Exodus 25

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:31:04utc

Chapter 25:1-40

This chapter is the first part of a lengthy section, from chapter 25 through 32, in which God gives detailed instructions to Moses regarding the making of the tabernacle and its furniture and the preparation of Aaron and his sons for the priesthood. The section begins with the involvement of the people who are to furnish the material needed for the work, and it ends with the appointment of Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, to execute the work.

Chapters 25 - 27 deal with the building of the tabernacle. Ch. 25:1-8 contains the call for a free-will offering. Vs. 9 lays out the whole blue print of the work. "Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." This injunction we find repeated in vs. 40 and later in ch. 27:8 in connection with the making of the brass burnt offering altar. The verses 10-23 detail the construction of the ark and its cover. The verses 24 -30 describe the making of the table of show bread. The verses 31-40 show the pattern for the menorah, the lampstand.

From Matthew Henry's Commentary we copy the "Outline of Exodus 25": "At this chapter begins an account of the orders and instructions God gave to Moses upon the mount for the erecting and furnishing of a tabernacle to the honour of God. We have here.

I. Orders given for a collection to be made among the people for this purpose <v. 1-9>.

II. Particular instructions,

1. Concerning the ark of the covenant <v. 10-22>.

2. The table of showbread <v. 23-30>.

3. The golden candlestick <v. 31, etc.>."

The commentary makes the following interesting observation regarding the impact the construction of this tabernacle may have had upon world religion in general. We quote: "In these verses God tells Moses his intention in general, that the children of Israel should build him a sanctuary, for he designed to dwell among them (v. 8); and some think that, though there were altars and groves used for religious worship before this, yet there never was any house, or temple, built for sacred uses in any nation before this tabernacle was erected by Moses, and that all the temples which were afterwards so much celebrated among the heathen took rise from this and pattern by it."

The offering

Vs. 1-8. The voluntary offering. Only people who want to give may give. This is not a tax that is levied; it is an opportunity to show what grace is all about; what the most important thing in life is. God says: "You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give." The purpose is to "have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them."[ 1 ]

We have to let this penetrate. God wants to live among men and pitch His tent among them. All this, of course, is foreshadowing the greatest event in world history, of which John says: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."[ 2 ] The miracle is not only that God comes to live among men, but that He allows us to give Him living quarters. He does not force Himself upon mankind. He only comes to those who voluntarily provide a place for Him to live.

That is what the apostle Paul calls "grace" and it is proof that man understands what is important in life and what is not. "And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will."[ 3 ]

The Macedonians gave of their poverty. The Israelites gave of what they had taken from the Egyptians as a back payment for four centuries of slave labor. If Israel's slavery in Egypt is a picture of man's slavery of sin and of the tyranny of the powers of darkness, their contributions came from the wages of this slavery. God managed, in a way that is beyond our comprehension, to use that which is bad and degrading to build a monument for His glory. All the gold and silver and jewelry that was donated for the construction of the tabernacle and that was a reminder of the terror of Egypt, became holy the moment God touched it.

Centuries later He would do the same in becoming a man who humbled Himself and became obedient unto death on a cross. He sanctified a stable and a manger for animals and a cross, an instrument of torture, the ultimate symbol of man's depravity, simply, by touching it. He still does the same by touching hearts and lives that are ravaged by sin.

The list of items shows how practical God is: "gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems." The "hides of sea cows" is a translation of the Hebrew word t[ a ]chaashiym Strongs Definitions says: "tachash probably of foreign derivation; a (clean) animal with fur, probably a species of antelope." Other translations have "goat skins" (RSV), "Seal skins" (ASV), or "badger's skins" (KJV). Goat skins would, of course, be readily available. Sea cow, seal, or badger skins would be items that had been taken out of Egypt. Even there these would not have been readily available, and they would have been luxury items.

