Numbers 8:1-4

IX. ASSORTED LAWS AND INSTRUCTIONS (Numbers 8; Numbers 9; Numbers 10:1-10)

A. ON LIGHTING THE LAMPS IN THE TABERNACLE vv. 1-4
TEXT

Numbers 8:1-4. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2. Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 3. And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the Lord commanded Moses. 4, And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold; unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the Lord had showed Moses, so he made the candlestick.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 8:1-4. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2. Speak to Aaron and say to him, -When you serve the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in front of the lampstands.-' 3. And Aaron did so: he served its lamps at the front of the lampstand as the Lord had commanded Moses. 4. Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand: it was of hammered gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work. So he made the lampstand according to the pattern which the Lord, had shown Moses.

COMMENTARY

The term candlestick, found throughout the KJV and some others, is very misleading. As is commonly known, the sole provision for light in the tabernacle was an ornately carved lampstand with seven small bowls, in which olive oil was burned. It would be a necessity for the priests, since little or no natural light would ever be available for the performance of their duties.

The instructions to Aaron, also, are misleading in the older translations. He was told not to light the lamps, but to attend them or to set them up. The duty no doubt was refilling them with the oil, and lighting them as required. They would illuminate the table of showbread, opposite on the north side of the tabernacle, and the altar of incense, standing in front of the veil which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The light thus tended and provided by Aaron make the ministrations of the priests possible, since their service was entirely with the other two articles of furniture, and they had no duties which required them to use the lampstand itself.
Josephus (Antiquities III. 6, 7) says the seven lamps represented the sun, moon and planets, and were a constant symbol of God's creative power, and His work in creating light. Christian scholars have found the lamps symbolic of the Word of God, as in Psalms 119:114, Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path, (cf. also Proverbs 6:23).

Little needs to be said about the lampstand itself. Of a single lump of solid gold, it was hammered into a base, shaft, and seven cups, each cup resting upon a separate branch. Three of these extended to the left and three to the right, with a single stem in the center. Its stand and its branches were ornately decorated with almond designs, branches and flowers and blossoms, (see Exodus 25:31-36). It was a magnificent piece, the work of Bezaleel and Oholiab, who had been specially endowed by the Spirit of God for the performance of their work, (Exodus 31:1 ff.). Here, as in numerous other instances, God emphatically instructs them to work precisely according to the pattern He had entrusted to Moses.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

142.

What light was available in the Holy Place, other than that provided by the lampstand?

143.

Describe the lampstand fully. Who had made it, and how did they gain their skill?

144.

What was burned in the lampstand? What articles of the priests-' service required this illumination?

145.

At what times was Aaron to attend unto the lamp?

146.

Why was God so insistent that this, and the other articles in the Tabernacle, should be made exactly as He commanded? Run the references on this point, and count the number of times God so directed Moses. Is there a lesson we can learn as Christians from the point?