The sanctuary was a rectangular structure, forty-five feet long by fifteen feet wide. It was divided into rooms, or compartments. The first was the Holy Place, thirty feet long; it contained the Candle­stick, the Table of Showbread, and the Altar of In­cense. Gold predominated in the sanctuary. All the sacred vessels were either wholly made of it, as the candlestick, the mercy-seat, and cherubim, or over­laid with the precious metal, as were the table, altar, and ark. Nothing suits God's presence but the best and purest. The value of the materials increase as we approach from the court to the shrine. Beyond the veil was the holy Oracle, Gad's side: the holy place was the people's side. The gorgeous hanging, with its magnificent colors of blue, purple, and scarlet, parted the one room from the other, thus "signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest," for redemption was only pledged, not yet an actual fact. Jesus must die be­fore access to God for all men who will draw near could be secured.

The Candlestick⤒🔗

The candlestick, actually a lamp-stand, had a central shaft from which six arms or branches, three on each side, and each surmounted by a lamp, curved upward to a level with the lamp on the center shaft. So it is represented on a sculpture on the Arch of Titus at Rome. It was a peculiarity of the candlestick that all the branches were on the same level. A talent of gold ($27,375) was used in its construction. The lamps were lighted every evening at sunset and burned till morning, when the high priest "dressed" them (Ex. 30:7, 8). A statute obligated the children of Israel to furnish "oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually." It was placed on the south side of the room (Ex. 40:24), and shed its light directly on the table, which stood opposite, and on the altar of incense, which was set in the center and near the veil. The design of the candlestick was to furnish light for the holy place, and thus enable the priests to per­form the required ministry there.

The typical meaning of the candlestick does not depend on our reasoning. Happily, the Bible itself furnishes us with the information. Light is one of the commonest biblical figures of speech. It is used to designate the holiness and immaculate purity of God, who is "light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5); Christ, who is "the light of the world" (John 8:12); and Christians, who to those who are in spiritual darkness are also "the light of the world" (Matt. 5:14). It is to Christ and believers more particularly that the great chandelier in the tabernacle was intended to witness. And there are two passages of scripture which clearly illustrate and expound its significant teaching, Revelation 1:10-20 and Zechariah 4. They teach a twofold lesson: First, the church is designed to be a faithful witness for the Lord, and to shine for him amid the world's gloom. Second, the church's shining power depends solely on the grace and Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1:10-20 records a most imposing vision, the glorified Redeemer in the midst of his church. It was seen by John on the Lord's day, the first day of the week, the Christian Sabbath.

The whole church of Christ of John's time and of all time is represented by seven golden candlesticks. Seven is the sacred number, the number of completeness and perfection. Gold, too, is the sacred metal, the metal of the sanctuary.

In the midst of the candlesticks walked the Son of God (vs. 13-17). His dress indicates his priestly dignity and royal authority. He is the Defender, Provider, and Judge of the church. Its relation to him is that of dependence, loyalty, and witness-bearing. Its life and its light are communicated by him. Without him neither is possible. In the vision Christ is seen, like Aaron of old, dressing the lamps, correcting, instructing, warning the churches as they individually need. Obviously, the symbolism is drawn bodily from the great candlestick of the tent and the temple, and from the priestly functions connected therewith. It is New Testament truth in the dress of Old Testament symbol, and the two match exactly. The one sole function of the candle­stick was to give light. The one prime object of the church is, likewise, to shed light, to shine, that the glory of Christ, who has redeemed it with His pre­cious blood, may be manifested, and that they who sit in darkness may have light. "For God, who com­manded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowl­edge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). He shined in, that they might shine out. For this end the church is called and chosen. For this end Christ endows and enriches it with his Spirit, gifts, and graces; rules, supplies, and dresses it.

Zechariah 4 contains a vision which presents another and very important feature of the general truth taught by the great light of the tabernacle. The candlestick had a bowl upon the top of it, and seven lamps, and seven pipes which connected the lamps with the bowl. Two olive trees, one on each side of the bowl, furnished the oil needed for the light.

The central idea of the vision is verse 6: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." This vital truth is illustrated by the relation of the lamps to the bowl, and of the bowl to the olive trees. The two sons of oil supplied the bowl; the bowl supplied the lamps. Without the trees the bowl was altogether useless; without the flow of the oil to the lamps the candle­stick was likewise useless.

The power to shine lies in the oil. Oil is the scriptural symbol for the gift and grace of the Spirit. The Lord by his Spirit is the only power that can make a believer's life bright and fruitful. Apart from him we can do nothing (John 15:5). The wick in the lamp is for one single purpose, to con­vey the oil from the bowl to the flame. Even faith, precious as it is, has no more virtue in itself than the wick. Faith is the conductor of grace, not its source. "Our sufficiency is of God" (2 Cor. 3:5). We know what the result is when a lamp is lit which contains no oil; all it can do is to smoulder and smoke, and give forth an offensive odour. We know just as well how dark and cheerless our life is, how false and hollow the pretensions to shining, when the flow of grace is obstructed or arrested.

The supply is inexhaustible (2 Cor. 9:8). The seven lamps could not, by any possibility, exhaust the fullness of the bowl, for it was constantly fed and filled by the olive trees. No more can the whole church exhaust the grace of God in Christ (Phil. 4:19). It matters not how many draw, or how often, or how much: the supply is ample for all. Grace abounds, grace reigns.

Note, also, that the flow is without effort or toil. It was the work of the two sons of oil to furnish all that was required. The bowl, pipes, lamps, wicks, had nothing to do either to create or to increase the quantity needed. The trees, without man's devices, and without his help, furnished all and furnished abundance. It is "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit." It is the Lord's work to supply, ours to receive. As much as we need, and up to the full measure of our need, we may draw; we can neither lower the supply, nor take more than we can use. Just what the lamp can consume will the wick draw, and no more. There is a sufficient supply only for present need.