The Light
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 unto 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, Their knops and their branches shall be of the same; all of it shall be one beaten work of pure gold. And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof; and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it. And the tongs thereof,and the snuffdishes 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 showed thee in the mount.”’ Ex. xxv:31. In connection with this read Matt. v. 16: ‘¢Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt. v: 16.
HE two figures of light and oil, are very beautiful and interesting, even
in their natural symbolism. Light was the first created object of the natural world and it is its chief glory. It is essential in a great measure, to the existence of life. It is that which clothes everything with beauty and color. It is that which gives the glory to the rainbow and the ruby. It is that which makes the diamond anything but a little bit of charcoal; it is that which makes the human face so full of loveliness; and it is that which gives us everything that is beautiful in our human
relationships, and in all the wonders of the natural world. Nor have we only the light which comes from without, but the light which comes from within; the sense of sight; the power of vision which brings into our consciousness and perception the objects of nature around us.
We find this figure through God’s word from the beginning. It was the most marked symbol of His presence. He appeared in the garden of Eden, in the ight of the Shekinah. He appeared to Abraham in the lamp that passed between the pieces of the sacrifice. He appeared in the wilderness to the children of Israel in the Pillar of Fire. And He appeared to Moses in the burning bush. Jesus uses this figure Himself; He claimed to be the light of the world, and of His own children especially. The Holy Spirit is also the source of light. And the vision of the Apocalypse closes with the light that is brighter than the sup, and a rainbow gathering up all its beautiful effulgence around the throne forever.
And so the figure of oil expresses many interesting thoughts. It is the source of artificial light. It contains in itself the elements of life and healing, and in contact with fire, the elements of light. We find it employed for many other purposes than light. It was used in connection with the consecration of the priesthood, and in healing; but it was especially set apart for the lighting of God’s sanctuary. And it was specifically prescribed by God Himself, and by the most awful sanctions guarded from being counterfeited. If anyone should endeavor to imitate it or counterfeit it, he was to be cut off from among the people. Its ingredients were compounded together in some mysterious way for its sacred use, to light God’s holy sanctuary.
The two figures of light and oil are combined in the golden candlestick of which we have read a description. It stood within God’s ancient sanctuary, the first object which you saw on entering the door on the left. On the other side was the table of shew bread, and just before the altar of incense.
The candlestick was wrought of solid gold, worth about forty thousand dollars. A talent of gold was beaten into this piece of exquisite workmanship. It consisted of one stem or branch in the center, with three lateral branches springing from either side, probably a little lower, and it was adorned with three kinds of ornaments, knops, flowers, ‘and bowls like unto almonds. The knops seem to have been fruit, probably pomegranates. Thus each of the branches running up on either side would be adorned with a flower of gold, then a pomegranate a little farther up ‘the branch, and then, on the top, the almond-like bowl containing the oil with which the light was maintained. God was very particular in specifying these forms of decoration, and He told them to take care to make them after this pattern. All was of the same gold as the central stem. The flowers and knops and lamps were probably very elaborate and beautiful in their construction. Then there was the usual furniture of tongs and snuffers. The lamps were daily replenished with oil by the priests. The candlestick was so valuable that it afterwards became the peculiar temptation of their conquerors; and we find that when Jerusalem fell after the time of Christ, this candlestick was one of the spoils of the Roman conquerors. The most vivid recollection that travelers have in remembering the Arch of Titus in Rome, is the carving on that arch of this emblem, carried by several Roman soldiers in the march of triumph. It is said that it was afterwards lost in the Tiber, and has completely disappeared from human knowledge.
It had many important spiritual lessons; let us look at some of them. God does not want His house now to be decorated with costly embellishments; often where these are most lavishly employed, His house has been most dishonored. But He wants the pure light of divine illumination, through His Word and Holy Spirit, in our hearts and minds; and this ancient candlestick is the token of these things. May God teach us something more about it to-day, and make it more real to our hearts.
First, it teaches us that Christ is the light of the world. This figure of light is constantly appropriated by Him. He has given the light of reason to the human mind. And He it 1s that brings light to the new-born soul. In the New Jerusalem He shall be the light thereof. If you want - jight in your soul you want Jesus to come in; He will dispel the darkness, perplexity and sin and everything evil. ‘‘ God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”
Again, this tells us that the Holy Ghost is the instrument of light. While the light tells us of Christ, the oil tells us of the Holy Ghost. - The anointing which you have received of Him abideth in you. He anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost. ‘‘ The Spirit of the Lord is upon. me; because the Lord hath anointed me to proclaim good tidings, to preach the gospel to the poor.” Jesus was called the Christ because He was thus anointed.