The Pulpit Commentary remarks about the "badger skins": It is generally agreed among moderns that this is a wrong translation. Badgers are found in Palestine, but not either in Egypt or in the wilderness. The Hebrew takhash is evidently the same word as the Arabic tukhash or dukhash, which is applied to marine animals only, as to seals, dolphins, dugongs, and perhaps sharks and dog-fish. 'Seal' skins' would perhaps be the best translation." From a Dutch Encyclopedia we translate: "As it is not known which animal is meant the word has been left untranslated. The word has sometimes been connected to the Egyptian word teches, which means a fine kind of leather and this has been thought to come from the sea cow which lives in the Red Sea. According to Ezek. 16:10 the skin of the tachas was used for the making of sandals. There the word tachas is translated with 'most precious.'"

Adam Clarke has an interesting contribution to make at this point. He says: "Few terms have afforded greater perplexity to critics and commentators than this. Bochart has exhausted the subject, and seems to have proved that no kind of animal is here intended, but a color. None of the ancient versions acknowledge an animal of any kind except the Chaldee, which seems to think the badger is intended, and from it we have borrowed our translation of the word. The Septuagint and Vulgate have skins dyed a violet color; the Syriac, azure; the Arabic, black; the Coptic, violet; the modern Persic, ram-skins. The color contended for by Bochart is a very deep blue."

The tabernacle had to be an exact copy of the one in Heaven. John tells us that he saw the real tabernacle of which this one was a copy. "After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened."[ 4 ] The heavenly reality differs, of course, just as much with the copy that is made on earth as a marble statue differs from the living person it represents. We don't know exactly what Moses saw on the mountain. We know that heavenly things are spiritual realities. Gold, silver, and precious stones, such as we know them on earth, are copies of glory. The lampstands in Heaven, for instance, express the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men. Jesus says to John, "the seven lampstands are the seven churches." And when the angel says to John, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb," he sees the New Jerusalem, of which he writes, "It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal."[ 5 ]

The essence of the tabernacle was the presence of God on earth. "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them." As such it represented, in the first place, the body of Christ. It was an image of the Incarnation.

The ark

The first item that is shown to Moses is the ark. We find the description in vs. 10-16. The ark was a, comparatively, small chest of 3 ¾ feet long, 2 ¼ feet wide, and 2 ¼ feet high, according to TLB. It was meant to contain the Stone Tablets with the Ten Commandments and the cover would be the place where God promised to reside.

Throughout the centuries it was the symbol of the presence of God among the people of Israel. The ark played a prominent role in Israel's entry in the promised land and the bringing down of the walls of Jericho. In Joshua 3 - 6 we see the ark going ahead of the army. In I Samuel we find the ark in Siloh, where the tabernacle was erected. King David was the first king to recognize the importance of the ark as the center of the kingdom. In II Sam. 6 he succeeded in having the ark brought over to Jerusalem, after an initial attempt that failed. King Solomon had the ark placed in the new temple, where it remained till the destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar. What happened to the ark when Israel went into captivity, nobody knows. It is unlikely that the ark was taken to Babylon, because this fact would, undoubtedly, have been mentioned. The ark was, probably, put in a safe place during the siege of the city, or even before, and has never been found since. Jeremiah prophesied about this, saying: "'In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,' declares the LORD, 'men will no longer say, ''The ark of the covenant of the LORD.'' It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made."[ 6 ] So much for modern speculations that the ark will be found or remade!

The ark is called "the mystery of God" in Revelation.[ 7 ] It is, in fact, the mystery of God's revelation. The ark stands for the presence of God. It contained the law and it was covered by, what the KJV calls, "the mercy seat," that is the place where atonement was made by the blood of the sacrifice. The ark, being a picture of the Incarnation, thus stands for God's presence, love, and justice. At the call of the seventh trumpet, this mystery will be revealed in all its glory.

It is no wonder that the ark was the first object God mentioned to Moses in connection with the construction of the ark. It was the best picture of God in the Old Testament, so far.

If we realize what the ark stood for, it is incomprehensible that there were men who tried to manipulate the ark for the furtherance of their own projects. One of the clearest instances of this manipulation occurred during the war between Israel and the Philistines. When the Israelites are defeated in the first battle we read: "When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, 'Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the LORD's covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.' So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim."[ 8 ] Subsequently, the ark was captured by the Philistines and God defeated their idol, Dagon, in a way that was not devoid of humor. In it all, the Lord showed who was in control. Even if man thinks he can use God for his own schemes, he doesn't get anywhere. When the ark was captured in the New Testament and the Son of God was arrested, sentenced, and executed, it was the greatest defeat for the manipulators and the greatest victory over all the powers of darkness.

