How does Exodus 25:35 connect to Jesus as the light of the world? The Golden Lampstand: Exodus 25:35 “A bud shall be under the first pair of branches, a bud under the second pair, and a bud under the third pair.” The Lampstand’s Purpose and Design • Set inside the Holy Place, the lampstand (menorah) burned continually (Exodus 27:20-21). • One central shaft plus six side branches = seven lights—God’s number of completion. • Almond-blossom cups, buds, and flowers formed a living-tree motif: the first tree to bloom after winter, signaling new life. Layers of Meaning Pointing Forward 1. Unceasing light in God’s dwelling → anticipation of a Person who would shine perpetually. 2. Central shaft supporting six branches → One who would stand in the midst and uphold others (Revelation 1:12-13). 3. Almond (“shaqed”) sounds like “watching” (“shoqed”) in Hebrew—Jer 1:11-12. The lampstand declares that God is ever-watchful to perform His word. Jesus as the Fulfillment • John 1:4-5, 9: “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men… the true Light who gives light to every man.” • John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” • Hebrews 9:2 calls the lampstand a shadow; Christ is the substance. • Revelation 1:20 identifies seven lampstands with the churches, while the risen Christ walks among them—just as the central stem held the branches. How Exodus 25:35 connects: • The verse highlights buds beneath each pair of branches—life flowing from the center to the sides. Jesus, the living stem, imparts His life and light to all who are joined to Him (John 15:5). • Continuous, God-watched light in the tabernacle prefigures the eternal, God-sent Light who now dwells with us (John 1:14). • Seven flames on one lampstand → one Savior perfectly illuminating every corner of a dark world. Living in the Light Today • Draw near daily; oil was replenished continually (Leviticus 24:2). Stay filled with the Spirit so Christ’s light shines through you (Ephesians 5:18). • Remember your place: believers are branches, but Jesus remains the shaft—source, support, and center (Romans 11:18). • Let His light expose and heal—“walk in the light, as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7). The intricate buds under each branch in Exodus 25:35 whisper a promise kept in Jesus: the everlasting Light has come, and darkness will never overcome Him. |
    |