We must always remember that we do not have a permanent city here on earth, but are seeking the one to come, as we submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of Truth and leads us into all truth, which is why it is enriching to take a closer look at the menorah, the seven-branched lampstand in the Tabernacle (cf. Hebrews 13:14 i.c.w. John 16:13-15).

 

14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

 

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.

15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.’

 

 

In Numbers 8:1-4, it is written that the LORD spoke to Moses and instructed him to tell Aaron about the menorah, directing Aaron to set up the lamps so that all seven would shine forward from the lampstand (cf. Exodus 25:31-40).

 

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 ‘Speak to Aaron and say to him, “When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.” ’

3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forwards on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

4 This is how the lampstand was made: it was made of hammered gold – from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.

 

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.

37 ‘Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it.

38 Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold.

39 A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories.

40 See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

 

As saints, we are commissioned by Jesus Christ to shine as light in the world, without hiding ourselves, by letting our light shine forth in the form of revelatory truth—much like the menorah—which is connected to the way we live our lives.

 

In a spiritual context, the light of the menorah shining forward can point to the guiding Word, whose revelatory truth leads us to confidently walk our path of righteousness with Christ Jesus (cf. Matthew 5:14-16 i.c.w. Numbers 8:1-2,; Psalm 119:105).

 

14 ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

 

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 ‘Speak to Aaron and say to him, “When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.” ’

 

105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

 

The fact that God commanded the menorah to be made of pure gold makes it clear to us that it bears the attributes of the almond tree, which carries great significance.

 

 

The almond tree is associated with God’s watchful nature over His Word, to carry it out, just as He revealed to the prophet Jeremiah (cf. Exodus 25:31.33 i.c.w. Jeremiah 1:11-12).

 

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. …

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.

 

11 The word of the Lord came to me: ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ ‘I see the branch of an almond tree,’ I replied. [Note: The Hebrew word for ‘almond tree’ is ‘šāqēd’ and is like the Hebrew word ‘šāqad’, which means ‘to be watchful’.]

12 The Lord said to me, ‘You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.’

 

The watchful nature of the Holy Spirit can be described as the seven eyes of the Lamb of God, which go about the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are undivided toward the Lord (cf. Revelation 5:6 i.c.w. 2 Chronicles 16:9a).

 

6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

 

9a For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. …

 

Our undivided heart is marked by a sincere devotion to God’s truth, which may bring us hardships in this world and reveals our reverence for the Lord—in that we fear God more than what people say or think. It is the watchful nature of the Holy Spirit that becomes combative when something seeks to enter the presence of the Most High without justification, in order to violate it.

 

=> Anything that does not meet the standards of the Holy Spirit and does not stand up to His scrutiny will be denied access, so that it cannot draw near to the LORD.

 

The Holy Spirit will under no circumstances present anything before the throne of Heaven that God rejects.

 

Any foreign or unauthorized entries that attempt to bypass the Holy Spirit in order to reach God the Father and the Son in an unconsecrated and disapproved manner will be blocked by the Holy Spirit. In doing so, the Holy Spirit acts in healthy defense, just as any high, royal guard in a palace would.

 

Everything that approaches God must remind the Holy Spirit of Jesus, the Crucified One, the One who died, the One who rose again, and the One who is glorified—and of nothing else.

 

The examples of Uzzah, David’s servant, who touched the ark of God and died, and of King Uzziah, who became arrogant and entered God’s presence without authorization and was subsequently struck with leprosy, should serve as warning examples for us here (cf. 1 Chronicles 13:10; 2 Chronicles 26:16-21a).

 

10 The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.

 

16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

17 Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in.

18 They confronted King Uzziah and said, ‘It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honoured by the Lord God.’

19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.

20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him.

21a King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house – leprous, and excluded from the temple of the Lord. …

 

These two examples from Scripture clearly demonstrate the invincibility and sovereignty of the Holy Spirit, who does not yield to anything that attempts to oppose or otherwise violate God’s established order.

 

As the supreme ‘guardian’ of God’s glory, the Holy Spirit enforces God’s boundaries and maintains the channels of communication between God and His people. Without the Holy Spirit, no one can convey a message to the Lord, which is why it was so important for the Heavenly Father to send Him into the world to dwell within His church (Note: ecclesia).

