Ex. 25:31-3631And 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. 32And 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: 33Three 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. 34And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers. 35And 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. 36Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold. (Exodus 25:31‑36).-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. 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: 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, And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers. 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 candle- stick. Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all of it: shall be one beaten work of pure gold.
Ex. 37:17-2217And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same: 18And six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof: 19Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick. 20And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers: 21And 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 going out of it. 22Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold. (Exodus 37:17‑22). -And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same: and six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof: three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick. And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers: and 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 going out of it. Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold.
WE are familiar with the use of "light" in Scripture as expressive of the nature and manifested character of God, and of the Lord Jesus. " God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:55This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5).) "That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." (John 1:99That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:9).) " I am the light of the world." (John 8:1212Then 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. (John 8:12), &c.) Life also is an inseparable attendant upon light, and light is intimately connected with life. " In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." (John 1:44In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4).) " He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:1212Then 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. (John 8:12).) " To be enlightened with the light of the living." (Job 33:3030To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living. (Job 33:30).) Christ arose from the dead, the source and sustainer of the Church in life and light; so that it is written of believers, that they have been " quickened together with Christ, and have been raised up together, and made to sit together in heavenly places in Him" (Eph. 2:5,65Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:5‑6)); and, "your life is hid with Christ in God: when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:3,43For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:3‑4)); and, "ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord." (Eph. 5:88For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (Ephesians 5:8).) The resurrection of Christ was the first moment of the life of the Church, for it was quickened and raised up together with Him; in blessed and eternal union with Him is that life maintained; and He, thus "raised far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come," is ever the spring and source of all its glory and joy.
The Candlestick of gold seems to shadow forth this wondrous mystery: in it we find a type of union, a truth scarcely to be found elsewhere foreshadowed in the whole Mosaic ritual. It was the most elaborate of all the vessels of the Sanctuary as to its workmanship, being richly ornamented; the other vessels were studiously plain; it was of "beaten work" (מִקְשׁח); a word which conveys the idea of solidity, as well as of being wrought by hand, instead of cast in a mold. The workman who had thus to fashion such a richly chased vessel must have pondered minutely over every part, and must have bestowed intense labor and skill alike on every portion; his tool must have been guided with careful and unerring precision, so as to form the delicate flowers that adorned it; and yet the pattern and symmetry of the whole must have rested in his mind, whilst from the one solid mass of gold he beat out every part. Does not this afford us an apt illustration of that skill and marvelous wisdom of God, displayed in Christ and the Church, as fashioned by Him, and quickened together out of the grave-the elaborate result of His deep and eternal counsels, the great and abiding manifestation of His manifold wisdom, and of the exceeding riches of his grace? (Eph. 2:7;3:107That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)
10To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, (Ephesians 3:10).) The place of death was that selected by God as the laboratory out of which to display His mighty power and skill; there in secret was the body and its members curiously wrought; from thence was the new and perfect man raised up in beauty and glory. " I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." (Psa. 139:14-1614I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:14‑16).)
The Shaft And Its Branch IF we accurately read the portion of Scripture descriptive of the Candlestick, we shall find that the central part of the vessel, consisting of a shaft and its branch, is that which, apart from the rest, is eminently called "the Candlestick." It should be observed that in our translation, there is an error in Ex. 25:3131And 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. (Exodus 25:31), where "his branches" should have been "his branch," not plural, but singular; which is corrected in Ex. 37:1717And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same: (Exodus 37:17), where it is rightly rendered " his branch." The shaft, or main stem, of the vessel was of beaten gold, as well as the most delicate flower that adorned it (Num. 8:44And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the Lord had showed Moses, so he made the candlestick. (Numbers 8:4)): the skill of the artificer was as much seen in thus forming the solid support of the whole, as in the minutest details of its most costly ornaments. From the sides of this shaft proceeded six branches, three out of the one side, and three out of the other. This presents to us a type of Christ Himself, as the source from whence the Church proceeds, as well as its eternal support, and in whom it abides in indissoluble union. The word "shaft" (׳דֲף) is significant, being the same that is rendered "thigh" in the margin of Gen. 46:2626All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six; (Genesis 46:26); Ex. 1:55And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. (Exodus 1:5); Judg. 8:3030And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives. (Judges 8:30). As the children are represented in those passages as proceeding from the thigh, or loins of their parent, so the six branches spring from, and are dependent on, the shaft of the Candlestick. And thus Christ is the pillar of support and life of the Church; all rest on Him, all proceed from Him: His life, His strength, His firmness, His glory and beauty are theirs. In blessed dependence on Him, and owing its existence to Him, the Church abides unchangeably united to its glorious head; one life pervades it all, one spirit flows through all its members, one glory and beauty is alike the portion of every part; and yet all is traced up to its center and its source-Christ, " in whom it is all fitly framed together," and from whom it all proceeds. And the wise artificer has wrought this central stem of solid beaten gold; firmness and stability are its chief characteristics.
