Here we are now in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle of Moses. No longer are we under the bright glare of the sun in the Outer Court and faced with the bronze furniture. (Remember: bronze = judgment) We now enter the soft, glow of the Holy Place. Here, as specified by God Himself, there are no windows and no natural light. The only light in this room emanates from the glow of the Golden Lampstand standing on the South side. It takes a while for the priests’ eyes to adjust, but once they do they behold a glowing golden room.
The acacia wood walls are lined with pure gold. The light from the pure gold Lampstand casts a glow on the Golden Altar of Incense and the Table of Showbread – both of which are acacia wood overlaid with gold.
Imagine the beauty of that room! The shimmering golden light radiating from the seven lamps of the Lampstand and bouncing off the gold walls and furniture. Truly this is a picture of the beauty of our fellowship with the Lord.
For surely, as the Outer Court was the place of the judgement for our sins, placed upon the lamb, the Holy Place is the place of our fellowship with God and our enjoyment of Him.
Fellowship with God
God does not intend for His people to stop outside in the Outer Court, He wants us to progress through into the place of fellowship with Him.
God’s intention has always been to have a people in right relationship with Him. He longs for those with whom He can share His heart, for those whom will pray His prayers and walk with Him in the glow of His light. God has so much to give of Himself and He is calling for a people who are willing to receive of Him.
Indeed, we see in John 1:14 that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”. When God sent His Son to earth it was to dwell amongst us. In fact it has always been God’s desire to dwell among His people.
The word “dwelt” here is the same as “tabernacled”.
“The Word became flesh and “tabernacled” among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the only begotten Son….”
So when God gave Moses the instructions to build the Tabernacle it was in order that He would dwell amongst His People. Of course sin needed to be dealt with first, as it has been at the cross (the Brazen Altar in the Outer Court), and now God wants to dwell among His people to fellowship with them. In the Old Covenant He dwelt nationally amongst His people. In the New Covenant He dwells both individually in the believer and corporately in the Church.
The Purpose of the Golden Lampstand
The function of the Golden Lampstand in the Holy Place was to give light: to provide illumination for the priests as they ministered to the Lord. If the Lampstand had not been there it would have been pitch black and the priests wouldn’t have been able to carry out their ministry. God would never have us groping in the dark. He has provided His light to the Church, both in His Son Jesus Christ and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The Ministry of the Priests
The priests entered the Holy Place twice daily to minister to the Lord:
- To eat the showbread from the Table of showbread : The Showbread is both a picture of the Word of God and the Bread of God who came from Heaven to give life to the world : Jesus Christ Himself
- To top up oil in the lamps of the Golden Lampstand : The oil is a picture of the Holy Spirit
- To burn incense at the Golden Altar of Incense: The Altar of Incense is a picture of prayer and intercession
The Lampstand is a Picture of Jesus
| The Lampstand | Jesus Christ |
| The only light source in the Holy Place | Jesus is the light of the world. John 8:12 |
| Was made of pure gold. Gold = deity | Jesus is God. He is deity, divine, the second person of the Godhead. John 1:1 |
| The gold was hammered and beaten into shape | Shows the sufferings of Christ. Isaiah 53:5 |
| The Lampstand had seven branches | Jesus has the 7-fold spirit of God. Isaiah 11:1-2; Rev 3:1, 4:5 |
| Was decorated with almond blossoms and almonds | The almond tree was the first to blossom after winter in Israel. This speaks of the resurrection of Christ. |
| No natural light in the Holy Place | The natural, fleshly man can’t see His deity. It has to be revealed (illuminated) to us by the Holy Spirit. |
The Lampstand is Also a Picture of the Holy Spirit
| It illuminates the Table of Showbread | 1. Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us as the Bread of Life. John 6:35
2. Holy Spirit illuminates the Word of God. Matthew 4:4 |
| It illuminates the Altar of Incense | The Holy Spirit leads us to prayer, and prompts us to pray and intercede according to God’s will. Romans 8:26 |
| It had seven branches | 7-fold Spirit of God. Isaiah 11:1-2; Rev 3:1, 4:5 |
| It illuminated the Altar of Incense and the Table of Showbread in order that the priests could fellowship with and minister to the Lord | The Holy Spirit leads us to prayer and reading the Word in order that we can fellowship with and minister to the Lord, as His “royal priesthood”. 1 Peter 2:9 |
How to Have Fellowship with God
And so we see that just as God provided the Golden Lampstand to the priests of the Old Covenant, in order to fellowship with Him, so too has He provided us, the Church, with Light so that we too can have fellowship with Him. Firstly through the Light of the World, the person of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind. And secondly through the ministry of the person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit shows us how to have fellowship with God – it is through the eating of the Bread (the Word of God) and ministering at the Golden Altar of Incense (prayer). In fact, God’s way hasn’t changed. It is only through His Son, the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, that any fellowship with God is possible at all. Once we are put back into right relationship with God through Jesus’ shed blood, then the Holy Spirit leads us to prayer and the Word.
There is not some new or secret way to fellowship with God. It is simply through spending time with Him in our prayer closets, with the Word of God and our hearts open ready to receive of Him.
May our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ bless you!
Grace and Truth 