The Lampstand

The Lampstand- Exodus 25:31–40; 37:17–24

This morning we focus on the last item placed in the Tabernacle: the golden Lampstand. So far, we have examined the Ark of the Covenant as well as the Showbread, the table, and the accoutrements, seeing and savoring the shadow of Christ in each one.

This Sunday we will observe the Lampstand. The standard purpose of a lamp is to provide light in a dark room. The Tabernacle was a structure built with fabric all around, and the holy place would have been completely dark if it did not have a light.

As with everything in the Tabernacle, however, it served a greater purpose, for this light was actually a shadow, a shadow of Jesus Christ.

Seeing and savoring the Shadow of Christ in the Lampstand will draw us into the sin-destroying and life-giving presence of Jesus Christ.

I. The Construction of the Lampstand- Ex. 25:31–40; 37:17–24

As with the previous features of the Tabernacle, this one was to be made of gold. The information conveyed to Moses, and we learn from Hebrews 8:5 “They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.””

A. Following the Instructions of God- 25:31–39

It was to have seven branches, one in the middle, and three on each side of the middle one on the same level. One of the fascinating differences between the construction of the previous two pieces of furniture, the Ark of the Covenant and the Table of Showbread, is the intricacy of the Lampstand. It was like a flowing almond tree. No doubt connecting it both the Tree of Life in Genesis chapter 2 as well as to Aaron’s rod that budded.

There were also tongs and trays, meant to trim the wick and to change the oil which provided fuel for the candles.

B. Following the Exact Instructions of God- 25:40

One important point that brings an end to chapter 25 is this warning from God: follow my instructions exactly. One underlining point that we have not considered with any detail is the manner in which we worship God.

In this helpful book, With Reverence and Awe, D. G. Hart and John Muether ask,

“How do we know that we have worshipped well? Is it a case of finding the Sunday morning service ‘meaningful’ or ‘dynamic’ or ‘exhilarating’?…The simple test for good worship, then, is whether it conforms to the Bible.”—77

We do certain things in our services because God’s Word clearly teaches it: reading Scripture, praying, singing, preaching. We will not do certain things in our service because God Word clearly ignores it: dancing, light shows, etc.

We noted at the beginning of our time this morning that the purpose of the Lampstand was to provide light for the Levites to minister in the Holy Place.

II. The Purpose of the Lampstand- Gen. 1:1–5; Psalm 119:105

There is a two-fold understanding of the purpose of light, one to dispel the darkness, and the other to provide light for the path.

To Light the Darkness and the Path- Gen. 1:1–5; Psalm 119:105, 130; John 8:12–20

When God created the heavens and the earth, there was an absence of light. God spoke the light into existence, and it was so. The importance of light for physical life is obvious. Trees could not survive, oxygen would not be produced, the heat from the sun would bring freezing temperatures to the earth, and so forth.

This physical universe helps us grasp the abstract, spiritual realities found in the Scriptures. Light is a perfect example of this. It dispels the darkness and lights our paths.

In Scripture, darkness is primarily equated with sin (I say primarily because it can denote an absence of knowledge or knowledge being out of our grasp, for example, see Job 12:22).

Jesus’s declaration to the Pharisees demonstrates the connection between darkness and sin. Sin, first introduced by our father Adam in Gen. chapter 3, has created a barrier between the creature and the Creator, banished from the presence of God in Eden. The storyline of Scripture is the work of God in redeeming His people and bringing them back into His presence.

Isaiah 59:2 “but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”

Darkness in the Tabernacle was a physical, tangible demonstration of the darkness of the human heart. Without God’s specific command for the Lampstand, Israel would have fumbled around (much as do many without the Lord) in the Tabernacle. But just as God spoke light into existence in Genesis chapter one, so too the Lord speaks to Moses and provides instructions for dispelling the darkness, breaking the barrier in a typological way, between humanity and God.

The darkness having been dispelled, the priests could prepare the showbread every Sabbath. They could see their path, again typifying the path-illuminating wonders of Jesus and His Word. David records many important verses in Psalm 119, but in particular 105 and 130 are extremely helpful.

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

The Lampstand, providing light for the work of the priests, typifies the light-giving wonders of God’s Word. It shows the way to go!

Psalm 119:130 “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.”

God’s Word, or light (Lampstand) also helps us understand, another way in which light is used in Scripture, the ways of God (see 2 Cor. 4:6). It is not that the priests simply handled the Lampstand, trimming its wick weekly, providing oil for the fuel, simply for keeping a lampstand lit. The physical light provided a shadow of a greater reality, that the Tabernacle, where the Presence of God would dwell, demonstrated the need for knowing and making God known. This could not happen, though, unless the darkness of sin had been handled (the sacrifices) and the revelation of God had been provided.

They knew about the Lampstand, the Ark, the Tabernacle, and the sacrifices because God revealed His Word to them, he imparted understanding to the simple.

This is where the shadows transition to reality, the type gives way to the substance.

III. The Type of the Lampstand- Select Scriptures

The Lampstand, the light-giving and path-illuminating Lampstand, pointed to the future when the Light of God would come to earth.

You cannot read the opening verses of the Gospel of John without goosebumps:

John 1:1–13 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

In John’s opening statements we see the two-fold work of Light: freedom from sin and illumination for our path.

A. Jesus lights our darkness—from sin

Not only does the Lampstand cast this shadow, but the entire sacrificial system does as well. Ultimately, they point to the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice of Christ of which Hebrews speaks so lovely.

Christ lights our darkness (dispels) our sins in salvation.

The Tabernacle, the place where God would dwell with His people, was a regular reminder of their sin. Few people could enter it, and only one, once a year, could enter the Holy of Holies (the Ark of the Covenant). Why? Because they were unclean, they were sinners.

Christ, however, 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.”

John 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:19 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””

Jesus, the Lampstand of true and eternal light, dispels the darkness of sin and enables us to believe and be saved. His light welcomes us into the presence of God for all eternity, for He has said I will never leave you nor forsake.

B. Jesus lights our path—from ignorance to full knowledge

We noted David’s verses in Psalm 119, but let us see how Jesus, the True Lampstand, sheds light on our path and gives understanding to the simple.

The Jewish people were blessed to have the knowledge of God revealed to them, even if, as a nation, they rejected Messiah Jesus.

Our states as Gentiles was even worse: Eph. 2:11–12. We were without hope and without God in the world, until Jesus came and helped us move from ignorance to full knowledge.

Through the saving work of Jesus, the darkness is sin has been dispelled and the light of His knowledge is growing, as Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

In full circle, from the Garden of Eden to the Tabernacle to Christ to Revelation, we see the great work of God to redeem His people and return them to His presence, Revelation 21:1–4 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.””

Seeing and savoring the Shadow of Christ in the Lampstand will draw us into the sin-destroying and life-giving presence of Jesus Chris

Have you had your sins destroyed by the Lampstand, Jesus Christ?

Christian, are you basking in the life-giving presence of Jesus Christ?