But the Candlestick had not only its shaft, but also "its branch;" the main stem sprung up almost imperceptibly into a central branch, adorned with its buds, blossoms, and fruit. There was this distinction between this and the other six branches of the Candlestick, namely, that this sprung up from the central shaft, they proceeded out of the sides; and also this was more profusely adorned than the others, and rose to a greater height, towering above them. For we shall find from the text that there were three bowls, a knop and a flower only in each of the six branches; whilst in the Candlestick, or central portion, there were four bowls, their knops, and their flowers: that is, there were four of each kind of ornaments. This central part was therefore more adorned, and would in consequence rise to a greater height than the side branches, though of the same fashion with them, and formed out of the same mass of beaten gold.' Here we have another aspect of truth presented to us in type respecting the blessed Lord, as Himself head of that body of which He is the origin; and taking His place in the Church, as one in the midst of His fellows, at the same time that He is as the shaft or pillar on which it all depends. It is written, " He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren; saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren; in the midst of the Church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me." (Heb. 2:11-1311For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. 13And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. (Hebrews 2:11‑13).) Thus He is a branch in the midst of the branches; yet ever more glorious and lofty than they, for in all things He hath the pre-eminence. In the midst of His fellows, yet anointed with the oil of gladness above them. (Psa. 45:77Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. (Psalm 45:7).) A man in the midst of men, yet "fairer than the children of men;" "the chiefest among ten thousand;" "the altogether. lovely." There is oneness, and yet pre-eminence; similarity, and yet superiority.
The Bowls Like Almonds THERE were three sets of ornaments in this beautiful vessel, bowls or cups like almonds, knops, and flowers. As to the first, the bowls like almonds, we have an analogy in the fruit yielded by Aaron's rod, which were almonds. This rod has been previously referred to as a beautiful type of the risen Christ, so that it will not be necessary again to enter upon it. It may, however, be remarked, that the almond is selected here, and for Aaron's rod, probably because it is the first tree to awake from the sleep of winter, and is therefore an appropriate type of Him who is " the first-fruits of them that slept." Its early vigor heralds the approach of spring, and before the other trees have put forth even leaves, it sends forth its beautiful and abundant blossoms. Thus Jesus has pre-eminence in resurrection, He is the firstborn among many brethren. (Rom. 8:2929For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29).) His victory over death is the sure pledge that the spring-time of youth 'is at hand for the Church; even already He calls to His beloved in that beautiful strain of affection, and says, " Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; and the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. The fig-tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away." (Cant. 2:10-13.) And as the almond bowls in the central branch point to Him who has "the dew of His youth from the womb of the morning," so also there are similar ornaments in the attendant branches, which point to the Church as itself taking the lead hereafter in resurrection. The same title, " Firstborn," applies to them as well as to the Lord (Heb. 12:2323To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:23)); His early fruitfulness is theirs also; and they will, in a little while, share in and partake of His spring-time vigor and beauty. Bowls are introduced probably as receptacles for oil, that this vessel might have the fullness of oil dispersed about all parts of it, expressive of the riches of grace held and displayed in Christ and the Church; for all fullness is in Him, "and of His fullness have all we received, and grace answering to grace." (John 1-16.) He is the Christ anointed above His fellows, and to whom God has given the Spirit without measure; and the Church has received of His anointing; and so completely is it pervaded by the Spirit, and anointed in Him, its glorious head, that the word " Christ"-the anointed one-is even applied to it as united to Him, as well as being the peculiar name of the Lord Himself. (1 Cor. 12:1212For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12).)
The Knops IT is difficult to define what kind of ornament the knops were. The word פַמְחּוֺד occurs only in two other passages of Scripture, Amos 9:11I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. (Amos 9:1) and Zeph. 2:1414And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work. (Zephaniah 2:14), in both of which it is translated " lintel" of a door; probably some ornament of the cornice over the door. Josephus renders the word " pomegranate;" the Septuagint has ק; and the Vulgate "spherula." Besides the four knops connected with the four bowls-" their knops"-there were also three additional knops in the shaft of the Candlestick, a knop being placed under each pair of branches proceeding out of the side. (Ex. 25:3535And 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. (Exodus 25:35).) From their situation, thus placed under the branches, I am inclined to think that the knops were like opening buds, from out of which the branches apparently sprouted; thus expressing more forcibly the fact, that the side branches owed their existence to the fruitfulness of the parent stem. If this were so, the knops would answer to the buds of Aaron's rod, and we shall have the same ornaments in the Candlestick, namely, buds, blossoms, and fruit. In the accompanying drawing, it will be perceived that I have thought it better to retain the round ball of the Septuagint and Vulgate.
