1 Exod. 25:31-40: The Golden Lampstand As we prepare to take the Lord s Supper this morning we want to REMEMBER the words of our Lord: This is my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, as often as you drink it, remember me. And, it isn t that we simply remember his death. We remember WHO he was/is. And we remember WHAT He has done. Today, I would like to explore another piece of Israel s furniture in the Tabernacle, the Golden Lampstand. And in examining this beautiful piece, we will find Christ Jesus Himself displayed before us. Though there are many, I will share 3 truths this morning. (Other truths. The Lampstand Pictures the Holiness of God. Immediately we see the lampstand is made of pure gold which pictures God s holiness. The Lampstand Pictures the Oneness of God. It was not made of different pieces, but one solid piece hammered together, which certainly reflects Israel s most important confession: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! (Deut. 6:4). And when we think of the holiness of God and the oneness of God, we think of God himself.) 1. The Lampstand Pictures the Presence of God. I believe this is an implied truth that we may not immediately think about when considering the lampstand. But let me give a few reasons. Really, every piece of furniture in the Tabernacle pictures the presence of God because the Tabernacle was the center of Israel s worship. That was the place where God met with his people. And the Lampstand was in the Holy Place where only the priests could work. And, it was placed beside the Table of the Bread of the Presence. Also, I believe the Lampstand pictured God s presence because of it s function. It was a place of light. I know I am in the vicinity of the sun when it s light hits me in the face. And the Bible says, God is light (1 John 1:5). Ps. 90:8 says, You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. Another reason the lampstand pictures God s presence is because of the oil that would have continually fueled the lamps. Part of the priests job was to make sure there was always oil. Otherwise, there would be no light in the Holy Place. Throughout the Bible lampstands picture God with his people. In cp. 4 of Zechariah, he sees a vision of a lampstand. And what a beautiful lampstand it was! You see, Zechariah prophesied about 20 years AFTER Israel s captivity in Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem, a fraction of the city it once was; walls destroyed, no Jewish King from the line of David, great disorder, and more importantly NO temple. And pretty quickly the foundations of the new temple were laid. But the progress was halted. There was MUCH opposition. But God uses the vision of a lampstand (from the Tabernacle and the 1 st temple) to say, I am with you. My presence is upon you. Listen to his words: And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." 4 And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?" 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord." 6 Then he said to
2 me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts (Zech 4:1-6). Today, there is nothing more important than the fact that God is with his people! And we know He is with us; not because of a golden lampstand found in the tabernacle or the temple. We know He is with us because of the incarnation of Christ. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means God with us) (Matt. 1:23). John 1:14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. This word for dwelled literally means pitched his tent among us. Today, we do not have a lampstand in the Holy Place of a man-made tabernacle. We have in essence, God himself, Jesus Christ. In a moment when we take the Lord s Supper, we are also given a picture of his presence. We eat REAL food and drink REAL drink, which pictures the presence of God in the person of his Son through the power of the Holy Spirit. Though it is mysterious, we are united to the Godhead. And this is because of Jesus Christ! Application: We (the church) are the presence of God in this world. We are the city on the hill that cannot be hidden or the lamp placed on a stool for all the house to see. Jesus said, you shall be my witnesses. By the Spirit, where we go, God is with us. There is nothing like this in any religion, only in the Church of Christ. GK Beale says The mark of a true church is an expanding witness to the presence of God: first to our families, then to others in our church, then to our neighborhood, then to our city, then the country and ultimately the whole earth. 2. The Lampstand Pictures Life. I think truth flows from the fact that where God is, there is life. I find it very interesting as I have been studying the pieces of the furniture in the Tabernacle, that the Lampstand is patterned after the Tree of Life found in the Garden of Eden. the. Notice the description given to the lampstand. Starting in v. 32: And there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; 33 three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch-- so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 34 And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, 35 and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out from the lampstand. Later, the lampstands of Solomon s temple will also be designed in a similar way. It makes perfect sense when you think about it. When God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden there was no death; only LIFE. God was with them. He walked with them in the cool of the Garden. And he placed the Tree of Life in the garden. And I am sure they ate from it s fruit often. I get excited when I think about the humongous tree in Animal Kingdom at Disney World. We can only imagine the magnificence of this tree. And there was another tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of which God said, Do not eat from this tree. For the day in which you eat of it, you will die. (Gen. 2:17). And we know the story. Adam and Eve ate from this tree. And immediately the source of LIFE was taken away from them. Now, they
3 didn t physically die for many years. But, death entered the world because of sin. And they were SEPARATED from their source of life. And they were cast out of the garden and a Cherubim (type of angel) was put at the entrance of Eden to guard them from the Tree of Life. If only they could get back to the tree of life and eat of its fruit! With this in mind, it is easy to see how Israel would pattern much of the Tabernacle and the two temples after the parts of the Garden of Eden. I believe this Lampstand in Tabernacle was meant to picture LIFE that was lost. But, at the same time, life that would once again be given to the people of God. And this life would come as God Himself would make a way back to the Tree of Life (And I would argue way beyond a physical tree!) Jesus said, For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. Speaking of his sheep (God s people) he also says, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). The Apostle John writes: but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. 1 John 5:12: Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. The Bible says: And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-- by grace you have been saved-- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:1-6). In Christ, brothers and sisters, we are alive. Death no longer reigns in us. And we know this because Jesus Himself died, but he rose again and he conquered death. And those who believe in him have EVERLASTING LIFE! On the cross, he took our curse (our sin) upon himself as our sacrifice that we might have life. This is my body broken for you. Today the Lampstand from the Tabernacle gives us this picture. 3. The Lampstand Pictures Power. When we think of a lamp, what first comes to mind? What is its purpose? It gives light. And behind this light is the power to give light. This may be the most prominent truth we see from the Golden Lampstand. From one perspective, God is light, and in Him there is no darkness. And this is the message we proclaim to the world. In John 1:5 we read: This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. But when we consider the Golden Lampstand of the Tabernacle, we must get more specific about this light. Let me ask, Where was the Lampstand located? It was placed in the middle part of the Tabernacle in the Holy Place. (Explain physical aspects of Tabernacle if necessary.) I think this is important. The outer court was where all the people could bring their sacrifices to the priests. Later, as Solomon s temple was patterned after the Tabernacle, there was an outer court where Gentiles could enter, and also bring their sacrifices. But ONLY the priests could enter the Holy Place.
4 Now, we don t have time this morning to show this truth. But, I believe the outer court and its furniture pictured the world. ANYONE could come to the God of Israel by faith and offer sacrifices. And I think the outer court pictures the work of Christ in this world. The brazen altar was the open place of sacrifice, the cross of Christ. The sins of the world. And on the cross God dealt PUBLICLY with the sins of his people from every tribe and nation and tongue. The fine-linens hanging for everyone to see picture God s holiness and righteousness. The Laver pictured Christ cleansing his church with the washing of water by the Word (John 13). But, the Lampstand was in the Holy Place, which I believe pictures to Christ in heaven, not on the earth. The Lampstand was reserved ONLY for the priestly family. It was the place of communion and fellowship reserved for the people of God. In this way the Lampstand pictures the special power reserved for God s people. Where is Christ now? He is seated at the right hand of God. He is in heaven. And yes, from one perspective He is the light of the world. But, from another perspective He is giving light ONLY to his people, those who believe on him. I think the Scriptures teach this truth. In John 9:5 Jesus says, As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. In John 12:35-36 he says, the light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. But, this world has loved darkness rather than the light. And since Christ was put to death by wicked hands, the world has never again gazed on the Light. He is now hidden from their eyes. But he who was slain by the world, rose again, and then ascended on high; it is there in the Holy Place in God s presence that the Light now dwells. And while He is there, as Christians we have access to him (by the Spirit). What a mysterious privilege! From perspective this world is lives in darkness. Prov. 4:19: The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. It is now night time for the Dayspring from on high is absent. The Lampstand pictures God s gracious provision during these evil times when Satan has been given authority as the ruler of this world and darkness prevails. But the Lampstand has 7 branches with lamps that are constantly fed by oil. And today, because of the death and resurrection of Christ, those who believe in Him have been given the Holy Spirit. In this way Jesus is the Lampstand in the Holy Place. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf (Heb. 9:24). Oh how beautiful is the Son of God to his people! So where do we see the presence, the life, and the power of God practically today. We see this power in the church. Revelation 1:12-20 we read: Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17
5 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Applications: 1. His presence, His life, and His power ensure that we have been reconciled to God and God to us. 2. His presence, His life, and His power ensure our successful witness in this world. 3. His presence, His life, and His power ensure that God will be with us as go through trials and temptations in this world. Today, Jesus says, This is my body broken for YOU (who? The church). And This cup is the New Covenant in my blood. If you are a Christian, if you have believed on Him, you are a member of the New Covenant. Because of the person and work of Christ, by the Spirit, You are united with Him who is the presence of God (Immanuel). Because of Jesus, you have life. I am the way the truth and the life... You are no longer dead in our trespasses and sins, but have been made alive. Because of Jesus Christ, Brothers and Sisters, you are empowered by the Holy Spirit. You are the church and through YOU, his purpose will be accomplished. This is what the Lampstand of the Tabernacle shows us. God is soooo good to give us such pictures in the OT!