(Exodus) Exodus 25:31-40 — J. Vernon McGee

The Lampstand's Design and Divine Pattern

Now, we come to the lampstand here, and that instruction is given in verse 31. Our translation calls it, candlestick. Really, it was a lampstand. "...and thou shalt make a candlestick, a lampstand of pure gold.

The Lampstand's Seven Branches and Ornamentation

Of beaten work shall a lampstand be made, his shaft and his branches, his bowls, his knops, his flowers shall be of the same. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it, three branches of the lampstand out of the one side, three branches of the lampstand out of the other side, three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch, and so on.".

The Lampstand as a Picture of Christ's Deity

Now, I think I can describe this, because this becomes rather tedious in reading it. Verse 40, "...and look that thou make them after their pattern which was showed thee in the mount.". Now, the lampstand was, I suppose, the most perfect picture that we have of Christ, of anything in the tabernacle.

I think this sets him forth, and of course it was a pure gold, and it speaks of his deity. It sets him forth as he is, God. Now, worship has to do with walking in the light. That's important to see. We saw the table of showbread.

Worship Through Feeding on Christ and Walking in the Light

Well, that table of showbread speaks of the fact that when you worship God, you must feed on Christ. That's what it means. If you go to church and you're being entertained and being given a book review, or you're talking about some social issue today or how to improve Los Angeles, my friend, that's not worshiping God.

You're just having a meeting. You only worship God when you feed upon Him who is the table of showbread. But you must walk in the light, and He is the light, by the way. And if you wanted natural light, you had to go outside of the tabernacle.

If you wanted to walk in the light of the lampstand, you had to go inside. He's the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. And you find that there are those that darkeneth counsel by words today.

And we are told that through philosophy and vain deceit, we can be deceived. God is light, though, and in Him is no darkness at all. And the lampstand was actually made of one piece of gold. It was beaten work and highly ornamented.

The Almond Blossoms and the Lampstand's Sevenfold Structure

It had a central shaft, but out from that central shaft, there were three branches on a side, making seven branches in all. And each branch was like a limb of an almond tree. That is, it had on it a blossom and fruit, and at the top was an open blossom.

And in that, the lamps were placed. The lamps were filled with oil and put in there. And on top, therefore, of each shaft, there was an open almond blossom, and in each of these was placed the olive oil lamps.

Aaron's Rod, Resurrection, and Christ's Priesthood

Now, the almond blossoms looked like wood, but they were gold, and that reminds us of Aaron's rod that budded. When Aaron's priestly prerogative was in question, the budding of his almond rod established it.

Now, the almond rod, a dead branch, was made to live and bear fruit. Christ was established as the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead. It didn't make Him the Son of God, for He was already that.

From the eternal counsels of God, resurrection only confirmed it. Aaron was the God-appointed High Priest, and it was confirmed by resurrection and the dead almond rod. The resurrection of Christ likewise established His priesthood.

Christ is our great High Priest, and He became a man. He partook of our nature, tempted in all points as we are, sin apart. But the primary basis of His priesthood is His Deity. You see, the priest represented man before God, and Christ as God who became a man.

And He's now the God-man who represents man. There's somebody up there that knows me and understands me, and He's able to help me. The resurrection which declared Him to be the Son of God likewise declared His priesthood.

The Unmeasured Deity and Humanity of Christ

And the thing that's interesting to me, there was no measurements given here of the lampstand. I wonder if you noticed that. Well, why? Because you can't put a yardstick down on Deity, friends. You can't measure Him as the Son of God, and you can't understand Him at all.

But also there is His humanity, and along with the fact that Jesus wept, He also said, "...Lazarus, come forth," and Lazarus came forth. And the lampstand gave light in the holy place. It's the place of worship.

The Holy Spirit Reveals the Beauty of Christ

And the very interesting thing about it, the lampstand held up the lights, the lamps, but they in turn revealed the beauty of the lampstand. Now, the light there, the oil and the light up above there, that represents the Holy Spirit.

And the Lord Jesus says, "...if I send him into the world," and He sent him into the world. Why? He says He'll take the things of mine and show them unto you. And when you and I gather together for worship, or hear on the radio like this, and there's some of you riding along in an automobile, there's some of you at home, there's some of you that are in many, many places.

It's hard for me to identify where you are right now, but all together we are meeting around the person of Christ. And He's beautiful, He's lovely, He's wonderful, and He's God. And the Holy Spirit now will take the things of Christ and show them unto us, just as those lamps reveal the beauty of the lampstand, reveals them as the Son of God, the One who came on our behalf and who lives up yonder for us just now.