The Flowers THE flowers were the ornaments that especially showed the skill of the workman who fashioned this beautiful vessel, as we learn from Num. 8:44And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the Lord had showed Moses, so he made the candlestick. (Numbers 8:4), where the Candlestick is spoken of as of beaten gold " unto the shaft thereof, and unto the flowers thereof" The Septuagint and Vulgate call them " lilies;" and this is remarkable, as our blessed Lord refers in Matt. 6:28-3028And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? (Matthew 6:28‑30) to this, as being a beautiful flower of the field, when exhorting His disciples to trust in God for the supply of all their need. Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these; and yet they were but the perishable grass, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven. In Isa. 40:66The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: (Isaiah 40:6), and 1 Pet. 1:2424For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: (1 Peter 1:24), the glory of man is compared to the fleeting beauty of the flower, which withers and falls. In all these passages the flower is an emblem of beauty and glory, though fading and passing away. But these flowers in the Candlestick are of different materials: they are beaten out of solid gold; they preserve all the beauty and glory, all the exquisite delicacy and loveliness of the flower, but they are of an imperishable substance: their beauty will not fade, their glory will not wither. Thus they are appropriate emblems of the beauty and glory of the new creation. A creation though new, yet founded, as it were, on the ruins of the old; fashioned of lasting and unfading materials, and yet combining all the beauty and glory of that which shall pass away. The resurrection is the great display of this wisdom and power of God, who is able to fashion anew out of death all that was once fair and glorious, but which has faded and withered; and to mold and form it afresh in imperishable beauty. The Lord Jesus is the beginning and head of this new creation: He is man in the glory, and the saints, when risen, will still be men; so that nothing that was glorious or excellent in man, as originally created by God, will be lost, but changed into that which is imperishable and incorruptible. After a heavenly fashion, and of heavenly materials, all will be raised and formed afresh; and of this He who is now in heaven is the earnest and the pledge. We have borne the image of the earthy; we can look back at Adam as our head, and see all his goodliness fade like the flower of the grass, yea even his comeliness turned to corruption; but we shall also bear the image of the heavenly, and the " grace of the fashion thereof" shall not perish, but its beauty will endure, like the imperishable flower of beaten gold.
Pre-eminent in all these emblems of the glory and beauty of new creation stood this Candlestick of gold, with its central shaft and branch; and out of its sides preceded the six branches, adorned, though in a lesser degree, with like costly ornaments. As a whole, this vessel stood a seven branch Candlestick, characterized by the distinctness and yet unity of its center and sides; complete in itself, and yet complete because of its appendant branches. The number "seven" is constantly employed in Scripture as emblematical of perfectness as appreciated by God. The work of creation, with its accompanying day of rest, was completed in seven days; and in the Revelation the perfection of power and intelligence is expressed by seven horns and seven eyes, as seen in the Lamb in the midst of the throne. This vessel of the Sanctuary is perfect according to a divine estimate; but its completeness is owing to the six branches that spring from it, and are in union with it. So of Christ and the Church. It derives its life, its fullness from Him; and yet it is His completeness, His fullness-" the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." (Eph. 1:2323Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:23).) As "the woman is the glory of the man" (1 Cor. 11:77For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. (1 Corinthians 11:7)), and they two are one flesh (Eph. 5:3131For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (Ephesians 5:31)), so is the Church the glory of Christ, and is one with Him; so that of believers it can be said, "we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones." (Eph. 5:3030For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. (Ephesians 5:30).) Christ would be incomplete without the Church, and yet it derives all its completeness, and beauty, and glory from Him; and He and the Church form the one new man, of which Adam and Eve are the type. For " God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion," &c. Eve was the completeness of Adam, and yet she was of Adam, distinct from him, and yet the two one flesh. This seems to be shadowed out by the Candlestick standing in the completeness of its beauty, seven branched, and yet distinct as to its center from the six appended branches; all forming together a beautiful whole, perfect according to the divine estimate of perfection, the number seven.
The Oil For The Light " OIL for the light" is one of the things directed to be brought by the children of Israel, in order that a sanctuary might be made for God to dwell among them. (Ex. 25:66Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, (Exodus 25:6).) The rulers of the people brought it, amongst other special and peculiarly costly contributions. (Ex. 35:27,2827And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; 28And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. (Exodus 35:27‑28).) It was made by the wise-hearted. (Ex. 35:10, 1410And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the Lord hath commanded; (Exodus 35:10)
14The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light, (Exodus 35:14).) It was to be "pure oil-olive, beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always" (Ex. 27:2020And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. (Exodus 27:20)); and in Lev. 24:1, 21And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. (Leviticus 24:1‑2), the same command is reiterated: " And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil-olive, beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually."