 

This makes it clear that without the Holy Spirit, nothing happens—a point also emphasized by Jesus’ instruction to His disciples after His resurrection, namely, to wait for the Holy Spirit (cf. Luke 24:49).

 

49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’ <=

 

(Note: The text excerpt enclosed in ‘=>’ is based on a revelatory teaching by Dr. Paula A. Price, Ph.D., from the book “Before The Garden – God’s Eternal Continuum”, pages 298, 302, 303, 305, 310, 315, 316.)

 

The seven-branched lampstand was made in such a way that, as previously mentioned, a shaft was first created in the middle, from which three arms branched off on the right as well as on the left side, so that the lampstand had seven cups like almond blossoms, on which seven lamps were placed to shine forward (cf. Exodus 25:31-33.36-37).

 

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. …

36 The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

37 ‘Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it.

 

 

At God’s instruction, the menorah was positioned on the south side to shine forward in the Holy Place, in this case towards the north, where the table of shewbread stood, on which the twelve shewbreads, also known as the bread of His face, were placed (cf. Exodus 26:35).

 

35 Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side.

 

This means that God’s will for us is that we internalize Him in the form of the Bread of Life, which is Jesus Christ Himself, and which includes, among other things, the apostolic teaching. This is symbolized by the light of the menorah shining upon the twelve loaves of the shew-bread, so that our spiritual hunger may be satisfied and we may be guided (cf. John 6:35).

 

35 Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. …’

 

The positions of the menorah and the shew-bread table embody light and darkness, as well as references to heat and cold. The reason for this is that the menorah stands in the south, where the sun reaches its highest point and the day is at its warmest. The shew bread table is positioned in the north, where it is coldest and the area is symbolically associated with night.

 

Thus, the placement of the menorah and the shew-bread table reveal restoration and God’s hidden mysteries. The hidden mysteries in the form of the shew-bread in the north are connected to tasting, to recognize God after internalization (cf. Malachi 4:2a i.c.w. Psalm 34:8a).

 

2a But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. …

 

8a Taste and see that the Lord is good; …

 

The distance between the menorah in the south and the shew-bread table in the north embodies the call to live without compromise, as Revelation 3:15 clearly reveals to us.

 

15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

 

 

Furthermore, the south calls us to recognize Christ in the way He wants to reveal Himself, because the tribe of Reuben— ‘Behold, a son!’—is the leading tribe of the second unit of the tribes of Israel, which encamps in the south around the Tabernacle (cf. John 1:14.29).

 

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. …

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

 

The tribe of Dan— ‘Judge’—as the leading tribe of the fourth unit of the tribes of Israel, encamps in the north around the Tabernacle and calls us to understand God’s judgments through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as God brings about justice (cf. John 16:8-11 i.c.w. John 3:18).

 

8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

 

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

 

Furthermore, the Holy Place, which contains, among other things, the menorah and the table of shew-bread, represents the biblical time frame of Shavuot/Pentecost. This second biblical feast ordained by God is associated with the waxing crescent moon. During this time frame, the Torah as revelatory provision, the harvest as a wheat offering as physical provision, and the Holy Spirit as provision of supernatural power were given.

 

As we know from the two high holidays of Passover and Sukkot, these are celebrated on the full moon in the biblical calendar. The waxing crescent moon at the Feast of Shavuot in the first week of the month of Sivan serves as a sign of a phase of growth, decision-making, and action.

 

In this, the Father wants to draw our attention to the development of a strategy for bearing fruit, just as we are called to develop and bring forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit in His truth (cf. Galatians 5:22-23).

 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

 

When we surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we come to know God’s perspective more deeply on a daily basis in the various circumstances and situations of our lives, so that we may lay aside our own will and our wrong patterns. Learning requires a willingness to be taught, which is only possible with humility and an open heart—and it takes time.

 

In this way, the divine love of God, the wisdom of God, the understanding of God, the counsel of God, the strength of God, the knowledge of God, and the fear of the Lord are expressed through our decisions. As a result, others see us as followers of Christ and as people who serve the living God. That is why we are here!

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm