Exodus 25:39
The lampstand and all these utensils shall be made from a talent of pure gold.
The lampstand
The Hebrew word for "lampstand" is "מְנוֹרָה" (menorah). The menorah is a significant symbol in Jewish tradition, representing the light of God and His presence among His people. Historically, the menorah was a seven-branched candelabrum used in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. Its design was divinely inspired, as God provided Moses with specific instructions on its construction. The menorah's light symbolizes the divine wisdom and guidance that God provides to His people, illuminating their path and dispelling darkness.

and all these utensils
The phrase "all these utensils" refers to the various tools and implements associated with the service of the lampstand. In Hebrew, "כֵּלִים" (kelim) denotes vessels or instruments. These utensils were essential for maintaining the lampstand, ensuring that it functioned properly and continuously. Each item had a specific purpose, reflecting the order and precision that God desires in worship. The utensils' inclusion emphasizes the importance of every detail in the service of God, reminding believers that even the smallest acts of service are significant in His eyes.

shall be made
The directive "shall be made" indicates a command from God, underscoring the importance of obedience to His instructions. The Hebrew verb "עָשָׂה" (asah) means to make or do, highlighting the active role of the artisans in crafting these sacred objects. This command reflects the partnership between divine instruction and human craftsmanship, where God provides the blueprint, and His people execute it with skill and dedication. It serves as a reminder that our work, when aligned with God's will, becomes an act of worship.

from a talent
The term "talent" refers to a unit of weight used in ancient times, approximately 75 pounds or 34 kilograms. In Hebrew, "כִּכָּר" (kikkar) denotes this measurement. The use of a talent of gold signifies the immense value and worth of the lampstand and its utensils. This substantial amount of gold reflects the splendor and majesty of God's dwelling place, reminding believers of the richness of His presence and the honor due to Him. It also illustrates the principle of giving our best to God, offering Him the finest of our resources and talents.

of pure gold
The phrase "of pure gold" emphasizes the quality and purity required for the construction of the lampstand and its utensils. The Hebrew word "זָהָב טָהוֹר" (zahav tahor) means gold that is refined and free from impurities. This purity symbolizes the holiness and perfection of God, who is without blemish or fault. The use of pure gold serves as a metaphor for the purity that God desires in His people, calling them to live lives that reflect His holiness. It also points to the eternal value of spiritual treasures, which, like gold, endure and shine brightly.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The leader of the Israelites, who received the instructions for the tabernacle from God on Mount Sinai.

2. Tabernacle
The portable sanctuary where God dwelled among the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness.

3. Lampstand (Menorah)
A seven-branched lampstand made of pure gold, symbolizing the light of God and His presence among His people.

4. Utensils
Various tools and implements associated with the lampstand, also made of pure gold, used in the service of the tabernacle.

5. Mount Sinai
The mountain where Moses received the law and instructions for the tabernacle from God.
Teaching Points
Symbolism of Light
The lampstand represents God's presence and guidance. As believers, we are called to reflect His light in a dark world.

Purity and Holiness
The use of pure gold signifies the purity and holiness required in worship. Our lives should reflect God's holiness.

Divine Provision
The detailed instructions for the tabernacle show God's provision and care for His people. Trust in His guidance for our lives.

Christ as the Fulfillment
The lampstand points to Christ, the true light. Embrace His light and share it with others.

Community and Worship
The lampstand served the community of Israel in worship. Engage in communal worship and support one another in faith.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the symbolism of the lampstand as a source of light relate to Jesus' teaching in the New Testament about being the "light of the world"?

2. In what ways can we ensure that our lives reflect the purity and holiness symbolized by the pure gold of the lampstand?

3. How does understanding the detailed instructions for the tabernacle enhance our appreciation for God's attention to detail in our lives?

4. What are some practical ways we can let our light shine in our communities, as Jesus instructed in Matthew 5?

5. How can the concept of the lampstand as a communal object of worship inform our approach to corporate worship today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 1
The creation account, where God creates light, symbolizing His presence and order in the world.

John 8
Jesus declares Himself the "light of the world," connecting the symbolism of the lampstand to Christ's role in bringing spiritual illumination.

Revelation 1
The vision of the seven golden lampstands, representing the churches, showing continuity in the symbolism of light and God's presence.

Hebrews 9
Discusses the earthly sanctuary and its furnishings, including the lampstand, as a shadow of heavenly realities.

Matthew 5
Jesus calls His followers the "light of the world," encouraging them to let their light shine before others.
The Ark, the Table, and the CandlestickJ. Orr Exodus 25:10-40
What Must be Found with Every Soul that is God's Dwelling-PlaceJ. Urquhart Exodus 25:10-40
The CandlestickD. Young Exodus 25:31-40
People
Israelites, Moses, Shoham
Places
Mount Sinai
Topics
Accessories, Gold, Lampstand, Needed, Pure, Talent, Utensils, Vessels
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Exodus 25:39

     5615   weights

Exodus 25:31-40

     5373   lamp and lampstand

Library
The Bread of the Presence
'Thou shalt set upon the table shew-bread before Me alway.'--EXODUS xxv. 30. I suspect that to many readers the term 'shew-bread' conveys little more meaning than if the Hebrew words had been lifted over into our version. The original expression, literally rendered, is 'bread of the face'; or, as the Revised Version has it in the margin, 'presence bread,' and the meaning of that singular designation is paraphrased and explained in my text: 'Thou shalt set upon the table, bread of the presence before
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Golden Lampstand
'Thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold....' --EXODUS xxv. 31. If we could have followed the Jewish priest as he passed in his daily ministrations into the Inner Court, we should have seen that he first piled the incense on the altar which stood in its centre, and then turned to trim the lamps of the golden candlestick which flanked it on one side. Of course it was not a candlestick, as our versions misleadingly render the word. That was an article of furniture unknown in those days. It was a
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Eighth Day. Holiness and Indwelling.
And let them make me a holy place, that I may dwell among them.'--Ex. xxv. 8. 'And the tent shall be sanctified by my glory, and I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.'--Ex. xxix. 43, 45. The Presence of God makes holy, even when it descends but for a little while, as at Horeb, in the burning bush. How much more must that Presence make holy the place where it dwells, where it fixes its permanent abode! So much is this the case, that the place where God dwells
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

April the Thirteenth Pure Gold
"Thou shalt overlay it with pure gold.... And there I will meet with thee." --EXODUS xxv. 10-22. I must put my best into my preparations, and then the Lord will honour my work. My part is to be of "pure gold" if my God is to dwell within it. I must not satisfy myself with cheap flimsy and then assume that the Lord will be satisfied with it. He demands my very best as a condition of His enriching Presence. My prayers must be of "pure gold" if He is to meet me there. There must be nothing vulgar
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Concerning Jonathan, one of the Sicarii, that Stirred up a Sedition in Cyrene, and was a False Accuser [Of the Innocent].
1. And now did the madness of the Sicarii, like a disease, reach as far as the cities of Cyrene; for one Jonathan, a vile person, and by trade a weaver, came thither and prevailed with no small number of the poorer sort to give ear to him; he also led them into the desert, upon promising them that he would show them signs and apparitions. And as for the other Jews of Cyrene, he concealed his knavery from them, and put tricks upon them; but those of the greatest dignity among them informed Catullus,
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

How Intent the Ruler Ought to be on Meditations in the Sacred Law.
But all this is duly executed by a ruler, if, inspired by the spirit of heavenly fear and love, he meditate daily on the precepts of Sacred Writ, that the words of Divine admonition may restore in him the power of solicitude and of provident circumspection with regard to the celestial life, which familiar intercourse with men continually destroys; and that one who is drawn to oldness of life by secular society may by the aspiration of compunction be ever renewed to love of the spiritual country.
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate,
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Work of the Holy Spirit in Prophets and Apostles.
The work of the Holy Spirit in apostles and prophets is an entirely distinctive work. He imparts to apostles and prophets an especial gift for an especial purpose. We read in 1 Cor. xii. 4, 8-11, 28, 29, R. V., "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.... For to one is given through the Spirit wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit; to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit; and to another workings
R. A. Torrey—The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit

The Kingdom Forming
Exodus Page Leviticus Page Deuteronomy Page EXODUS I. Pictorial Device. Originate one, or omit. II. III. IV. V. 1706 B.C. to 1490 B.C., making 216 years. VI. 1. 1 to 18. Israel Delivered. 2. 19 to 34. Israel Taught at Mount Sinai. 3. 35 to 40. Israel Prepared for Worship. VII. Chapter 20.2. VIII. God Delivering a Nation. IX. 12:13: "And when I see the blood I will pass over you." 15:11. X. 1. Bondage. 2. 3. Burning Bush. 7-11. 12. 14. Red Sea. 15. 16. Manna. 20. 25 and 35. The
Frank Nelson Palmer—A Bird's-Eye View of the Bible

The Word
The third way to escape the wrath and curse of God, and obtain the benefit of redemption by Christ, is the diligent use of ordinances, in particular, the word, sacraments, and prayer.' I begin with the best of these ordinances. The word . . . which effectually worketh in you that believe.' 1 Thess 2:13. What is meant by the word's working effectually? The word of God is said to work effectually when it has the good effect upon us for which it was appointed by God; when it works powerful illumination
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Man's Chief End
Q-I: WHAT IS THE CHIEF END OF MAN? A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. Here are two ends of life specified. 1: The glorifying of God. 2: The enjoying of God. I. The glorifying of God, I Pet 4:4: That God in all things may be glorified.' The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. I Cor 10:01. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.' Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial;
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

An Advance Step in the Royal Programme
(Revelation, Chapters iv. and v.) "We are watching, we are waiting, For the bright prophetic day; When the shadows, weary shadows, From the world shall roll away. "We are watching, we are waiting, For the star that brings the day; When the night of sin shall vanish, And the shadows melt away. "We are watching, we are waiting, For the beauteous King of day; For the chiefest of ten thousand, For the Light, the Truth, the Way. "We are waiting for the morning, When the beauteous day is dawning, We are
by S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation

Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage,
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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