The Pattern of the True Light Text: Exodus 25:31-40
Introduction: God's Blueprints for Glory
When God decides to move into a neighborhood, He does not do it haphazardly. He is not a disorderly God, and His presence among men is not an afterthought. The second half of the book of Exodus is a detailed, meticulous, and glorious description of the Tabernacle, which was God's portable mountain, His dwelling place among the children of Israel. Our modern sensibilities, which are often allergic to detail and liturgical form, can tempt us to skim these chapters. We see lists of materials, measurements, and instructions, and we think it is little more than an ancient architectural manifest. But to do this is to miss the point entirely. Every detail here is dripping with theological significance. Every cubit, every talent of gold, every piece of furniture is a sermon. It is a shadow, a type, a pointer to a greater reality that was to come.
God had just delivered His people from Egypt through a series of mighty acts. He had given them His law at Sinai, establishing the terms of His covenant with them. And now, He gives them the means by which He, a holy God, could dwell in the midst of a sinful people. The Tabernacle is the gospel in architecture. It is a roadmap to reconciliation. And at the heart of this dwelling, in the Holy Place, stood a piece of furniture designed to be the sole source of light in that sacred space: the golden lampstand, the Menorah.
This was not just a lamp. It was a declaration. In a world full of spiritual darkness, in a tent where no natural light could penetrate, God provided His own light. This lampstand was a constant, burning testimony that God Himself is the source of all illumination, all truth, and all life. It was a picture of the Tree of Life, brought back into the presence of God. It was a prophecy of the one who would come and declare, "I am the light of the world." And it is a mandate for us, the Church, who are now called to be the light of the world in Him. So let us pay close attention to the divine blueprint, for in it we find the very pattern of our salvation and our mission.
The Text
"Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand, its base, and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs, and its flowers shall be of the same piece. Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side. Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bulb and a flower, so for the six branches going out from the lampstand; and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers. And a bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. Their bulbs and their branches shall be of the same piece; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold. Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. And its tongs and their trays shall be of pure gold. It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain."
(Exodus 25:31-40 LSB)
Precious, Unified, and Costly Light (v. 31, 36)
We begin with the material and the method of its construction.
"Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand, its base, and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs, and its flowers shall be of the same piece... Their bulbs and their branches shall be of the same piece; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold." (Exodus 25:31, 36 LSB)
The first thing to notice is the material: "pure gold." Gold, throughout Scripture, is a symbol of divinity, purity, and glory. It is the metal of kingship and of the divine presence. The Holy of Holies was lined with gold, the Ark was overlaid with gold, and here, the lampstand that gives light in God's house is made of pure gold. This immediately tells us that the light which emanates from this object is a divine light. It is not a common light. It is a holy light, a glorious light, reflecting the very nature of God Himself.
But the method of its making is just as significant. It was to be "hammered work." This lampstand was not cast in a mold. It was not assembled from various parts screwed or soldered together. It was beaten out of a single talent of pure gold, which weighed somewhere around 75 pounds. Imagine the skill and the labor involved. The craftsman would start with a solid lump of gold and, with countless blows of the hammer, would painstakingly shape it, drive it out, and form every intricate detail: the base, the central shaft, the six branches, the cups, the bulbs, and the flowers. It was all to be "of the same piece."
This speaks to us of two things. First, it speaks of the unity of Christ and His work. Jesus Christ, the true light, is not a composite of different ideas or a collection of parts. He is one, seamless person. His divinity and humanity are united. His life, death, and resurrection are one unified work of redemption. You cannot separate the branches from the shaft. You cannot take the Christ of the Sermon on the Mount and discard the Christ of the cross. He is one piece, a perfect, unified whole.
Second, the "hammered work" points to the suffering of Christ. He was beaten for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The beauty and glory of our salvation was hammered out on the anvil of Calvary. It was a costly, laborious, and painful work. The light that shines upon us was not cheaply made; it was formed through immense pressure and affliction. This is the price of our redemption, beautifully pictured in this single piece of beaten gold.
A Tree of Life and Watchfulness (v. 32-35)
Next, the design of the lampstand is described in detail, and it is clearly botanical. It is a golden tree.
"Six branches shall go out from its sides...Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a bulb and a flower..." (Exodus 25:32-33 LSB)
This is not just any tree; it is specifically an almond tree. Why the almond tree? The almond tree was the first tree to blossom in the spring in Israel. It was a sign of new life, of resurrection breaking through the dead of winter. We see this symbolism in Numbers 17, where Aaron's dead staff buds, blossoms, and produces almonds overnight, confirming his priesthood. It is a picture of life from the dead.
