Introduction

‘Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds, and blossoms of one piece with them. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold. ‘Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’ Exodus 25:31-40

The lampstand was made of solid, pure gold, beaten out of a single piece, Exodus 25:31 / Exodus 37:17. It was placed on the left side of the Holy Place, the south side. The writer doesn’t give us either the dimensions or the pattern of the Lampstand, but we do know it had branches and that the bowls were to be formed like almonds in blossom, Exodus 25:31 / Exodus 37:17. The lampstand was therefore like a tree of gold, John 1:4.

Six branches were to extend from the sides of the lampstand, three on one side and three on the other, Exodus 25:32 / Exodus 37:18. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand, Exodus 25:33 / Exodus 37:19.

On the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms, Exodus 25:34 / Exodus 37:20. One bud is to be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair, six branches in all, Exodus 25:35 / Exodus 37:21. The buds and branches are to be made from one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold, Exodus 25:36 / Exodus 37:22.

Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it, Exodus 25:37 / Exodus 27:23, and its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold, Exodus 25:38 / Exodus 27:23. A talent, that is about seventy-five pounds of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories, Exodus 25:39 / Exodus 37:24. Notice they were to make them according to the pattern shown Moses on the mountain, Exodus 25:40.

Coffman, in his commentary, says the following, concerning the lampstand.

‘It was the only source of light in the sanctuary, with the spiritual meaning that only the Word of God, which the candlestick typified, is the true light of God’s church.’

The lampstand was lit permanently, to give light inside the Holy Place, John 1:9. The priests in the tabernacle were responsible, evening and morning, for topping up the seven lamps with oil and trimming their wicks. Therefore, the lampstand points us to Jesus Christ Himself, the light of the whole world, John 8:12.

We need the Lord’s light, in His light we see light, Psalm 36:9. It was when God commanded His light to shine in our hearts that we began to see how excellent it is to know Jesus Christ, compared to all other things, 2 Corinthians 4:6. We also began to see how greatly blinded and deceived we had become by the god of this world and by our own lusts, 2 Corinthians 4:4 / Titus 3:3.

We not only need to see His light, but we also need to walk in His light, 1 John 1:5-7 / Ephesians 1:18 / Ephesians 5:5-8. This will involve the Lord shining on many things that do not reflect Him. We should confess anything shined on in our conscience to our Advocate in heaven, Jesus Christ the Righteous, who gave Himself for our sins, 1 John 1:9 / 1 John 2:1-2.

This kind of inner working is the functioning of the light of life, the priests trimmed the wicks of the lamps in the lampstand and re-filled the bowls with oil and the light burned brightly again, Revelation 1:12-13. Once our conscience is clear and we are walking in the light, we are then the light of the world, as Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16. We can shine for the Lord amid this dark and dirty generation, Philippians 2:15.

This is the experience of the Light in an individual way, but the lampstand has seven lamps, seven is the number of completion. Therefore, the lampstand is composed of multiple lamps, people, having similar experiences, the local church, Revelation 2:1-7.

The lampstand was formed by beating a solid lump of gold. First, the central stem was beaten out and then from the central stem, the branches were beaten out, Exodus 25:31 / Exodus 37:17. This shows us Christ and His members in His body, 1 Corinthians 12:12. When Jesus came He was the unique Light of the World. Then, Peter, James and John were ‘beaten out’, established in Christ, 2 Corinthians 1:21.

We know that the three lamps on either side were lit from the lamp in the central stem when the lampstand was set up. This indicates that Christ ‘lit’ Peter, James, John and the other early disciples and they began to follow Him, the Light of the World.

Then after His death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus came to them and breathed the Holy Spirit into them, John 20:22 and poured out the Holy Spirit upon them, Acts 2:33. Peter was on fire. Stephen caught the flame, then Philip, they came together with many others to be the church in Jerusalem, Acts 8:1, the lampstand there, beaten out of one source, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The lampstand is all gold, it is God’s work, Philippians 2:12-13. By the time of the apostle John, in the Book of Revelation, there are seven churches in Asia, Revelation 1-3, that are still the objects of Christ’s care and attention.

There is one church in each of the seven cities, Revelation 1:20, and it is still God’s work, the Son of Man, Jesus, is walking in the midst of the seven churches, which are seven golden lampstands. They are not plastic, they are gold. They are answerable not to men, but Jesus, the Son of Man in His priestly role.

Christ speaks to each church in turn. At the start of the letter to each church, one or more of the characteristics of Christ in John’s vision, in Revelation 1 is/are applied directly to the situation of that church. Whatever the Lord Jesus Christ is, it is for His churches, His lampstands, to experience. At the end of the letter to each church, the Spirit is there, applying what has been said to those who have an ear to hear, Revelation 2-3.

The aged apostle John is not there as organisational head, he is in exile because of the word of God and because of the testimony of Jesus, Revelation 1:9. Christ is the Director, the Boss. He is tending the lampstands, Revelation 1:13. John is a brother and companion in tribulation with those he writes to, Revelation 1:9.

Eventually, at the end of the Book of Revelation, the New Jerusalem will be one enormous golden lampstand, not requiring any more trimming. There will be no darkness to combat anymore, just the flowing ‘of the river of water of life, with the tree of life, from the throne of God and the Lamb’, Revelation 22:1-2.

This will be the consummate tabernacle of God with men, having the glory of God, He will dwell with us forever and we will be His people and He will be our God, Revelation 21:3. How we look forward to that day! Revelation 22:21.

OIL FOR THE LAMPSTAND

‘Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the LORD from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.’ Exodus 27:20-21

The pure oil was beaten from olives that were picked just before ripening, Exodus 27:20.

Gordan, in his commentary, says the following.

‘The requirement for ‘beaten oil’ distinguished it from olive oil made by crushing olives in a stone press. The finer oil was made by gently pressing the olives in a mortar.’

In the tabernacle but just outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the LORD from evening till morning, Exodus 27:20-21 / Leviticus 24:1-2, which probably symbolized that God’s presence would never leave Israel, Leviticus 24:1-3 / Exodus 30:8 / 1 Samuel 3:3.

This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come, Exodus 27:21 / Leviticus 24:3. Go says the lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD must be tended continually, Leviticus 24:4.