The basic material for the ark was acacia wood. We quote from the Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, "Acacia. A large thorny tree with rough gnarled bark. The orange-brown wood was hard-grained, and it repelled insects. It bore long locust-like pods with seeds inside and produced round, fragrant clusters of yellow blossoms. Many species of acacia grew in the desert of Sinai, in southern Palestine, and in Egypt." So the frame of the ark was bug resistant. The gold coating, inside and out, would, of course, protect it from rotting or being eaten away on the inside. As the Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary indicates, the wood must have been available in the desert. There was nothing uncommon about the wood. It was readily available. It was as common as human beings are common. We are not talking about the uniqueness of man's personality, but about his presence on earth. What made the ark so special was its gold covering. The ark was like an every day human being, covered with the glory of God.

It was a, relatively, small but heavy and precious chest. The carrying poles, which remained attached to it, made it a "portable sanctuary" and it protected itself from being touched by human hands. The ark was to contain the Stone Tablets with the Ten Commandments.

The responsibility for the care of the ark fell upon the Kohathites. We read about them in Numbers, "The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. They were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use."[ 9 ]

The Mercy Seat

The most important part of all the furniture in the tabernacle was the lid that covered the ark. It is described to Moses in verses 17-22. The NIV calls it "the atonement cover; TLB: "the place of mercy." The older translations render it as "mercy seat."[ 10 ] The Hebrew word is kapporeth It means a lid. Strongs Definitions refers to the word from which it is derived, kaphar which is defined as: to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively, to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel: KJV-- appease, make (an atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile (-liation)." It is the same word which is translated in the Septuagint as hilasterion. This same word is used by Paul in Romans about Christ. "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood."[ 11 ]

So, the mercy seat was the most vivid picture in the Old Testament of the Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was crucial in the relationship between God and man. The glory of God was, symbolically, expressed in the statutes of two cherubim. These cherubim were heavenly creatures associated with the throne of God. Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary writes about them: "A careful comparison of the first and tenth chapters of the book of Ezekiel shows clearly that the "four living creatures" <Ezek. 1:5> were the same beings as the cherubim <Ezekiel 10>. Each had four faces-- that of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle <Ezek. 1:10>; (also <10:14>)-- and each had four wings. In their appearance, the cherubim "had the likeness of a man" <Ezek. 1:5>. These cherubim used two of their wings for flying and the other two for covering their bodies <Ezek. 1:6,11,23>. Under their wings the cherubim appeared to have the form, or likeness, of a man's hand <Ezek. 1:8; 10:7-8,21>."

We do not get the impression that the cherubim that were sculptured on the cover of the ark had four faces. A comparison with John's vision of the cherubim in Revelation would indicate that there were four cherubim, each with the face of a creature on earth. "The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle."[ 12 ] The apparent discrepancy between Ezekiel's and John's vision could be explained in terms of the speed with which the cherubim that guarded the throne of God were moving about. Ezekiel may have been confused by the speed, which made it seem as if one creature had four faces. When Solomon built the temple he had two gigantic, fifteen feet high cherubim made which overshadowed the ark with a wingspread of 15 feet each.

We get the impression that the cherubim that were pictured on the cover had only two wings each. This differs from the visions Ezekiel and John describe. Ezekiel, apparently, sees only four wings. "Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body."[ 13 ] But John distinguishes six wings. We read: "Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings."[ 14 ] This discrepancy, again, may be due to the speed with which those heavenly beings were moving back and forth. Moses, evidently, saw only two wings on each cherub.

