The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly. 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. He shall arrange the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold before the LORD regularly.
One of the furniture items in the Tabernacle was the lamp. Referred to as the Menorah, the lampstand was placed in the Tabernacle to accomplish several functions:
1. The practical aspect is that it served as light for the priest to function as they fulfilled their roles. We read in the final chapter of the Bible that in heaven there will be no darkness because God will be the light. Since we will ever live to worship light is essential, even in heaven.
Revelation 22:5 (ESV Strong's)
And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
2. The light also was a way to honor God. Light draws attention to something. To shed light on to something is to show the truth and expose the object or person. This light was to expose to the priest the beauty of the act of worship toward God.
3. The light was to draw attention to show the path to God. We need a light to show us where to go. This is why Jesus said:
John 8:12 (ESV)
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
4. The light was to dispel darkness. Obviously it dispelled physical darkness but it was also a picture of spiritual awakening. God sent Jesus to open up the eyes of those who have been put in darkness by Satan:
2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV)
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5. The light would be forever burning, as stated in the text, so that those who seek Him know that He is always available to those who seek Him.
There was a functional and theological reason for the light. Jesus, as the light of the world, is there for us to see the marvelous glory of God.
Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
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