The olive-tree is used in Scripture as a type of richness, fertility, and beauty. " But the olive-tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?" (Judg. 9:99But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? (Judges 9:9).) "But I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God." (Psa. 52:88But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. (Psalm 52:8).) "The Lord called thy name, A green olive-tree, fair, and of goodly fruit." (Jer. 11:1616The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken. (Jeremiah 11:16).) "His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, and his smell as Lebanon." (Hos. 14:66His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. (Hosea 14:6).) The oil was to be beaten, not squeezed from the olive, that it might be more clear and pure; the spontaneous out flowing from the fruit, rather than forced out by pressure. Oil-olive is thus a beautiful emblem of the rich and ever fresh presence and grace of the Spirit. The Candlestick with its golden lamps, causing light " to ascend" continually in the Sanctuary, through the pure oil-olive constantly supplied, is an expressive type of the Church in union with Christ, bearing up the fullness of light and glory in the presence of God, anointed and fed by the fullness of the blessed Spirit, which has been given without measure unto Him. "Grace has been poured into his lips," and " of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace;" in the glory of God will all that rich and unspeakable grace be displayed. There the fresh graces of the Spirit will shine forth unhindered; life and light will there be manifested in perfect and everlasting excellency; and the riches of the glory of God's inheritance in the saints will be displayed in all their eternal value and fullness.
This holy vessel has the epithet "pure" attached to it. (Ex. 31:88And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense, (Exodus 31:8) Ex. 39:3737The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light, (Exodus 39:37); and Lev. 24:44He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the Lord continually. (Leviticus 24:4).) How chaste and pure must everything be that stands in the light of the glory of God; and especially how clear and spotless must that be, which has to bear up the light in His presence. This Candlestick shed not its light on earth; it stood in the holy place, one of those places made with hands which prefigured the true heavenly courts. It represents Christ and the Church, not as the light of this world below, but as presented before God in the heavens above, sustaining light even there, and sending forth its radiance in the midst of that light which no man can approach unto. Soon Christ will raise the Church in unfading glory, and "present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing." (Eph. 5:2727That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27).) In a little while He will "present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 2424Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (Jude 24)); pure like the golden Candlestick, fit to stand in the light of the glory, and to be the depository of light in the presence of God.
The Purpose Of The Light THE light sent forth by this beautiful vessel, though proceeding from seven lamps, yet was but one light; the lamps are never said to send forth their lights, but light; the oil ministered to each was the same, and is always specified as oil for the light, not for the lamps. Again, in Ex. 27:2020And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. (Exodus 27:20), and Lev. 24:22Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. (Leviticus 24:2), it will be found that the expression is used, "to cause the lamp to burn always," not the lamps. (Our translation is wrong in Lev. 24:22Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. (Leviticus 24:2), where it ought to be "the lamp," as may be seen by reference to the Hebrew.) This use of the word "light," and also "lamp, leads our thoughts to the blessed unity of the light, though proceeding from seven distinct lamps; and the unity of the lamps themselves, which, though seven, yet formed but one. And will it not be so in the glory hereafter? Will not each member of Christ, though distinct in himself, and shining with his own individual glory, yet be one with Christ and the Church; so that the light of each will be the light of all, and one bright irradiation of glory will shine forth from the whole? The Church and Christ will be but the one lamp, though there will be pre-eminence in Him, and distinctness in them; and it will send forth but one light, though proceeding from various sources.
There are three purposes specified for which this golden vessel with its seven lamps of light stood in the Sanctuary of God. The first was that it might shed its light " before the Lord." " And he lighted the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses." (Ex. 40:2525And he lighted the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:25); see also Ex. 27:2121In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel. (Exodus 27:21) and Lev. 24:44He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the Lord continually. (Leviticus 24:4).) The Candlestick shed its light in God's presence: He could look upon its perfectness and beauty; even He "who is light, and in Him is no darkness at all," could delight in the brightness of these seven lamps of light, and His Sanctuary was enlivened by them. What a holy and glorious standing has the Church of God-to find its place, its home, in the presence of God, to be under His eye, and dwell in the light of His glory; and not only so, but to have the glory "revealed in us" (Rom. 8:88So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)); and to have that glory given to us which has been given to Christ. "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one." (John 17:2222And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: (John 17:22).)
A second purpose of the light we gather from Ex. 26:3535And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side. (Exodus 26:35): " And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the Candlestick over against the table on the side of the Tabernacle, towards the south; and thou shalt put the table on the north side:" and Ex. 40:2424And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. (Exodus 40:24), "And he put the Candlestick in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, over against the table, on the side of the Tabernacle southward." Thus it was placed opposite to, and cast its light upon, the Shewbread Table; thereby displaying the whiteness and purity of the twelve loaves, covered with frankincense arranged on it. So the display of the Church in glory around the Lord will shed back light again upon the past, and will bring out into bright and blessed manifestation the value of Him who has been here down into death for it: the perfectness of His obedience, and the costliness of His sacrifice, will be plainly told out by the glory with which the Church will be crowned.
The third and chief object of the light is expressed in Ex. 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;" and Num. 8:2, 32Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 3And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the Lord commanded Moses. (Numbers 8:2‑3), "Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the Candlestick. And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the Candlestick, as the Lord commanded Moses." The difficult phrase “over against it," found in Ex. 25, is thus explained to mean, "over against the Candlestick." One chief object of the light was to illumine, and thereby display, the Candlestick itself; for "this work of the Candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, beaten work."