The cherubim are facing down, looking at the cover. This means that they are averting their eyes from the presence of the Lord, Who is above the cover. They are looking at the Testimony of the law and at the cover which was sprinkled every year with blood on the Day of Atonement. They are absorbed by the sight of God's justice and mercy. This reminds us of Peter's words about the mystery God has revealed to us, but which remains a mystery to the angels. We read in I Peter: "Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things."[ 15 ]

At this point, no further explanation is given as to the function of the atonement cover, although the name invites explanation. We do read one of the most amazing statements of the Bible, though, in connection with this cover when God says to Moses: "There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites."

The Bible refers to God as, "You who sit enthroned between the cherubim."[ 16 ] The relatively small space above the cover, less than ten cubic feet, is the place where God reveals Himself on earth. When King Solomon dedicates the newly built temple to the Lord, he expresses the amazement of all when he says: "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!"[ 17 ] God confined Himself to an even smaller space than the magnificent temple in Jerusalem when He revealed Himself in a body, smaller than ten cubic feet, in His Son Jesus Christ.

Our confusion stems from the fact that we tend to assign space to a spirit. Since our spirit lives in a body we think of spirits in terms of body size; as if a large body would contain a large spirit. We believe in God's greatness when we try to imagine the limitlessness of the universe. David wrestled with this thought in Psalm 8. On the one hand he says: "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger."[ 18 ] But then he turns his eyes toward space and he exclaims: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" God's greatness is just as great in a little baby as in the size of outer space.

The table

We should be amazed at the random order in which the details of the tabernacle and its furniture are given to Moses. There seems to be a lack of logic or progression. We understand why God first introduces the ark to Moses. It symbolizes the presence of the Lord. God begins by Himself. If man were the starting point, the burnt offering altar would have been the first object to be presented. But, since God Himself is the goal and center of all and all else proceeds from Him, it is clear that any revelation will begin with Him. The elders in the book of Revelation say: "You created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."[ 19 ] And Paul says to the crowd of Athenian philosophers: "For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'"[ 20 ] But where, in the chain of progressing revelation, does the next item fit: the table of show bread? The main purpose of the table is, of course, the one given in vs. 30: "Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times."

From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary we quote: "Showbread, Holy or consecrated bread placed in the sanctuary of the tabernacle or Temple every Sabbath to symbolize God's presence and His provision for His people. The ritual always involved 12 loaves of bread, representing the 12 tribes of the nation of Israel. It was called showbread because it was kept continually before God's presence in the tabernacle. .... The showbread symbolized the continual presence of the Lord-- a presence more vital than one's daily bread-- and the people's dependence on God's provision for their spiritual and physical needs."

It is obvious that God did not need to be fed with bread baked by humans. The pathetic custom practiced by followers of some world religions to put out tidbits of food and flowers as a sacrifice for the gods has no relationship with the presentation of the showbread on this table. The bread was there for the humans and it was, ultimately, consumed by the priests at the end of every week.

The Bible uses bread as an image of the Word of God, which is, probably, the main lesson of the bread on this table. We would have expected that, after giving Moses the instructions about the construction of the ark, God would have told them about the altar of incense, the place where worship and praise were brought to Him. But God considers the next priority to be man's need. Moses' words, later quoted by Jesus, come to mind here: "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."[ 21 ] The bread is a symbol of man's real need.

After the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus says to the crowd: "'I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.' Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.' Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.'Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.'' "[ 22 ]

So, the element of sacrifice is present in the Showbread. The bread is the bread of life, symbolizing the Person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ, not, in the first place in connection with the atonement for our sin, but as the power that helps us to live in fellowship with God after our sins have been forgiven.

The table in the tabernacle is the table God has spread for us for sustenance and fellowship. David mentions this in the 23[ rd ] Psalm, where he says: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."[ 23 ] The symbolism is best expressed in the Lord's supper. During the Passover celebration we read: "Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" Our daily life in the presence of God is based on the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. The table stands for fellowship with God and for all that is needed for this fellowship; it is the symbol of God's grace. The bread is not for Him but for us. When God said to Moses: "I will dwell among them," He meant more than just being present with them; He wanted an intimate fellowship with His people. The ark tells us that God is present in His glory; the table tells us that He wants to draw us into this glory and share His glory with us.

