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Commentary on "Worship and Dedication"
Day 4: Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Overview
This lesson centers on the menorah, a lampstand that held seven lamps, one main shaft and six branches. Its obvious function was to bring light into the holy compartment of the tabernacle.
Zech. 4:1-6, 11-14 and Rev. 4:2,5; 11:4 are used as references to support the idea that these lamps represent the Spirit of God.
Problems
The author of today's lesson makes some unneeded assumptions which may or may not be true. The first being that it was dark inside the tabernacle when Moses entered. It may have been but let's only state what Scripture actually says. The Hebrew word for 'almond' is interesting but adds very little to our understanding of who the light of the world is. If we want to add in the role of the Holy Spirit to our discussion, we should be reminded that the role of the Holy Spirit centers on the gospel of Jesus Christ.
To understand the symbolic meaning of the lampstand and the light coming from it we should keep the following verse in mind, where Jesus was speaking with the woman caught in adultery:
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." (John 8:12 ESV)
In the book of Revelation, the seven churches of what is now modern day Turkey, are referred to as being "the seven golden lampstands" and the "seven stars", Rev. 1:20. We also see a "two-edged sword" mentioned which is another reference to the Holy Spirit when we look at Eph. 6:17. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God which is Jesus Christ. Let's turn to the book of John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1,4 ESV)
Jesus is the Light and he is the Word of God. We can conclude that both the sword of the Spirit and the light that the Spirit reveals is Jesus Christ. Put another way, Jesus Christ, the Word of God is the light of the world. Now, let's look at one more passage where Jesus talks about us being the "light of the world":
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. "Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 5:14-16 ESV)
Summary
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