All the light and glory of the Church to be manifested hereafter in blessed union with the Lord will only the more exhibit the love, wisdom, and power of God, as seen in raising Christ from the dead, and giving Him to be head over all things to it. In the fullness of His own light, and of that of the Church, Christ will be manifested, "glorified in his saints." The more their light and glory shine forth, the more will His beauty and perfectness be seen, and the more will the wisdom and skilfulness of God be displayed. The seven lamps alike lighted up, and made manifest the solid shaft of beaten gold, and the lovely and delicate flowers of the branch. The might and excellency of strength, as well as the beauty and glory of the Lord, will be fully declared in and by the Church in resurrection; it will shine forth to accomplish one great counsel of God, namely, " that we shall be to the praise of His glory."
WHEN the princes of this world had crucified the Lord of glory, and had thereby quenched the "true light," and the darkness of night began imperceptibly to steal over the world, a light sprang up in the presence of God, with its perfect sevenfold luster, transferred from the earth, and shedding for the first time, its radiance in the sanctuary above. Christ was received up in the glory of resurrection, just at the time when men thought they had made all sure for retaining Him in the place of death; " sealing the stone, and setting a watch." The grave is the last place where the world has beheld Christ; a risen Christ is unknown to it, and is its certain condemnation. Light and life banished from hence, but centered in and around the Lord, have found their eternal resting-place above: and the Church of God, in like manner as its risen head, unknown and despised by a world of darkness, stands in union with Him in glory, and finds its life and its light there. There is a passage in John 13:30-3230He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night. 31Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. (John 13:30‑32) which expresses some of these truths. Satan, the prince of this world, had obtained full power over Judas, and that by means of the world's great object of desire and attraction-the mammon of unrighteousness; and all was now ready for the accomplishment of his fearful deed of sin, the betrayal of the Lord: he went out to that end, and the Scripture emphatically adds, "it was night." The glorious light was about to be quenched; the night had set in. Those lips which had spoken life and truth were about to be closed in the silence of death, and the doom of this world was fixed: henceforth there was to be a night of sin, and darkness, and death; henceforth the world was to be under "rulers of darkness," till He whom it had rejected and slain should return as "the Sun of righteousness with healing in His wings." But the Son of man would be glorified on earth, even in Ills obedience unto death, and God would be glorified in Him. The cross, the place of shame and death, would be the true glory of the Son of man; and God Himself would be glorified in that blessed and crowning act of His Son's obedience; and if so, God would raise Him from the dead, and glorify Him in Himself, yea "would straightway glorify Him." The heavens were opened to receive the rejected and despised One; the heavenly tabernacle above became the place of His joy and glory.
Even so light was presented to God in His sanctuary, just as the darkness of night set in; when the evening cast its gloomy shadows over the world, the "Lamp of God" was lighted, and sent forth its brilliant rays in the holy place. This holy vessel, thus lighted in the evening, was dressed in the morning. This points onward to a period still future, when the night shall have passed, and the day shall dawn The first ushering in of that blessed day will be the raising and presenting the Church to God in the full effulgence of light and glory. During the whole of the night, indeed, light is in the sanctuary, for Christ is there, like the seven-branch candlestick of gold; and faith already sees the Church there also, united to Him, and complete in Him. But the night is even now far spent, and the day is at hand, the resurrection day, the morning without clouds; and then the Church will in reality be raised and presented in glory and beauty, and the glory and beauty of Christ will be complete. The day began, according to the scriptural method of reckoning, with the preceding evening; "the evening and the morning were the first day;" so throughout Gen. 1 In one sense the day has already begun, for Christ has risen, and the evening that precedes the morning has commenced. The lamp has already been lighted; even now it sheds its perfect light in the heavenly tabernacle; but the High Priest will, ere long, cause it to burn with increased brilliancy. He will dress the lamps; He will, by the power of the Spirit, cause the Church to shine in bright and undimmed glory forever. The resurrection day is not the commencement of the glory of the Church, for already it is united to, and glorified in a risen Christ; but it is the completion of its glory, and it is the time of its full display in perfection of light and beauty before the Lord.
The constant repetition of lighting and dressing the lamps may present a difficulty to some; but it will be found with this, as well as with many other typical actions, that the fact of repetition only proves the insufficiency of the Levitical order to accomplish anything. The priests themselves succeeded one another, because "they could not continue by reason of death;" their priestly power availed nothing. Death, the very foe over whom they should, as priests, have triumphed, became their conqueror. The sacrifices were daily and yearly repeated; for the bloodshed therein affected nothing. In fact, “the law made nothing perfect," and was a mere shadow of good things to come. In contrast to all this, we have a priest that " abideth continually;" one who can " save to the very end;" a sacrifice that needeth not to be repeated; for the shedding of that blood has accomplished forever the remission of sins; a candlestick in the sanctuary that needs not to be re-lighted, for it ceases not to shed its luster before the Lord. The Scriptures of the New Testament, also, abundantly supply passages which prove that the period of Christ's absence is one uninterrupted night; and that the return of Christ, and the resurrection of the saints, is the morning of a bright and endless day of glory.