We read more about the showbread in Leviticus, where God says to Moses: "Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf. Set them in two rows, six in each row, on the table of pure gold before the LORD. Along each row put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be an offering made to the LORD by fire. This bread is to be set out before the LORD regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place, because it is a most holy part of their regular share of the offerings made to the LORD by fire."[ 24 ]

There is no specific mention of the symbolic significance of the number twelve but it is obvious that the twelve loaves represent the twelve tribes of Israel. In the light of Jesus' explanation of Himself as being the bread of life, which is broken in order to give life to the world, this representation of the twelve tribes by twelve loaves of bread before the Lord takes on new significance. Earlier, God had said to the people: "You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."[ 25 ] Israel's priesthood did not only mean that they would have to relay God's revelation of Himself to a lost world, but it also meant that they had to be the bread for the world. Their priesthood was to be sacrificial and they were meant to be the sacrifice, just as Jesus' sacrificed Himself because He was the bread of life. God gave Israel bread so that they would become bread. Every blessing given to us is intended to make us a blessing. We become what we receive.

There is no mention in this chapter of the incense we read about in Leviticus. There the Lord said: "Along each row put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be an offering made to the LORD by fire."[ 26 ] The bread was not burned as a sacrifice, but the incense was as a representation of the bread. When our lives become bread that is broken for the lives of others, we become a sweet aroma upon the altar of God's praise.

Even before the bread is mentioned, God speaks, without further explanation, about "plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings." We are not told what kind of offerings are intended. It doesn't take much ingenuity, however, to deduct that the pitchers and bowls are to be used for drink offerings. In ch. 29 God gives instruction about the two daily offerings that are to be brought, in the morning and evening. We read: "With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering."[ 27 ] We also read that drink offerings had to accompany certain freewill offerings. God says: "After you enter the land I am giving you as a home and you present to the LORD offerings made by fire, from the herd or the flock, as an aroma pleasing to the LORD-- whether burnt offerings or sacrifices, for special vows or freewill offerings or festival offerings-- then the one who brings his offering shall present to the LORD a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil. With each lamb for the burnt offering or the sacrifice, prepare a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering."[ 28 ] So we find on the table not only bread, but also wine. And the wine was to be sacrificed on the bronze altar that stood outside the sanctuary. The incense was burned on the golden altar in the Holy Place and the wine was to be brought to the bronze burnt offering altar outside. So the table was the link between the two altars.

We wonder how much Moses understood of what God was showing him. I try to imagine Moses sitting, so to speak, next to God while God shows him a picture album of the various items we read about in these chapters. These are pictures of heavenly objects, of spiritual realities. They all speak of the same truths, that is the glory of God and the way in which God wants us to share in His glory. They portray at the same time what God intends us to be and what sin has made us to be in our present condition. They all speak of our being dead in sin and our dying to sin and our sharing in eternal life.

The miracle of this chapter, as we suggested before, is that it begins in the Most Holy Place and works its way back to the Holy Place, while at the same time pointing to the place outside where we are in our natural condition.

The lampstand

The last item to be shown in this chapter is the golden lampstand, the menorah, the source of light. The menorah is represented as an almond tree with buds, flowers and fruit. We read the description in vs. 31-40.

The first fundamental difference between the lampstand and the two previous items described in this chapter, the ark and the table, is that the lampstand is made of pure gold only. The gold is not the outside cover of the acacia wood, but the whole lampstand is gold. There is nothing common about the lampstand. It is not an object that is ordinary at the core but glorious on the outside. It is pure gold alone, glory through and through.

Whereas the other objects carry with them suggestions of death, (the blood that is sprinkled on the mercy seat and the bread that is broken and eaten from the table and the wine that is poured out), the lampstands speaks only of life.

I don't know the characteristics of an almond tree. I have been amazed to see citrus trees in the tropics with, on one side, branches with buds and blossoms and on other branches ripe fruit. Having grown up in Western Europe where trees go through the separate stages of development according to the four seasons, this phenomenon was new and amazing to me. Since there are marked seasons in the Middle East, I doubt whether the almond tree has buds, blossoms, and fruit at the same time, like the tropical citrus does. If so, we are looking at a symbolic growth that goes beyond what we see in nature. It is a growing tree with buds, flowers, and fruit.

