
The Divine
pattern was to be rigidly adhered to, and inasmuch as the Tabernacle was a
symbol of the Church, the lesson for today is that man is not to alter even
a word of the scriptural order governing the activity of that mystical body,
as declared in the written Word. The flagrant rebellion against that order
is glaringly evident in the activity of the travesty which masquerades as
the Church today.
25:10.
“And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be
the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit
and a half the height thereof.”
25:11.
“And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou
overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.”
25:12.
“And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four
corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings
in the other side of it.”
25:13.
“And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.”
25:14.
And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that
the ark may be borne with them.
25:15.
“The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from
it.”
25:16.
“And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.
25:17.
“And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold; two cubits and a half shall
be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
25:18.
“And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make
them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.”
25:19.
“And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end:
even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.”
25:20.
“And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high,covering the
mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another;
toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.”
25:21.
“And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou
shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.”
25:22.
“And there I will
meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from
between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all
things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel,
touching all that I give thee in charge.”
The Ark was a
rectangular box or chest, and within it were placed the second tables of the
law, and from Hebrews 9:4 we learn that later there were added a golden pot
of manna, and Aaron's rod that had budded. Few will fail to see in the Ark
another symbolic portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ in resurrection glory as
our Representative in heaven, see Hebrews 9:24 “For Christ is not entered
into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but
into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”
It was the
only article of furniture within the Holy of Holies, so that the only one to
see it was the High Priest when he went in on the day of Atonement to
sprinkle the blood of the Sin offering once on the Mercy Seat, and seven
times before it.
The spiritual
significance of the wood and the golden overlay is the same here as in the
other Tabernacle furniture of similar construction. The wood portrays the
Lord's humanity; the gold, His Deity. The cutting down of the tree, and its
being sawn into boards to furnish the wood, speak of His sufferings and
death, the same truth being declared in the subjection of the gold overlay
to the fire and the hammer.
The golden
cherubims, symbolic guardians of the Divine presence standing with
outstretched wings, and with their faces towards each other, looking upon
the Mercy Seat, remind us that they were awaiting that day when the blood of
bulls and goats would be replaced with the richer, eternally efficacious
blood of God's unblemished Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Their
guardianship appears to have begun on earth when the living cherubim were
placed at the east of the garden of Eden to prevent the return of fallen
Adam to the garden of Eden, and not ending till the resurrection morning
when we find them sitting "one at the head, and the other at the
feet, where the body of Jesus had lain," John 20:12. Their guardianship was
ended. Through the Lord's death, a new and living way has been opened into
God's presence, and the Gospel of His grace now invites man to approach, see
Hebrews 10:19-22, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the
holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath
consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh; and having
an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water,” that “pure water” being
a type of the written Word, see Ephesians 5:26, “That he (Christ) might
sanctify and cleanse it (the Church) with the washing of water by the word.”
The half cubit
in the dimensions of the Ark and Mercy Seat, declare, not only the truth
that these things were but types and shadows of a coming glorious reality,
but also that finite minds can understand only in part what will not be
fully comprehended till we get to heaven, “For now we see through a glass,
darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know
even as also I am known,” 1 Corinthians 13:12, each redeemed one confessing
then, as did the queen of Sheba when confronted with Solomon's glory, "The
half was not told me," 1 Kings 10:7.
As always in
Scripture, the spiritual significance of half numbers is ascertained by
doubling, which in the present instance gives us 3 x 3 x 5, five
being the number of responsibility, and three of resurrection or
manifestation, so that the dimensions of the Ark declare that He of Whom it
is the figure or symbol, having perfectly fulfilled His responsibility to
God and man, has been raised from among the dead, and sits now in heaven,
our Representative in life, as He was in death at Calvary, His presence in
heaven the guarantee of ours.
In regard to
the tables of the law placed inside the Ark, it is instructive to remember
that they were not the first tables which Moses broke, but the second given
by God to replace the first. Those unbroken tables are the symbolic
presentation of the truth that Christ is the only Man who has kept God's
holy law, as it is written for example in Psalm 40:8 "I delight to do thy
will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."