There are two or three other things that may be noticed respecting this beautiful vessel. One is, that there is no foot or pedestal described on which it stood or rested; another is, that there are no dimensions given as to its height or breadth. Our thoughts are hereby led to the unearthly standing of the Church; it has no home, no resting-place below; its rest, its place is in the heavens; it has no foot, no dependence on or connection with earth. Moreover, no measurements are given; for the Church can be defined by no earthly standard. Its length and breadth and height of glory cannot be estimated by human thought or calculation, The Spirit of God alone can reveal those "deep things of God. He alone can instruct the soul in that glory which " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, and which it hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive." "The measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" can alone be estimated by "the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." A third remarkable fact connected with the ordering of the vessel is, that in the directions given for lighting and dressing the lamps, in Ex. 30:7, 87And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. (Exodus 30:7‑8), Lev. 24:33Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the Lord continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations. (Leviticus 24:3), and Num. 8:1-31And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 3And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the Lord commanded Moses. (Numbers 8:1‑3), Aaron is alone mentioned as the one who is to undertake that service. It was peculiarly a work entrusted to the high priest, and to him only. We easily see the immediate typical reference here to the Lord Jesus Himself as our great High Priest, to whose living power and love God has alone entrusted the glory and safe keeping of the Church, and who only is able to present it " a glorious Church, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing."
It is one chief source of rest and joy to our souls to know, that Christ has kept, and will still preserve, His saints in undimmed light and glory; presented to God above. However the Church has been scattered and broken-however its light has become obscured, or well-nigh quenched here on earth, yet above it has been, and still is, sustained in unfailing luster, united to its glorious head. The eye of faith has but to turn away from gazing at the defilements, corruptions, and darkness of this world, and to look into the sanctuary of God, and there it will behold one who, like the solid shaft, steadily and unweariedly bears up light before the Lord, on behalf of the saints; and who, like the branch also, with its lovely flowers and fruit, presents unfading beauty and glory in His presence. The morning of the Lord's return will prove how Christ has maintained His position before God on behalf of the Church, notwithstanding all its declension and failure; and how, in consequence, He is able to present it "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy."
k Ex. 25:38-4038And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. 39Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels. 40And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount. (Exodus 25:38‑40).-And the tongs thereof, and the snuff- dishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels. And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was she wed thee in the mount. Ex. 37:2323And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold. (Exodus 37:23),24. -And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuff- dishes, of pure gold. Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof. The Tongs THE word מַלְקָחַיִם, translated in Ex. 37:2323And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold. (Exodus 37:23) "snuffers," is rendered " tongs " in all other places where it occurs; and this seems to be the correct translation. It is only found elsewhere in Num. 4:99And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: (Numbers 4:9), z Kings 7:49, 2 Chron. 4:2121And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that perfect gold; (2 Chronicles 4:21), and Isa. 6:66Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: (Isaiah 6:6). The use of these instruments would be twofold. On the one hand they would be needed at the Candlestick, when the priest dressed the lamps, to raise up the wick, in order that the light might burn more brightly; besides this, it would seem that they were needed at the incense altar for placing the live coals on it, or removing them into the censer when that vessel was used.
The dressing the lamps in the morning has been adverted to above, as affording a type of the resurrection of the Church. This ministry and power of Christ, which will present the Church to God complete in light and glory, are foreshadowed in the use and appointment of these golden tongs. The high priest by means of them would cause the lamp to shine with its daylight splendor in the Tabernacle, just as the morning was breaking on the mountains of the world outside. As the Sanctuary had a light of its own, shedding forth its radiance within, whilst the world was in, the darkness of night; so also it had its own peculiar light during the day, when the night of the world was over, and the glorious sun began to arise. The act of raising the wick, and thus causing the lamp to burn in full brilliancy, would answer to that beautiful expression of the apostle (2 Cor. 5:44For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. (2 Corinthians 5:4)), "that mortality might be swallowed up of life." It would not be re-lighting an extinguished lamp, nor cutting off a smoldering wick; but gently raising the wick, so that what was before dim might disappear in the brightness of its increased light. So one of the chief glories of the resurrection day is the sudden CHANGE of that which is now weak and worthless, into glory and beauty. " Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself." (Phil. 3:2121Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21).) When the night had closed in, and was well-nigh spent, the priest that was watching in the holy place would be reminded, as his eye glanced at the golden tongs by the side of the Candlestick, that the morning would soon dawn, when light in all its fullness would be shed forth before the Lord from that seven-branch luminary; and when also to the world itself the sun would arise with genial warmth and splendor.
The tongs seem also for special use at the incense altar. There were no other instruments provided in the Sanctuary for handling the live coals; and from Isa. 6:66Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: (Isaiah 6:6), we find that tongs were used by one of the seraphim in the temple, and the burning coal was taken in them from off the altar. The reason for keeping instruments of this kind by the Candlestick, when they were used in ministration at the incense altar, has been adverted to under the Vessels of the Shewbread Table, and is enlarged upon under the following head.