The lampstand conveys the truths of life and light. We think of John's words, speaking about Jesus: "In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."[ 29 ] And also: "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all."[ 30 ]

If light is an image of the essence of God's character, the lampstand seems to speak about the witness to God's character by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is the charge Jesus gives to the children of the Kingdom of Heaven. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.[ 31 ] The quality of our lives will be a testimony to the character of God, so that people will praise our heavenly Father.

When Zechariah had a vision of a lampstand that was fed supernaturally by two living olive trees that poured the oil directly into the lamps, the angel explained to him that the meaning of it is the Holy Spirit Who empowers man's testimony in order to overcome demonic opposition. Light is a weapon. We read that the angel said to him, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."[ 32 ]

And, finally, according to Jesus' words to John, the lampstand represents the witness of the church. "The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."[ 33 ]

Light is stronger than darkness. Even the smallest light defeats the thickest darkness. This is true in the physical realm, but even more so in the spiritual sphere. The light we know, like the light of the sun or of a lamp, is an image of the real light, which is the character of God.

The amazing thing about the lampstand is that it expresses growth. As such, it is not just a representation of God's character or of the Holy Spirit, but of man and of what God can do in the life of man. The eternal God cannot grow; only created life can give. So the lampstand is as much a picture of man as it is of God. It speaks, both of the Word that became flesh, as of us and the work of the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus can say of Himself: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."[ 34 ] And of us He says: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."[ 35 ]

We cannot overemphasize the element of growth that is expressed in the image of the lampstand. No human being is born as a full grown light. No one is born again as a mature lamp either. We all start small and increase with time as the Holy Spirit begins His work in us. We will not have the fullness of God's glory until we shine in Heaven as part of the New Jerusalem.

When God says to Moses: "Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it," He indicates the way to glory as well as the purpose. The purity of the gold speaks of a purification process by which gold is melted in the fire and the hammering out of it points in the direction of the suffering that is part of the growing process.

Speaking of the goal, the heritage which awaits us in heaven, Peter says: "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."[ 36 ] Light grows in suffering. Light may be stronger than darkness, but it is not without reason that darkness stands for evil and evil does not give up easily. Even Jesus' way to glory was a way of suffering. His light grew as He struggled upward. That is why the author of the Hebrew Epistle says: "In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering."[ 37 ]

Light gives the impression of shining effortlessly, and in a way it does. But the vehicle of light, in this case the lampstand, is the result of a fiery trial and hard pounding of the hammer and the light itself is the result of burning oil and a wick that is consumed in the process.

The weight of the lampstand was one talent which, according to a footnote in the NIV, is approximately 34 kilogram or 75 pounds. That is a heavy piece of metal!

Finally, the original of the lampstand Moses had to make was in heaven. We read at the end of this chapter: "See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." The lampstand was an expression in material form of a spiritual reality. Moses saw one candlestick, John saw seven in the opening chapter of the book of Revelation.

As we mentioned before, there is significance in the fact that God reveals to Moses only two of the three objects that would be placed in this part of the sanctuary, the table and the lampstand. The golden altar to burn incense is not mentioned at this point. This omission seems to lay the stress on the way in which fellowship with God develops: by the Word of God, as exemplified in the table with the showbread and the lampstand as the emblem of the Holy Spirit. In order to come to God we need the Word and the Spirit. David said: "Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."[ 38 ] That is what God is doing here to Moses. The ultimate goal is fellowship with God and worship. The elements that express this goal are contained in objects made with wood and gold. But real fellowship and worship are spiritual. They can be expressed in pieces of furniture, but they are in reality invisible spiritual entities. God shows Moses the picture, but that is all the people of Israel would have.

The author of the Hebrew Epistle makes this astute observation: "The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings-- external regulations applying until the time of the new order."[ 39 ] The pieces of furniture in this part of the tabernacle emphasize the need for regeneration and transformation by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit in us.

