Light in the Tabernacle
If God and man were going to have a conversation in the tent, they needed to see each other. They needed light in the tabernacle.
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This month, we’ve been contemplating the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. In episode four, we looked behind the veil into the Holy of Holies. In episode five, we checked out the innermost lining of the tent with its embroidered angels flying overhead. Today we’re looking for light in the tabernacle, because linen wasn’t the only fabric making up the tent.
Dark goat hair curtains covered the linen and great slabs of red leather lay over the goat hair. All these layers muffled the noise of everyday life and made the rooms private and quiet, but they also made it dark. If God and man were going to have a conversation in here, it would be nice if both parties could see each other.
Now, God wasn’t going to have any trouble spotting the human in the room. Darkness and light are the same to him as it says in Psalm 139:12. The other member of this tête-à -tête, on the other hand, was going to need a little bit of help.
No amount of sunlight was going to penetrate all the leather camel hair, and linen, so God appointed a lampstand to keep his conversation mate from groping about in the dark. He had the light made of a single piece of pure gold hammered into the shape of an almond tree, complete with buds and flowers and nuts.
The central trunk held up three branches on its left and three more on its right. The tip of each branch was equipped with a small clay lamp filled with oil and supplied with a linen wick.
This was the Menorah.
Menorah. Can you feel your breath flow out as you say it?
Breath of God. Light of God.
This lamp was so special, no ordinary fire would light it. It required a flame from a supernatural source. The priests would step outside the tent to retrieve a burning ember from the fire on the brazen altar. Only flames from the holy sacrifice would bring the lamp stand to life.
You know, our hearts can be so like the dark tent without the menorah. No amount of natural light or understanding can penetrate our soul to reveal who we are, where we are, why we are. So, Jesus died as the holiest of sacrifices and sent the light of his Holy Spirit to breathe on our hearts and drive the darkness away.
As this new year gets rolling, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to blow his supernatural light into our innermost being. Only then will we see the path for our feet, the purpose for our lives, and the way we should go.
If you’d like to learn more about the tabernacle, check out my devotional, A Place for Me in God’s Tent.
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