The golden
memorial pot of manna preserved in the Ark declares that He Whom the manna
represents, is the true Bread from heaven, as He Himself said, "I am the
bread of life," John 6:35. Its being preserved in the golden pot reminds us
that He Who was dishonored on earth is now glorified in heaven.
The fact that
the manna in the ark didn't breed worms and stink as did manna normally when
kept till the second day (except on the Sabbath), is the symbolic
announcement of the truth that the One of Whom it is but a symbol, saw no
corruption in death, as it is written, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption," Acts 2:27.
The staves
within the rings declare the truth that He Who is presented in the written
Word, and Who is the living Embodiment of it, is the One in Whom were
combined two perfect natures, one human, the other Divine. He never ceased
to be perfect God even while He was here on earth as perfect Man.
The two gold
rings on either side, speak of the Word as presented in the Old and New
Testaments. The rings, having neither beginning nor ending, portray the
eternal character of the written Word which presents Him Who is the Eternal
Living Word.
The golden
crown around the Ark portrays the Lord, Who was rejected and mocked on
earth, as now crowned with glory and honor in heaven.
25:23.
“Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the
length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the
height thereof.”
25:24.
“And thou shalt
overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.”
25:25.
“And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and
thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.”
25:26.
“And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the
four corners that are on the four feet thereof.
25:27.
“Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear
the table.”
25:28.
“And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold,
that the table may be borne with them.
25:29.
“And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and the covers
thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make
them.”
25:30.
“And thou shalt set upon the table showbread before me always.”
Since the
spiritual significance of the staves and rings has already been discussed,
see vv., 13-15, it is necessary only to examine the typological import of
the Table and the Bread. They are generally spoken of as one, and no one
will have difficulty seeing in them a figure of the Lord Jesus Christ as the
Bread of life (John 6:35). The loaves present Him as the food of His
redeemed people, there being twelve of them (one for each of the twelve
tribes of Israel), declaring that those who feed upon that living Bread are
to demonstrate by their obedience that they are under His government, for as
ten is the Biblical number of God as the Governor, twelve is
the number of those under that government.
In Leviticus
24:7 the command is given relative to the loaves, “And thou shalt set them
in two rows, six on a row ... and thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each
row ....” The two rows seem to speak of the Lord Jesus Christ as presented
in the two Testaments, the Old and the New. The frankincense upon each loaf
speaks of the fragrance or preciousness of Christ to the Father, and reminds
us that He ought to be equally fragrant and dear to us who have been
redeemed by His precious blood.
The acacia
wood continues to represent His humanity, portraying Him as the One Who is
spoken of by the prophet as "a root out of a dry ground," Isaiah 53:2, while
the gold speaks of His Divine glory. The two crowns of pure gold, separated
by a handbreadth, appear to speak of the glory that was His before Calvary,
and that which is His today, the "border of an handbreadth (a human
measurement)" representing His human life on earth, which separated those
two glories, see for example John 17:5, "O Father, glorify thou me with
thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was,"
and Hebrews 2:9, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the
angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor...."
As always, the
dimensions have a lesson to teach, for as noted already, length in Scripture
speaks of the duration of life; and breadth, of the quality of the life;
height speaking of the quality of the life Godward; and depth, of its
quality manward. The two-cubit length therefore (two being the
Biblical number of witness or testimony), declares symbolically that all of
the Lord's earthly life was the perfect Witness to man's ruin, and God's
love in providing the means by which that ruin could be undone.
The one-cubit
breadth (one being the number of God), serves to remind us that the
character of the Lord's earthly life proved beyond all doubt that He was not
only perfect man, but also perfect God.
The spiritual
lesson of the one and a half-cubit height will be understood only when we
recognize that a half measure declares first that the truth being presented
cannot be fully comprehended by finite minds. Only in eternity will we
understand fully the Father's estimate of the value to Him of the human life
of His obedient Son. But another rule governing Scriptural half numbers
appears to be that they are to be doubled so that we may read a meaning that
is within the grasp of finite minds. The height therefore becomes
associated with the number three, the Biblical number of
manifestation or resurrection, the lesson being that it is Christ
resurrected Who is the Food of His redeemed people.