And thirdly, the golden candlestick stands not only for Christ and the Spirit, but it also stands, for the church and the Christian. It represents us as the reflectors of His light. It represents us as the seven-fold, complete, light-bearers who give out this reflection to the dark world around us, and so become also the lights of the world. ‘*Yeare the light of the, world.” And, ‘‘ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
These, then, are the special points of significance in this ancient type of light: Jesus Christ our perfect light; the Holy Ghost who brings this light, and sheds it abroad in our hearts, just as the atmosphere brings yonder light and sheds it abroad through our world; and the belever and the church of God who hold the light like candlesticks, bearing it and reflecting it on the darkness of a sinful world.
Now let us gather some of the lessons that come from these lines of truth.,
1. The light which God gives to us, is all divine, and in no sense human. This oil, as I told you, was not manufactured by any ordinary process, or obtained from any apothecary’s dispensary, or any human source; but it was made from materials divinely specified. And so it teaches us that the light we need, does not come from man; not from the reasonings of the wise; not from our own soundest judgment even; but it comes to us from Jesus Christ and His precious word. And all the light that God gives a soul in its heavenly journey must be divine.
2. Again, there was no light in the ancient tabernacle but from this. There were no windows: the candlestick was the sole illumination of God’s sanctuary. And so it teaches us that we have no other light but God. When we trust Him, we must wholly trust him. ‘‘ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding.” Have you this light? Have you taken all your ideas of things from the Bible, and from the Spirit, and from God? Is your tabernacle partly lighted by the golden lights, and partly by the murky light of the world? I do not wonder that it gets dark sometimes. Let us look and see if we have the light after the pattern on the mount. A great many Christians go astray here. They are not careful to have all their light from above.
3. Again, we learn from the ancient candlestick, that the light which God gives us is a perfect light. It was a seven-fold light,and seven, you know, stands for completeness. There was not one only, but there were seven, and they afforded all the light that was required. And so God gives you light that has no darkness in it. When He leads you, you will find: at last that it is always in the right path. And when He teaches, you can lean your whole weight on Him, for He cannot fail. ‘‘ God is ight, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” So the Holy Ghost is called ‘‘the seven Spirits before the throne.” There is the spirit of peace; the spirit of sonship; the spirit of joy; the spirit of love; the spirit of trust; the spirit of prayer; the spirit of holiness; the spirit of power; these are all different forms of light, but they are all the same divine light. So God has a great many kinds of light. He has the light by day, and the lght by night. He is the light that guides, and the light that glorifies. He is the light that shines in with awful power upon your sins, and makes you weep. And then He is the light that shines upon His own sweet face; His own precious cross and blood, and lifts you out of your sin, and makes your heart happy in His joy. Sometimes the light shines from His truth, and then sometimes from the Spirit’s presence in the inner life- — “Sometimes this light surprises The Christian while He sings,
It is the Lord who rises
With healing’ in His wings.”
And sometimes we cannot keep it in, but it shines out and sheds its glory on others
—the seven-fold light of God in the heart. 4, Again, this light revealed the other objects in the tabernacle. It showed these’ priests the beautiful and precious things all around. It revealed to them the table, covered with the bread and the frankincense. The best thing in the light was that it showed, not the light, but the bread. And so when this light comes, it is not that you have such a light that you gaze until your eyes are dazzled; but the light comes to show you the bread of life; to show how the promises are for you; how you are to understand; how you are to take; how you are to hold fast and be strong. And the whole plan of divine redemption becomes personal to you; ‘the grace of Jesus Christ fills your whole being; and you wonder why you could not have taken Him more fully before, it seems so easy ‘ to now feed on Christ and appropriate His promises. Why, you have got the light, it is shining on the table, and all is easy and plain.
And then you can perceive and receive the frankincense as well as the bread, and absorb all its sweetness into your finer sensibilities. You know what this means, dear friends. Here is not only bread, but something else you need. I used to want the light to have a glorious experience. But I am so glad now to get the light to show me how to live on Christ, the lght that I do not look much at for its own glory; but which I look at for its value. If we looked at the light all the time in its full glare, it would be painful; but He gives us in nature the wholesome light with its sober shades as well as its sunlit glories, which shows us our daily footsteps, and is tous the light of life. I think it is a dangerous thing to be always wanting pyrotechnic displays. It is far better to get the light of the sober day, which shows. you how to live.
