LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
The Candlestick
The third element described of the tabernacle is the candlestick. The details of its construction, and its symbolism, are very rich, and exceed the possibility of explaining them here. However, here are the most relevant ones.
The first is that it is made of solid gold, in one piece, hammered. Its weight is one talent, that is, about 34 kilos. There is in it an indivisible unity, which is the unity of the local church. In the opening vision of Revelation, the Lord Jesus is in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, which are the seven churches. Unlike the tabernacle, which represents the universal church, the lampstand typifies the local church.
It is of gold, because God is in it - indeed, it partakes of the divine nature. It is of one piece, because the church is one in every locality - at least that is how God sees it, regardless of how we see it in its distortion. It is located outside the veil that separates the Most Holy Place, for though the church is for God, its witness is to men.
The candlestick has six branches and a central reed, and on them are seven lamps that illuminate the Holy Place. The church has light, a light that is not its own, but the light of Christ by the Spirit - which is the oil. It radiates that light to illuminate the surrounding environment (Matt. 5:14-16).
On the arms are also almond blossoms, with their tops (corollas), representing resurrection life (Num. 17:8). Only that which comes from the resurrection takes place in the church - the resurrection that is preceded by the cross of Christ. The church is not an institution, nor is it a grouping of "good people"; it is the expression of the divine on earth, it is Christ in another form. Both the death and resurrection of Christ constitute the normal experience of all its members.
The candlestick also has apples in its arms. The apple tree in Scripture represents Christ (Song 2:3-5), and the nine apples on the lampstand (one on each arm and three on the central reed) are the nine expressions of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These apples are what hold the arms of the candlestick together, just as the sweet character of Christ is what binds the church together.
An important accessory of the candlestick was its candlesticks and saucers, also made of gold. With it the priests operated to keep the lamps clean and the light of the candlestick alive. This is what God does with us, cutting out what is useless -the wick that smokes- and adding oil so that the light does not go out. By taking away and adding, the Lord keeps our light burning. And what is not useful remains in the saucer, it is not thrown away, for God takes care even of that which exceeds, so as not to uncover our nakedness.
Finally, we will say that in Solomon's temple there was not one candlestick, but ten, for it is God's will that the singular church of the beginning should multiply throughout the earth: ten is the number of generality, of universality. May God indeed have his testimony in every locality of the earth!