Nor should we
miss the lesson of the Table's being placed on the north side of the Holy
Place, for the north in Scripture is associated with intelligence, as the
south is with faith, and the east with departure from God, as the west is
with approach to Him. We feed upon Christ the living Bread and living Word
as we study the written Word; but that is an occupation, which while within
the capability of the obedient babe in Christ, baffles the greatest merely
human intellect, and leaves even the spiritual giants amongst the redeemed
confessing that a lifetime's intensive study of Scripture only scratches the
surface.
In connection
with the service of the table there were to be made also dishes, spoons,
covers, and bowls, all of pure gold, their use being left unexplained. Upon
the Table were to be placed, in two rows of six, twelve loaves of shewbread,
pure frankincense being placed upon each loaf, and being symbolic of the
fragrance of Christ’s life to the Father. Every Sabbath day twelve fresh
loaves were to be placed on the table, the replaced loaves being eaten by
Aaron and his sons in the Holy Place (Leviticus 24:5-9). This teaches the
truth that we who are a royal kingdom of priests, see 1 Peter 2:9, are to
feed our spiritual lives on Christ as presented in the written Word, i.e.,
we are to read, study, meditate upon, and obey the Scriptures.
To be noted
also in connection with the Table is the fact that only the priests were
permitted to eat that bread, this being the OT symbolic announcement of the
truth that only new life can assimilate spiritual food, as we read in 1
Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned."
But the
reservation of that bread exclusively for the priests demonstrates another
truth, this time, related to the Lord's table - and no spiritual mind will
fail to see that the Table of shewbread is a type of the Lord's table. Only
believers, spiritual priests, (see 1 Peter 2:5,9) may sit at the Lord's
table. The unbeliever has no more place there than had one who wasn't a
priest, at the Table in the Holy Place.
The seven-day
interval at which the bread was to be changed and eaten by the priests,
presents yet another lesson largely ignored today by the majority of
professing Christians relative to the Lord's table. The Lord's supper is
to be eaten on the first day of each week, and only on the first day of the
week. To do it more often is as much disobedience as is keeping the
ordinance less frequently.
Yet another
lesson taught by the Table has to do with the presentation of worship at the
Lord's table. In Leviticus 21:16-24 any priest having a physical blemish
was forbidden "to offer the bread of his God .... He shall not come
nigh to offer the bread of his God," but he was permitted to eat
the bread that had been removed from the table, "He shall eat the
bread of his God." And it is to be noted that none of the blemishes
mentioned was the fault of the man himself. He who had anything superfluous
(an extra finger or toe, for example), or was "crookbackt, or a dwarf," was
disqualified from offering, but not from eating. The lesson
is easily read. As has been noted in previous studies, the physical
blemishes of the OT age are types of spiritual blemishes found amongst NT
age believers. Not every man is fitted to vocalize the worship offered at
the Lord's table, not because of sin in his life, but because of a
limitation of ability imposed by God. Recognition of this would go
far in preserving God's order at the Lord's table.
Relative to
the four gold rings, a ring, having no beginning or ending, portrays what is
eternal, and these four are generally recognized as being figurative of the
written Word, particularly the four Gospels. As it was by means of these
rings that the Table was carried through the wilderness, so is it by means
of the Scriptures, particularly the four Gospels, that the Lord Jesus Christ
is carried through the spiritual wilderness of this world.
As for the
staves, since they were of wood overlaid with gold, they speak of something
connected with humanity, but of humanity glorified, or to be glorified.
There being two of them, points to testimony or witness, and since they were
used to transport the Table (figure of Christ), they may also represent the
vast company of those who bear witness to Him, a company which includes
believers of all the ages, and particularly perhaps, those whose written
testimony now constitutes the Old and the New Testaments.
The procedure
to be followed when moving the Table is found in Numbers 4:7-8, "And upon
the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon
the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers ... and the continual
bread shall be thereon: and they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet,
and cover the same with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put in the
staves thereof."
