The Tabernacle -  The Candle Stick

The Candle Stick

Exo 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.

Exo 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:

Exo 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.

Exo 25:34 And in the candlestick [shall be] four bowls made like unto almonds, [with] their knops and their flowers.

Exo 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, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.

Exo 25:36 Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it [shall be] one beaten work [of] pure gold.

Exo 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.

Exo 25:38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, [shall be of] pure gold.

Exo 25:39 [Of] a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.

Exo 25:40 And look that thou make [them] after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

Time and again personal pronouns are used for parts of the Tabernacle.

When describing the Brazen Altar God used personal pronouns. He said his horns, his pans, his ashes, his shovels, his basins, his fleshhooks, and his firepans.

The personal pronoun his was also used for the laver.

And we see it again in the Candlestick:.his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers. All personal pronouns. The personal pronoun his is applied to the candlestick because it represents a person. And that person is Jesus Christ.

Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

The candlestick was entirely of gold, showing us Christ in His divinity as the light of the world.

They did not melt it and pour it in a mold. They beat it.

The Candlestick was made of one solid piece of beaten gold. This was just a foreshadowing of how He would be beaten. And how the result of it would be beautiful and valuable. Christ went thru a beating going to the cross. He took the beating of man and the judgment of God the father. But the result of that beating, if you will, was something beautiful and valuable. It resulted in a sinner like myself having a way of salvation. And that is a valuable and beautiful thing to me.

It was made out of about 125 pounds of pure gold. At 900.00 per ounce, it would take 1,800,000 dollars in gold. I think that this was the most valuable light fixture ever made. It was a fitting picture of Jesus who is the true light. No light is as valuable as His light.

Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Joh 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name [was] John.

Joh 1:7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all [men] through him might believe.

Joh 1:8 He was not that Light, but [was sent] to bear witness of that Light.

Joh 1:9 [That] was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

This Candlestick that was a picture of Jesus. He is the light!

It had the pattern of an Almond in its bud, flower, and fruit.

The almond is the first tree to show life in the Spring. What a beautiful picture of Christ as the first fruits.

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

The Almond is a picture of the first fruits.

It had the Almond in all three phases of producing fruit. First you get a bud, then it flowers, and finally you get fruit. No ordinary branch could ever have all three at the same time. The branches of the Candlestick had all three showing that it was not a natural branch. Jesus was not just a good man. Jesus is God. He is not from this world.

It was a picture of Christ because he is the Branch that brings forth eternal life. And He does it all. He brings the buds, He brings the flowers, and He brings the fruit. We do not get credit for any of it. It is not like we bring the bud and then he takes over. He does give man the privelge of being used as a tool in bringing forth fruit, but He actually does it all. Without Him we can do nothing.

No measurement was given to the candlestick, for who can measure the fullness of Christ

Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

The golden candlestick was on the south side of the holy place. It was opposite of the table of showbread and the altar of incense was on the west before the veil.

So far we covered the foundation (which is Christ). We looked at the four-layered covering (which is Christ). We looked at the boards (Which are believers each resting on the foundation for themselves). There was another hanging for a door and a few pillars, and that made up the tabernacle proper.

There are no windows.

What is missing in this structure? There are no windows. And that is important.

To the natural man this would seem to be a mistake. Man wants to get natural light, the light of the world into what he builds. I have seen pictures of houses where all the walls are made of glass.

But not having any windows in the tabernacle was not a mistake or an oversight. It was the plan and purpose of God.

Having no windows meant that there was no other light in the tabernacle other than the candlestick. Not a single ray of light was allowed to come in from the outside. No worldly light was allowed.

The oil that produced the light in the candlestick represents the Holy Spirit. It was only by this source of light that the priest was to serve. Without it he could see nothing, and he was not allowed to use any other light source.

It provided illumination for the priest as he ministered at the table of showbread, which was a picture of the Word of God. And at the altar of incense, which represents prayer. Jesus is the light and we are to serve under and live under His illumination.

Joh 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

That is pretty clear to me. If you believe on Jesus, you are not to abide in darkness.

Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

I heard a young man say I found out that I can be a Christian and still be normal. He was sitting there with his long hair, black rock-n-roll style t-shirt, and talking about how great American idol is. Then the rockin music started playing. A man was screaming with his mouth as he beat his electric guitar. The people started moving like a bunch of pagans in a sex dance. That is nothing but darkness. That might be normal for the world, but it is not normal for a Christian. And they call that Christian TV.

Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them].

1Jo 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

We are to walk in the light because we are children of light.

1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

We are children of light.

Oil = Holy Spirit

Oil in the lamp is a beautiful type of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

It could not be any oil it had to be pure olive oil. The purity of the oil speaks of the purity of the Holy Spirit.

The only reason they had light was because of the oil. No oil no light. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom. It is He that illuminates to us the Word of God.

Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. One of the tasks of the Holy Spirit is to teach.

I know that commentaries have a place. I use them all the time. Dictionaries are important and we need to be reading good books. It is a good thing to take advantage of some of the light God has given to good men. I read 5 different books on the Tabernacle in preparation for this series of lessons. Reading is important.