The Snuff-Dishes Or Censers The Hebrew word מַחְתָּה is translated "snuff-dish" in connection with the Candlestick only, and that in Ex. 25:3838And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. (Exodus 25:38), 37. 23, and Num. 4:99And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: (Numbers 4:9): in every other place (and it occurs often) it is translated "censer," or "firepan." The expression "snuff-dish," in these places connected with the Candlestick, may have arisen from a difficulty in the mind of the translator to understand the use of a censer to a Candlestick; and therefore he converted the "censer" into a "snuff-dish," and the " tongs "" into " snuffers," as apparently more in unison with the vessel with which they were connected. But in dressing a lamp, neither would snuffers nor snuff-dishes be needed. The universal use of these vessels in all other places in Scripture for censers, would of itself induce one to suppose that here also they must mean the same. There were also vessels of the same name, made of brass, and connected with the altar of burnt-offering, called in Ex. 27:33And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. (Exodus 27:3) and 38: 3 " firepans," and Num. 4:1414And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins, and put to the staves of it. (Numbers 4:14) " censers."
The ancient censer was merely a pan of gold or brass to receive the burning coals, with a long handle attached to it, wherewith the priest was able to carry it full of fire. On the burning coals thus carried, incense was thrown. The reason for connecting golden censers with the Candlestick, and not with the incense altar, was to link together and combine the different vessels of ministry in all the great acts of priestly service. For example, on the great day of atonement, the High Priest would take the golden censer from the Candlestick, fill it with burning coals from the altar of incense, take his hands full of incense from the Shewbread Table, and then cast the incense on the fire in the censer before the Ark, in the most holy place. In this one great act of priestly service, all the vessels of the Sanctuary would be involved: the altar, with its holy fire, would yield the live coals; the Candlestick would yield the censer; the Shewbread Table, with its golden spoons, would yield the incense; and all would have reference to making atonement before the Ark and Mercy Seat. The high priest would bear in his thoughts the varied excellences and purposes of the different vessels of the Sanctuary, whilst he sprinkled the blood, the foundation on which all priestly ministry was conducted. The varied service at those vessels was a result from, and dependent on, the great work of atonement. Moreover, the censers at the Candlestick, which were to bear the holy fire, betokened the intimate union between LIGHT and HOLINESS; besides forming a link between the vessel of tight and the incense altar, the place from whence sweet perfume ascended to God.
How this directs our souls to the one glorious chain of priestly service, conducted by our blessed Lord on behalf of His saints: each portion is but a link of one continuous whole; the atonement is the basis on which it all rests, and from which it all springs; the end is the presentation of the saints, perfect and complete, in the day of glory.
It may be remarked, in conclusion, that the Candlestick and its attendant vessels, to a certain extent, formed by themselves a complete whole, being made out of a definite mass of gold appropriated to that special purpose: "of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels." The injunction, also," Look that thou make them after their pattern, which was skewed thee in the mount," is twice repeated, as immediately connected with the Candlestick, in Ex. 25:4040And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount. (Exodus 25:40) and Num. 8:44And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the Lord had showed Moses, so he made the candlestick. (Numbers 8:4). All this adds value and importance to this holy vessel, and proves it to be one pre-eminently precious in the sight of the Lord, and that it has a peculiar aspect and standing, and a glory of its own, distinct from the earth, and connected immediately with the heavens.
We have but little recorded in the Word respecting the Candlestick subsequent to its being formed and placed in the Tabernacle. There are, however, two remarkable and contrasted scenes of judgment, in which an allusion is made to it; the one in 1 Sam. 3, the other in Dan. 5
In the early days of Samuel the priesthood of Israel had grievously departed from the Lord. The ways of the sons of Eli were in fearful opposition to the holiness and truth of God; and their father was content with merely rebuking their evil, and allowed his faithfulness to yield to his natural affection. But the Candlestick still burned in the Sanctuary. There was yet a standard of light and truth, against which the priests had sinned, and by which they would be judged. "The lamp of God," with its sevenfold luster, stood in solemn and fearful contrast with their ways of darkness and sin; and, " ere it went out," the word came to Samuel of sweeping wrath and judgment on the whole house of Eli, so that " the ears of every one that heard it should tingle." Here the lamp of God was the witness that "judgment must begin at the house of God;" the priests of the Lord had not walked according to the light of the Sanctuary, but had followed a path of unholiness and evil; their ways especially called for judgment, when viewed in contrast with the purity and light of that heavenly vessel, which stood as the pattern of what the calling and character of those should be who ministered before the Lord. May we not gather important instruction from this history? As priests to God, consecrated by the blood of Christ, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, believers have a heavenly standard of perfectness and glory, in the light of which they have to walk, and to fashion their ways, and to form their estimates of things around them. The light of the glory is the judgment of the flesh and its lusts-of the world and its ways. "If ye then be risen with Christ," says the Apostle, "seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God: set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." (Col. 3:1, 21If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:1‑2).) And again, " For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them," (Eph. 5:88For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (Ephesians 5:8),)