5. Again, the candlestick showed itself. ‘“The candlestick shall give light over against itself.” It was to show its own ‘THE TABERNACLE. 91
branches, as well as the other objects. It was to show that it was all right; that it was pure gold; that it was burning steadily. It was to show the beautiful flowers, the pomegranate fruit; the almond bowls at the top, filled with oil for lighting the tabernacle. ‘‘ Over against itself.” And so, dear child of God, you want to have light to show that you are living right; to show the blossoms of your faith and hope; to show the pomegranate fruits that make your Christian life a blessing to others; and to show the almond bowls that hold the oil, not only to ight your own path, but the path of those around you. Does this light show you to be like Himself, beaten out of the same piece of gold, and adorned with all the beauties and graces of the Holy Spirit?
6. Again, this light required to be daily replenished, both by filling the lamps with oil, and by using the snuffers to snuff off the excrescences. Every day the priest poured in the oil, took away the exhausted wick, and kept it clean and pure. And so God has to use His snufters, and fill us with the Holy Spirit. You and I can only shine with love when we are filled with love. We must keep daily supplied with His light; and we must see that the little hindrances are cut off. Have you a pair of snuffers? Have you taken away all the burned-out dross from your lamp? Have you the heavenly oil? If you are not shining, something is in the way.
7. And again, the candlestick did not have inherent light; it was only the bearer of the light; it only held the light, but the oil gave the light. And so yow and I are not the light; Jesus Christ is our light, and we simply receive and reflect Him. This is the secret of all holiness. Iam not light myself; and I am not expected to have light in my person; but I just have Him, and show Him forth. He is the light that shines from my eyes, my manner, my tone, and I am the mere candlestick to let others see Him. I do not stand before the world and tell them that I am strong; but I tell them that Christ is strong, and that I use His strength. I do not tell them that I am wise; but that Christ is wise, and I just use His wisdom. I have not faith; but Christ has faith, and I draw from it moment by moment to glorify Him and not myself. JI am not love, and never expect to love by my own impulses as God expects me to. But Jesus is the heart of love; Jesus is love itself; and Jesus is mine; His love is mine; I draw it in and give it out, and hold His love before the world, and say, ‘‘ He enables me to love as He loves, and yet without Him I would be a loveless lump of clay. I think that is what the Master meant when He said, ‘‘Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” You are to glorify God, not yourself. They will not say: ‘‘ What a wonderful man that is; what a remarkable Christian that is; what a pure spirit; what a gifted mind.” O, no! but they will — say: “Show full he’is of Christ; why I cannot I be as he? He tells me he is as weak as Iam, but God supplies his daily needs. Now, why cannot I do the same” Now, this is what I mean by holding up the light of Jesus, and letting it so shine before men that they will say: ‘*‘ this is the grace of God and I may have it too.”
8. Zechariah gives us a description of this candlestick in which there are several points that we do not find in any other; and one of the most beautiful is, that these candlesticks’ were not replenished by ‘mechanical means; but the different bowls were supplied with oil by two olive trees that grew on either side and seemed to distil, the very substance of their fruit, and to press out the oil just as fast as it was needed, without effort, into the lamps, and so keep them filled. This is an exquisite picture, the lamp not needing to be filled, but filling itself, as the pipes were always open. Beloved, that is the way we can be linked with Him so that, breath by breath, we shall be filled with Him. There is one olive tree on one side, the Lord Jesus Christ; and on the other side the Holy Spirit, both pouring their life into our souls and bodies and imparting themselves to us every moment. It is not a blessing that we get once in a while, but a constant connection and communication. So let us draw near to Him; so let us go forth to abide in Him; so let us have His light and His life, and then we cannot help shining, because we shall be just like Himself; and in His overflowing life we shall be a blessing to others, even more than the blessing we receive. O, may He come to us now and light up the sanctuary of our heart until it shall shine like the chambers above; reveal to us the heavenly bread until we shall eat and be satisfied; open to our vision the golden altar of intercession and incense; and even the rent veil just beyond, His owh immediate, everlasting presence chamber; for His own dear name’s sake, Amen!