The blue cloth
to be spread on it, and upon which were then to be placed the loaves and the
utensils, speaks of the heavenly character of the One Who is portrayed in
every item. The scarlet cloth - color of sin, but also of glory - to be
then placed over everything, surely reminds us that He Who knew no sin was
made sin for us, and that He Who having willingly shed His precious blood
for the remission of our sins, is now glorified in heaven.
The outer
covering of badger skins placed over everything, points to Him as seen by
unbelief, "... he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him,
there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected
of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were
our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isaiah
53:2-3). The faith that saves the soul however, sees that, "He was wounded
for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah
53:5).
Nor should we
miss the lesson of the Table's being placed on the north side of the Holy
Place, for the north in Scripture is associated with intelligence, as the
south is with faith, and the east with departure from God, as the west is
with approach to Him. We feed upon Christ the living Bread and living Word
as we study the written Word, but that is an occupation, which while within
the capability of the babe in Christ, baffles the greatest merely human
intellect, and leaves even the spiritual giants amongst the redeemed
confessing that a lifetime's intensive study of Scripture has only scratched
the surface.
To be noted
also in connection with the Table is the fact that only the priests were
permitted to eat that bread, this being the OT symbolic announcement of the
truth that only new life can assimilate spiritual food, as we read in 1
Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned."
But the
reservation of that bread for the priests demonstrates another truth, this
time, related to the Lord's table - and no spiritual mind will fail to see
that the Table of shewbread is a type of that table. Only spiritual
priests, may sit at the Lord's table, and 1 Peter 2:5,9 assures us that
every believer is a royal priest, “Ye also as lively (living) stones, are
built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood .... But ye are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye
should shew forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into
his marvellous light.” The unbeliever has no more place at the Lord’s Table
than had one who wasn't a priest, at the Table in the Holy Place.
The seven-day
interval at which the bread was to be changed and eaten by the priests,
presents yet another lesson largely ignored today by the majority of
professing Christians relative to the Lord's table. The Lord's supper is
to be eaten on the first day of each week, and only on the first day of the
week. To do it more often is as much disobedience as is keeping the
ordinance less frequently.
Yet another
lesson taught by the Table has to do with the presentation of worship at the
Lord's Supper. In Leviticus 21:16-24 any priest having a physical blemish
was forbidden "to offer the bread of his God .... He shall not come
nigh to offer the bread of his God," but he was permitted to eat
the bread, "He shall eat the bread of his God." And it is to be
noted that none of the blemishes mentioned was the fault of the man
himself. He who had anything superfluous (an extra finger or toe, for
example), or was "crookbackt, or a dwarf," was disqualified from offering,
but not from eating.
The lesson is
easily read. As has been noted in previous studies, the physical blemishes
of the OT priests are types of blemishes found amongst NT age believers.
Not every man is fitted to vocalize the worship offered at the Lord's
Supper, not because of sin in his life, but because of a limitation of
ability imposed by God. For example, I know a man whose voice is so
weak that even in a one-to-one conversation others have difficulty
understanding what he is saying, yet he insists in participating audibly at
the Lord’s Supper, with the result that he mars the worship, and distracts
the believers. Recognition of the teaching of this verse would go far in
preserving God's order at the Lord's table.
The blue cloth
to be spread on it, and upon which were then to be placed the loaves and the
utensils, would speak of the heavenly character of the One Who is portrayed
in every item. The scarlet cloth (color of blood but also of glory), to be
then placed over everything, declares that He Who knew no sin was made sin
for us, and who willingly shed His precious blood for the remission of our
sins, is now glorified in heaven.
The outer
covering of badger skins placed over everything, points to Him as seen by
unbelief, "... he has no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him,
there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected
of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were
our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isaiah
53:2-3).
The faith that
saves the soul however, sees that, "He was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon
him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
THE GOLDEN
LAMPSTAND
25:31.
“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.”
25:32.
“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:”
25:33.
“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.”
25:34.
“And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with
their knops and their flowers.”
25:35.