In one other scene of judgment, but of a different character, this holy vessel is again found. (Dan. 5) Belshazzar the king made a great feast, and displayed his earthly power and magnificence to a thousand of his lords. Not content with this, he ordered the holy vessels of the Temple to be brought to adorn his triumph, and gratify his pride. Their presence sealed the doom of the king. " In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick, upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN." Have we not here portents of a coming judgment? Does not this last act of Belshazzar's iniquity, in desecrating the holy vessels of the Temple, depict some of the closing features of the world's sin? The king had sought to lower the God of heaven to the level of "the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone." He had praised the senseless idols of his own creating, instead of glorifying the God "in whose hand was his breath, and all his ways." In seeking to advance his own glory, he unconsciously introduced into the scene his own judgment. The holy vessels, those types of heavenly glory and perfectness, were standards against which God would weigh this monarch of the earth. The Candlestick of gold, with its completeness of light and beauty, stood in bright but solemn contrast with the vanity and blasphemy around. The finger of the man's hand, that same hour, inscribed on the wall the sentence, " Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting." Here are traces of evil and of judgment which will have their full accomplishment in these latter days. Man in his pride and folly will exalt himself, and his own acts and ways, above the God of heaven. He will praise his gods-his own wisdom, power, and skill. He will desecrate the name of God and of Christ; even at this hour he only ranks those holy names on a level with the gods of the world. But the Most High will bring all this pride and blasphemy into contrast with the true glory of Christ and the Church. The hand of a man will again write the sentence of judgment: “For God has appointed a day, in which He will judge the world in righteousness, by that MAN whom He hath ordained." (Acts 17:3131Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31).) Christ, once despised and rejected, "will come with ten thousand of His saints to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed; and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." (Jude 1515To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 15).) Even now the believer sees by the eye of faith the sentence written on the plastered palaces of the earth, "God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it." When the mystery of iniquity has reached its climax, and the man of sin shall have exalted himself "above all that is called God, or that is worshipped," then will come the sudden and overwhelming judgment, and destruction of the power and greatness of this world. Christ and the risen Church will be the standard against which all the vanity and passing splendor of earth will be weighed. The Candlestick of Gold is a sure witness of the approaching joy and exaltation of the Church, and of the certain judgment and overturning of the nations. "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever." (Rev. 11:1515And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11:15).)
Notes To The Candlestick 1. From 1 Chron. 28:1515Even the weight for the candlesticks of gold, and for their lamps of gold, by weight for every candlestick, and for the lamps thereof: and for the candlesticks of silver by weight, both for the candlestick, and also for the lamps thereof, according to the use of every candlestick. (1 Chronicles 28:15) and 1 Kings 7:4949And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold, (1 Kings 7:49), we learn that there were ten Candlesticks of gold made for the Temple, according to patterns given by the Spirit to David, and described by him to Solomon. There were also Candlesticks of silver. And in Jer. 52:49, the Candlesticks are mentioned amongst other vessels taken to Babylon. But from 2 Chron. 13:1111And they burn unto the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the showbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the Lord our God; but ye have forsaken him. (2 Chronicles 13:11) and Dan. 5:55In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. (Daniel 5:5), it would seem, that there was one Candlestick especially distinguished; and this may have been the original Candlestick of the Tabernacle.
In the drawing of the Candlestick, vessels have been arranged around it so as to conceal any foot, since none is mentioned in Scripture; also there are golden vessels represented which are not mentioned in Exodus, but which are enumerated in Num. 4:99And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: (Numbers 4:9); "all the oil vessels thereof;" these have been inserted in the drawing, in order more effectually to hide the foot.
2. It will be perceived that the drawing of the Candlestick, accompanying this letter-press, has been designed according to the description thus afforded by the text, and materially differs from the representation of the Candlestick on the arch of Titus, in this respect especially, that the central branch is much higher than the side branches. The design on the arch is clearly incorrect, as regards the pedestal on which the vessel rests; for it is there pictured as adorned with sea monsters: this proves that either the Jews had fashioned a new candlestick for the Temple after their return from captivity, and had not regarded the language of Scripture as to its description; or that the Roman artist pleased his own taste when he represented the vessels borne in triumph, and varied them so as to suit his own ideas of beauty. At all events we cannot depend on these sculptures as being truthful representations of the vessels. It does not appear that the original Candlestick was restored to the Temple after the return, as it is not enumerated amongst the vessels in Ezra 1:9-119And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, 10Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. 11All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:9‑11). If any one is desirous of a correct representation of the Candlestick, as sculptured on the arch of Titus, such will be found in Reland's little work, "De Spoliis Templi," the plates of which are interesting, because taken from drawings on the spot many years ago, before the bas-reliefs were so defaced as they have since been, by the Jews constantly endeavoring to erase them.