When we get to the study of the golden altar of incense, we will see that it is considered to be part of the Most Holy Place, the second room of the tabernacle, although it was placed in the Holy Place, that is the first room. The table and the lampstand do, clearly, belong to the first room. This is the room in which the priests could enter. Nobody was allowed to enter the second room, except the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. So the table and the lampstand were, particularly, the pieces of furniture that were part of the daily service of the priests.

The lampstand was the only source of light in the tabernacle. The ark stood in the dark in the Holy of Holies and if the oil in the lamps of the lampstand would not be replenished daily, there would be no light at all. The same bread was on the table for a whole week, but the lamps had to be filled daily. This indicates the priority of service for the priest. The first thing he would do, when entering the tabernacle, was to tend to the lamps. Unless we are daily filled with the Spirit of God, our lights will not shine. The life of the almond tree is dependent upon the fruit. This seems to turn the truth upside down: In nature the fruit depends upon the life of the tree and in the spiritual realm our lives depend on the fruit.

In describing and showing the lampstand to Moses, God emphasized the fact that it is to be one piece. We read: "Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it." When Jesus explains to His disciples the function of the body of Christ, He differentiates between Himself as the vine and His followers as the branches. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."[ 40 ] Likewise the church is one body with Christ as the head and we the members. The head and the members are "of one piece." But just as the function of the body depends on the head and the light of the lampstand depends on the lamps, so does the testimony of the church depend on the Lord Jesus Christ. If Christ is not the Head of the church, and if He is not the Head of each of its members, there is no church. Some bodies that are severed from their head may keep on jerking and moving, like the proverbial chicken, they do not function.

One last word about the wick trimmers. They are only mentioned in passing in vs. 38. Nothing is said about their function. It is clear, however, that this lampstand is an earthly utensil that is subject to the laws of wear and deterioration like everything else on this earth. The wick burns up and it dies. This death has to be trimmed away. In this respect the copy differs from the original since there will not be any trimming of wicks in Heaven, just as there will not be any filling up of the cups with oil. Zechariah's vision suggests this already. The prophet sees a gold lampstand that is fed with olive oil from two live trees that pour the oil directly into the lamps.[ 41 ] In using the image of the vine and the branches, Jesus refers to this trimming when He says: "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."[ 42 ] We give light by dying and we bear fruit by being cut back till glory will change us and light will be part of our being.

[ 1 ] Vs. 8

[ 2 ] John 1:14

[ 3 ] II Cor. 8:1-5

[ 4 ] Rev. 15:5

[ 5 ] Rev. 1:20; 21:9,11

[ 6 ] Jer. 3:16

[ 7 ] Rev. 10:7; 11:19- "But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets."

"Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm."

[ 8 ] I Sam. 4:3,4

[ 9 ] Num. 3:30,31

[ 10 ] RSV, ASV, KJV

[ 11 ] Rom. 3:25

[ 12 ] Rev. 4:7

[ 13 ] Ezek. 1:11

[ 14 ] Rev. 4:8

[ 15 ] I Pet. 1:10-12

[ 16 ] Ps 80:1

[ 17 ] I Kings 8:27

[ 18 ] Ps. 8:2

[ 19 ] Rev. 4:11

[ 20 ] Acts 17:28

[ 21 ] Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4

[ 22 ] John 6:26-29,32, 33, 35

[ 23 ] Ps. 23:5

[ 24 ] Lev. 24:5-9

[ 25 ] Ex. 19:6

[ 26 ] Lev. 24:7

[ 27 ] Ex. 29:40

[ 28 ] Num. 15:2-5

[ 29 ] John 1:4,5

[ 30 ] I John 1:5

[ 31 ] Matt. 5:14-16

[ 32 ] Zech. 4:6

[ 33 ] Rev. 1:20

[ 34 ] John 8:12

[ 35 ] Matt. 5:14

[ 36 ] I Pet. 1:6,7

[ 37 ] Heb. 2:10

[ 38 ] Ps. 25:4,5

[ 39 ] Heb. 9:8-10

[ 40 ] John 15:5

[ 41 ] Zech. 4:2,3,11,12

[ 42 ] John 15:2