But we need to do all our studying in His light. And when we find something in the commentaries that are wrong. And you always will because only one book is perfect. You need to throw that out. We need to rely on, depend on, and count on His pure light and no other light.

Before you read a good book, pray and ask God to teach you and show you the errors.

If we wish to see the beauties of Jesus, we must be like the lamps filled with oil. The priests could only see the beauty of the Holy Place if they were in the Holy Place under His light. They could only see because of the light of the Candlestick. It is the same for us today.

It was in the news recently that the Bible teaches that you are not to vote. Guess who teaches that. The J.W.’s You need God’s light to understand the Bible. They are not saved so they cannot understand the Bible.

Today the light of the Holy Spirit does not dwell in a temple made with hands but in Christians.

1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Joh 14:17 [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

1Jo 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

Eph 5:18 tells us to be filled with the spirit

Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Ok lets recap. The Tabernacle had no windows. No natural light was allowed. Light is only to come from the Candlestick that burned pure oil. A picture of the Holy Spirit.

We have the Holy Spirit inside us. The Holy Spirit is to be our teacher. We are be filled with the Spirit and we are not to grieve the Spirit.

The Spirit will not leave you, but if you grieve Him He is not going to shed light on God’s word for you.

That is why they were told to go examine themselves at the Laver every day before they could go into the Holy Place.

Only oil allows the light to shine.

The lampstand cast its light on the 2 other pieces of Furniture.

The table of showbread - Word of God

The altar of incense - Pray in the Spirit

The only way to pray in His will is under the light of the Holy Spirit.

You can’t acheive this repeating some prayer out of a book.

We are not to use vain repetitions in prayer

Mat 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

For our prayers to be effective they must be offered in the Spirit

Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

We are not to pray to the Spirit. We are to pray to the father but we must do it in the Spirit.

Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God. We need to pray in His light.

The light from the oil also illuminated the candle stick.

Exo 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 it in verse 37 is the Candlestick, which is Christ.

The Holy Spirit illuminates Christ. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus.

Without the lamp stand the priests would be worshiping in darkness.

It is the same today. Many try to worship without being saved. They try to worship without the Holy Spirit. This is even true of most men who are ministers. For example Catholics do not believe in the saving power of Jesus, they believe in the saving power of the Catholic church. Mormons believe in works.

They have no light. This explains why they don’t understand the Bible.

And this explains all of the darkness that people in many churches under many different names, try to pass as worship.

There was no room for worldly light in the holy place. The world was not to shed it’s light on the service.

This applies today but most do not understand this. They try to take worldly reasoning, worldly light and bring it into the church house.

They say we need to bring the world’s music in to improve the worship. Or we need a worldly Bible in our services.

But God had no windows because He does not want worldly light in His service.

The priests ate the showbread while they were under the illumination of the lamp stand.

We are to feed upon Christ, as the bread of life, when we meditate upon the word of God. And this is to be done under the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

No natural light. No natural wisdom can shed light on God’s word. Natural light cannot nourish our souls.

1Co 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.

After Moses came down from being with the Lord in the mount “the skin of his face shown” Ex. 34:30 Natural light cannot do that.

A Christian who meditates upon the Word of God, and thus feeds upon Christ at the table of showbread, under the illumination of the Holy Spirit should like Moses, have the glory of the holy place upon his countenance as he mingles among his fellowmen.

The fact that there was no windows, also kept His light from the world. The lost world cannot see His light like we can. You cannot see the beauty of Christ until you get saved. You have to first enter in. You first have to get saved.

As believer priests we need to be in close fellowship with God and then go out and shine forth His light.

Mat 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

The wicks in the Candlestick represent Christians

They are necessary to show the light but they are dead without the oil.

They could show forth no light on their own. We can do nothing without God.

The tongs and snuff dishes are typical of the cleansing of believers.

They had to trim the wicks every day

Dead material would prevent the light from shining brightly.

When the light is shining brightly the wick is not seen.

The more dead material the weaker the light would shine.

If the light fades to dim, then the black charred wick is noticed.

Christians must continually be trimmed

This is done by self examination and confession to God and sometimes thru chastening. Hebrews 12:5-11

1Co 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

1Co 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Trimming the wick, allows the light of Christ to shine brightly.

The used trimmed off portions were carried out. The Lord disposes of our purged sins far from His presence Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

It was Aaron the High Priests job to trim the wicks. Only Jesus our High Priest can remove the ways of the flesh.

The light shown on the table (Word)

The light shown on the altar of incense (Prayer)

H.S. gives us understanding of the Word and to pray

When on the move it was wrapped in blue, which is the heavenly color and then badgers skins ( plain despised) Numbers 4:9-10. Same coverings as the Brazen Altar. The world sees not the light of the Holy Spirit. John 14:17

They do not like to look upon the light. They love darkness rather than light.

He provides a wealth of wisdom and knowledge for our walk.

In Him is no darkness at all. God is light. 1 John 1:5

And one day we will walk in the glory of Christ’s light for all eternity. Rev. 21:24

His light is extremely important.

We need to do all of our studying and praying in His light and not in worldly light.