“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, and a
knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that
proceed out of the candlestick.”
25:36.
“Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one
beaten work of pure gold.
The
Candlestick or Lampstand was beaten out from a lump of pure gold weighing
one talent, i.e., 75 to 125 pounds depending on the commentator consulted.
From the central stem six branches extended, three on either side, the shaft
and branches being beaten into the form of floral cups, buds and blossoms of
the almond tree, and inasmuch as the ornamental motif was of the almond
tree, the emphasis is upon Christ in resurrection glory, for the almond,
sometimes referred to as the waker because it is the first tree to
bud, is a Biblical symbol of resurrection, see for example, the budding of
Aaron's rod (Numbers 17:8).
At the top of
the central shaft, and of each branch, was a lamp, i.e., a cup for holding
oil and a wick, and verses 33 and 34 speak of three bowls in each branch,
and four bowls in the center shaft, indicating perhaps that the lamp at the
top of the center shaft consisted of these four bowls, and those at the top
of the branches, of three bowls each.
Since the lamp
at the top of the center shaft had four cups, and those at the top of each
of the branches, three cups, the lesson is that the four cups represent the
four Gospels shedding their light on Christ, while the three cups at the top
of each branch declare the truth that only those who have been born again,
i.e., been resurrected out of spiritual death, can bear witness to Him, for
three is the Biblical number of resurrection or manifestation.
25:37.
“And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps
thereof, that they may give light over against it.
The lampstand
or candlestick, consisting of the central shaft and the six branches, with
the oil cups at the top of each, furnish a symbolic picture of Christ and
the local churches, the oil in all the cups reminding us that the same Holy
Spirit who led the Lord throughout His earthly life, is to have the same
control over our lives.
The absence of
any specified dimensions reminds us that Christ can't be measured. He is
infinite, and finite minds can't comprehend the infinite.
25:38.
“And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure
gold.”
Since the
golden tongs (tweezers) and snuffdishes were used to maintain the purity of
the wicks, they seem to represent the use of the written Word in maintaining
the vigor of our spiritual lives; their being of pure gold reminding us of
the inestimable worth of the Scriptures.
25:39.
“Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.”
A talent was
approximately one hundred pounds.
The absence of
any specified dimensions reminds us that Christ can't be measured. He is
infinite, and finite minds can't comprehend the infinite.
25:40.
“And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in
the mount.”
The imperative
of rigid adherence to the Divine pattern given Moses translates into the
truth that our whole lives, our worship and our service are also to be
according to Scripture. The great measure of departure from the Divine
pattern however, is painfully evident today both in our personal lives, and
in the activity of the Church. It is small wonder that we see so little
blessing.
Since gold is
the Biblical emblem of Divine glory, the Lampstand's being of pure gold
declares that He Who humbled Himself on earth has been exalted to the throne
of heaven, where He sits crowned with glory and honor (Hebrwes 2:9), having
been given a name that is above every other (Philippians 2:9-11). And the
very fact that it was a Lampstand, obviously points to Him as the Light of
the world, though it is to be noted that only the priests ministering in the
Holy Place enjoyed its light, for as He Himself declared, the unbeliever
refuses to come to the light, preferring to walk in nature's darkness, "And
this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one
that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved" (John 3:19-20).
Inasmuch as
fire and the hammer were the means by which the Lampstand was formed, God
would have us remember that the Lord Jesus Christ has become the Light of
the world because He willingly went to Calvary, where for three hours He was
enveloped in darkness, while He submitted Himself to the blows of men, and
the fire of Divine wrath for the expiation of our sins.
The only
illumination in the Holy Place came from the Lampstand, a fact designed to
teach us that believers are not to walk according to human wisdom, but in
obedience to the guidance of the Holy Spirit given through the written Word,
even though what is written there is foolishness to the natural man, just as
man's "wisdom" is foolishness with God, see 1 Corinthians 1 and 2. The
world's wisdom has no place in the life of a believer, nor does its methods
have any place in the church.
