365 Reflections

Jesus would rather have no church in a community than a dead church. That is what is made clear in the first three chapters of Revelation. With every encouragement, challenge or correction given to the 7 churches in Asia Minor Jesus promises to remove the lamp stands of those churches that do not heed His word and walk in His ways. But before there were churches in Asia Minor, there were seven lamps in the Holy Place of the tabernacle. Numbers 8:1–4 (ESV) Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.” 3 And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand. The holy place of the tabernacle was to remain continually lit. W...

Leviticus 24:1–3 (ESV)   The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly. 3 Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. We take for granted the ability to light our homes. An electric current that conveniently powers all of our rooms and even outside our homes is one of the modern world's most incredible developments. Yet in the ancient world and even as little as 150 years ago, this idea was unheard of. Think of wandering in the wilderness and living in times before electricity. It had to be fearful. The world gets very dark when there's no lights around to switch on.  It is in that understanding that we come to the rules of the Tabernacle for the people of Israel. The people were to all partake of making ...

The third piece of furniture mentioned in the Tabernacle Israel was to manufacture was the Golden Lampstand. Exodus 25:31–33 (ESV) “You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 32 And there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; 33 three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. The place where Israel was to meet with God was to be filled with light. Light brings information. Light illuminates. Both the scriptures and science agree that the Universe began with light. Light leads and guides.  The Israelites were to know that not only does God's pr...