The Candlestick

From: Notes on the Tabernacle By: John Telford Armet

• 2 min. read • grade level: 8

The candlestick comes next in order (Ex. 25:31-40³¹And 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. ³⁷And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it. ³⁸And 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 25:31‑40)). Like the mercy seat, it was made of pure gold, having no wood in its composition, so that nothing human, only that which is divine is symbolized through it. Its seven branches would speak of perfection, the number seven in Scripture indicating completeness or perfection, whether in good or in evil. The light was furnished by oil, which is a type of the Spirit of God. In olden days, kings and prophets were anointed with oil. In the present day, believers are anointed with the Spirit of God. (See 2 Cor. 1:21²¹Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; (2 Corinthians 1:21); 1 John 2:20,27²⁰But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. (1 John 2:20)
²⁷But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. (1 John 2:27).)

In the words of another, “Putting therefore these three things together in their typical meanings — the number seven, the gold and the oil — the result is that the significance of the candlestick is divine light in its perfection in the power of the Spirit. It is God giving the light of the Holy Spirit, and this is displayed in its sevenfold perfection.” The priests who moved about in the holy place could see the beauty of all that was there, as this sevenfold light was thrown upon the golden furniture and walls and reflected back their brightness and fell upon the handsome curtains with their varied hues. Even so now the Spirit of God presents Christ in His loveliness to the soul. “He will guide you into all truth”; “He shall glorify Me.” And as this blessed One is unfolded to our hearts, we can say, Yes, altogether lovely! It is in the sanctuary that the light is shining; there it is the beauties are displayed. So it is that we learn Christ in God’s presence, as taught of Him by the Spirit. Is there no light outside? Is all lying in darkness? Gross, moral darkness would have filled the scene when Christ, “the light of the world,” went up on high, had not God made gracious provision to preserve them from such a calamity. He left a people, in whom He had put His Spirit, in the world, that they might reflect Christ and thus “shine as lights” in the dark scene (Phil. 2:15¹⁵That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; (Philippians 2:15)). This we get in the seven candlesticks of Revelation 1:20²⁰The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:20). There it is not the sevenfold power of the Spirit of God in the sanctuary, but the seven churches in the world. Christ is seen in His majesty in the midst of the candlesticks, trying the ways of His people, and noting whether or not they are giving forth light for Him. How great then is the responsibility of the Christian to learn Christ in the sanctuary, and to go forth and reflect Him in the world. May each of His own seek to allow nothing in word or deed that would hinder the Spirit to take of “the things that are Christ’s” and show them unto him. And may each be a light in the world, reflecting Christ until He comes.

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