It is to be
noted that the central shaft is called the Lampstand, while the three
illuminants projecting from each side are called "his branches," a
distinction which points to the fact that symbolically only the central
shaft represents Christ, the six branches - the number of man,
incompleteness, weakness - being symbols of the local churches, upheld by
Him, and possessing His life and nature, He and His Church being one. The
six branches beaten out of that central shaft declare, not only that the
Church has been brought into existence through the Lord's travail, but also
that each believer is so much a part of Him as to make separation
impossible. The believer can never lose his salvation. The word shaft,
incidentally, has a secondary meaning thigh or loins (Strong's
Concordance), reminding us that figuratively the Church has come out of the
loins of Christ, hence her being possessed of His life and nature, "For both
he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which
cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren" (Hebrews 2:11).
Exodus 25:37
informs us that the purpose of the lamps was first to "give light over
against it (the central supporting shaft)," and only secondarily to
illuminate the Holy Place. From this we learn that the purpose of each
believer and each local assembly is first to make known His glory, and then
to provide enlightenment to both saint and sinner, to the former through
teaching sound doctrine, and to the latter through the Gospel. This is the
order followed by the Lord Himself. His sacrifice at Calvary was first for
the Father's glory, and then for the redemption and enlightenment of men.
The fact that
there were six branches reminds us that the churches are marked by
imperfection, for they are comprised of men still in earthly bodies, and
therefore, subject to human frailty, for six is the Biblical number
of man, weakness, and sin. There being a total of seven lamps however,
assures us that in spite of the human frailty of the instruments He deigns
to use, the Lord's purposes are being perfectly accomplished through
the testimony of the Church, for seven is the Biblical number of
perfection or completeness.
The light of
each lamp was furnished by a wick through which the oil in the cup was drawn
up and burned, the oil being the Biblical symbol of the Holy Spirit; and the
wicks, of believers. The brightness of the flame was governed by the degree
to which the wick absorbed the oil, and the lesson is easily read: the
brightness of our witness will be governed by the extend to which we are
filled by the Holy Spirit, for while every believer is indwelt by
Him, His filling is in direct proportion to the measure of our
obedience.
Exodus 27:20
emphasizes that the oil was to be beaten out of ripe olives, "... command
the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten
for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always," reminding us that it is as
a result of the "beating" which the Lord suffered at Calvary that the Holy
Spirit has been given.
Nor is the
situation of the Lampstand without its instruction. It was located on the
south side of the Holy Place, the direction that speaks of faith in
contrast with reason which is associated biblically with the north. Those
who would enjoy the Light of life must walk by faith, and not by sight, the
written Word, as ministered by the Holy Spirit, being their guide for all
the affairs of life.
And finally we
must consider the process by which the lamps were maintained. Every morning
and evening Aaron replenished the oil, and trimmed the wicks. It is the
true Aaron, our great High Priest, Who performs the corresponding ministry
to the churches represented by the individual lamps. The need to replenish
the oil reminds us that the filling of the Holy Spirit fluctuates,
for it is dependent on our obedience, and is not to be confused with His
indwelling which is permanent. Every day should begin and end with our
reading God's Word, and bowing before Him in prayer, for only as we thus
submit to His ministry will the "oil" be replenished.
But the wicks
had to be trimmed. They represent individual believers, and the removal of
what had become charred reminds us of the need to submit our lives morning
and evening to the knife of the Word. Only as there is self-examination in
the light of that Word, and confession of known sin, will the "wick" be kept
trimmed and enabled to burn brightly in witness for Christ.
Each wick
however, in the process of burning and being trimmed, eventually became too
small and had to be replaced, reminding us that the opportunity to serve the
Master is brief, as one has written:
Only one life, 'twill
soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ
will last.
Those
trimmings however, weren't just dropped on the ground. They appear to have
been collected in the golden snuff dishes prepared for that very purpose,
Exodus 37:23. Nothing done for Christ will "fall to the ground." Even the
giving of a cup of cold water for His sake is precious to Him (Matthew
10:42). The knowledge that the "trimmings of the wicks" are laid up in
"gold snuff dishes" is meant to encourage us when it may seem sometimes that
our feeble service is of little worth.