Furthermore, the Hebrew word for almond, shaqed, is a play on the word for "to watch," shoqed. God makes this connection explicit to the prophet Jeremiah. "Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Jeremiah, what do you see?' And I said, 'I see a branch of an almond tree.' Then the Lord said to me, 'You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it'" (Jeremiah 1:11-12). The lampstand, therefore, is a symbol of God's watchful, wakeful presence. His light never slumbers nor sleeps. He is ever-vigilant to perform His promises and to guard His people.
So, we have a golden tree of life, a picture of resurrection, that represents God's watchful care, standing in the Holy Place. This is a clear echo of Eden. The way to the Tree of Life was barred by cherubim after the fall, but here, in the plan of redemption, a representation of that tree is brought back into the house of God. It testifies that the way to life is through the light that God provides. Jesus Christ is both our Tree of Life and the ever-watchful Shepherd of our souls.
The Perfection of Divine Light (v. 37-39)
The purpose of this glorious object is made plain in verse 37.
"Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it." (Genesis 25:37 LSB)
The lampstand has seven lamps. Throughout the Bible, the number seven is the number of perfection, completion, and divine fullness. God created the world in seven days. There are seven churches in Revelation, representing the whole church. Seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls. This is the light of divine perfection. It is a complete and sufficient light. There is no corner of God's house that it is not meant to illumine.
And its purpose is to "shed light on the space in front of it." In the Holy Place, this light would have illuminated the Table of Showbread, representing God's provision for His people, and the Altar of Incense, representing their prayers. This tells us that we cannot rightly see God's provision or offer up acceptable prayers apart from the light that He provides. Without the illumination of Christ, we cannot understand God's Word (the bread) and we cannot pray aright. He is the one who sheds light on all of God's dealings with us.
The Apostle John picks up this imagery in Revelation. He sees a vision of the glorified Christ standing in the midst of seven golden lampstands, and he is told that "the seven lampstands are the seven churches" (Revelation 1:20). Christ, the central shaft, the true light, is the source. But we, the Church, are the branches. We are the lampstands who are to hold forth that light in the world. We do not generate the light; we are the vessels made of pure gold, hammered and shaped by God, designed to carry His light into the darkness.
The Divine Pattern (v. 40)
The section concludes with a solemn and crucial command.
"And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain." (Exodus 25:40 LSB)
This is not a suggestion. It is a strict injunction. Moses was not given license to be creative or to adapt the design to his own tastes. He was to be a faithful copyist. Why? Because the pattern was a heavenly one. The author of Hebrews quotes this very verse to make the point that the Tabernacle and its services were "a copy and shadow of the heavenly things" (Hebrews 8:5). Moses was shown the true reality in heaven, and was told to build a physical model of it on earth.
This is a fundamental principle for all of our worship and obedience. We are not at liberty to invent our own ways of approaching God. We are not free to design our own lampstands or to decide for ourselves what constitutes acceptable worship. God has revealed the pattern in His Word. Our task is not innovation, but faithful obedience. We are to build our lives, our families, and our churches according to the pattern shown to us on the mountain, the pattern revealed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
The modern church is full of men who think they are cleverer than God. They want to improve the pattern, to make it more relevant, more entertaining, more palatable to the world. They trim the wicks with the tongs of pragmatism and use the trays of market research. But in doing so, they are not making a lampstand according to the pattern. They are building something else entirely, and it will not give off the light of God.
Christ, Our Lampstand
As with everything in the Tabernacle, the golden lampstand is a magnificent portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one made of "pure gold," divine and glorious. He is the one who was "hammered," beaten and afflicted for our sakes, yet perfectly unified in His person and work. He is the true Tree of Life, the first to blossom from the dead, bringing resurrection life to His people. He is the watchful one, the shaqed, who never slumbers in His care for His church.
He is the one who holds the seven lamps, the perfect and complete light. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). In the New Jerusalem, there will be no need for sun or moon, "for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb" (Revelation 21:23). He is the source of all true light.
And because we are united to Him, we are now part of that lampstand. We are the branches connected to the central shaft. Jesus tells us, "You are the light of the world... Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:14, 16). Our job is not to manufacture our own light. Our job is to stay connected to the source, to be filled with the pure oil of the Holy Spirit, and to burn brightly according to the pattern He has given us. We are to be a church of pure gold, unified in the truth, shaped by the faithful preaching of the Word, and holding forth the light of Christ in a world that is very, very dark.