Exodus 25:31-36
31 “Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. 32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. 33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. 34 And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. 35 One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. 36 The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold."
The solid gold Menorah of Moses' tabernacle was an amazing piece of artistic work. It was made of one solid piece of pure gold, hammered into shape according to the blueprint shown to Moses on the mountain by God. It depicts both our Lord Jesus and the Church.
Jesus is the purest, finest, solid gold. Gold in the Bible a typology of divine righteousness. It was HAMMERED into shape descriptive of the hammering and beating He took in our place when He bore all our sins. Hard to imagine isn't it?
There were "...cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms..."
Almonds. Why almonds? In Israel, the very first tree to awake from it's winter sleep is the almond tree. Aaron's rod that budded overnight with buds, blossoms and fully ripened almond fruit was, obviously, fashioned from an almond tree. It's a picture of resurrection: Life out of death.
The center lamp is called the "shemesh" in Hebrew. It means "center or servant lamp." It is removable, is always lighted first, then used to light all of the others. The six remaining lamps are turned inward to point toward the shemesh. In other words, toward Jesus!
This is a picture of the church. We carry the light of the gospel in us and bring it's light to the whole world.
What is the most effective way to reach the lost? Do we talk to them about their sins? NO! Our job is the ministry of RECONCILIATION not CONDEMNATION. We reach them by pointing TO JESUS not AT sinners. He is everybody's ANSWER!
We tell them the truth; that God is not angry at the nor holding their sins against them. (See II Corinthians 5:18-19.)
"Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that GOD WAS IN CHRIST RECONCILING THE WORLD TO HIMSELF, NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES TO THEM, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation."
That doesn't mean they are saved. They still need to accept God's free gift and come home. Like the prodigal son who still smelled like pigs, our Father will welcome them home and hug them to Himself!
Though there is a very detailed description of what the menorah itself was supposed to look like, NOWHERE DO YOU FIND ANY OF IT'S MEASUREMENTS. The only other detail we are told is how much it weighed:
One talent of gold.
THAT'S 100 LBS folks!!!
Why are it's dimensions not given? Because it's not the size of your church or ministry that matters; IT'S THE WEIGHT IT CARRIES. In other words, how influential it is in your community. It is God Who gives weight to your words or causes them to fall to the ground. Some words are weightier than others, meaning THEIR WORDS AND TEACHINGS ARE MORE VALUED OR HONORED.
In Hebrew the word for honor is "kabad," pronounced "kaw-bád," with a guttural "K." It means "honored; to be heavy, weighty.
If God doesn't give "kabad" to your words, they will fall to the ground, having no effect; no weightiness or honor.
But if God gives honor and weightiness to your words, they will have honor and glory and affect the lives of many! No one will be able to stand against them.
...and that, Church, is why we only know the weight and not the dimensions of The Lampstand.
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