This week in our deeper and prayerful study of the book of Numbers we come to the matter of, Lighting the Lamps, which is specifically mentioned in Num. 8:1-4.
Although many other details related the Tent of Meeting are omitted from this record, the priests are specifically instructed to light the lamps of the lampstand. This must be therefore important to God.
After a chapter about the offering of the twelve tribes of Israel for God’s worship and coming into the Holy of Holies, after coming to the Holy of Holies to hear God’s speaking above the expiation cover on the Ark of the Testimony, we now come to the lighting of the lamps.
This matter of lighting the lamps seems to be unrelated to the other matters – there seems to be a disconnect, something suddenly mentioned…but in God’s eyes, this is an important matter.
God wants to form an army from among His chosen and redeemed people, an army who would journey with Him and fight with Him for His interest on the earth; in this light we want to see the matter of the lighting of the lamps.
Lighting the lamps is a holy task that belongs only to the priests; no common people had the right or qualification to light the lamps or burn the incense.
Only the properly qualified serving ones of God, the holy priests, had the right and duty to light the lamps and burn the incense and handle the things in the Holy Place.
First, we need to have the Tabernacle, the testimony of God, the building of God; God’s intention and purpose is to have a building on earth for His dwelling place, a mutual dwelling between Him and His people, and such a dwelling would become His expression and testimony on the earth.
In Exodus we see the vision and pattern of the tabernacle being given to Moses by God, and Moses gave it to the people; mingled with this is the presentation of the ordinances related to the priesthood.
In the Old Testament the tabernacle and the priesthood are two separate things – the tabernacle is one thing, and then there are some people serving there, which are the priests.
In the New Testament the tabernacle and the priesthood are one and the same – the spiritual house and the holy priesthood are one and the same.
God wants all His people to be His priests, but in the Old Testament we saw that the people of Israel as a whole failed God, so He had to choose a tribe – the tribe of Levi, and in particular the house of Aaron to serve Him.
Today God wants to gain a universal priesthood for His service and for His worship; the army God wants to gain is the priesthood, and the priesthood is the tabernacle.
The service of the priests is a military one, showing that the priests not only serve by doing certain things…but they fight! Today the army of God is a priestly army.
In the book of Exodus, after the revelation of the lampstand with the lighting of the lamps, Moses speaks of the garments of the priests, the clothing of the priesthood; in Numbers, however, after mentioning all these things related to God’s speaking and His forming of an army, there’s the mentioning of the lighting of the lamps.
We seemed to be in the Holiest of all, and now we’re back in the Holy Place, lighting the lamps; this is not a regressing, but coming to another matter related to being an army, for without the lit lamps, the tabernacle is dark.
The tabernacle is a windowless building, and God lives there; there’s no room for any natural light there or any man-made light; what illuminates the tabernacle of God is the light from the lampstand.
When we enter into the Holiest Place, there’s no light of the lampstand but only the shekinah glory of God; God is light, Christ is the light of the world, and the true light is actually God Himself, the Triune God.
However, in the church as the tabernacle of God with man, there’s the need of the lampstand with the lamps, and it is our duty and responsibility to light the lamps. Lighting the lamps provides lights for our priestly work, service, movement, and direction.
There need for the light, for the lighting of the lamps, for the priestly body that is qualified to maintain that light. It is God’s desire that the lampstand would be set up and there would be unceasing light shining – day and night, and the lamps should not go out.
Six Main Points Regarding the Function of the Light in us as God’s People
When we speak of the matter of the light, be it in the physical realm or the spiritual realm, there are six main points regarding the function of the light:
1. Light is to illuminate, to enlighten, to give light, to brighten up a situation. Light casts away darkness, casts light over things, gives light, and shines. The first thing that light does is to make things bright and illuminate.
2. Light elucidates, clears up things, and makes things definite and clear. Before light comes in, there’s darkness, confusion, and unclarity; when light shines, things are very definite and clear, we discern things, and things are brought to light.
3. Light penetrates to expose. On the negative side, light exposes everything; all the bugs are exposed and run under the light, and the things in the darkness cannot exist in the light, for when light is here, darkness cannot exist. Light exposes, and with the exposure of the light, things of the darkness are judged.
On the positive side, when we are in the light, we see things how they really are, and light transfuses us, infuses us, permeates us, radiates us, and heats us up.
4. Light regulates. Light directs us, guides us, adjusts our course, and regulates us. Without light there’s no regulating; we may go here or there, do this or that, and we think we have a direction, but many times we run around in circles. When there’s no light, there’s no regulating, no course adjustment, and no directing.
5. Light administrates. If we look at the New Jerusalem, there’s a throne in the middle of the city, and there’s no natural light or man-made light in this city, because the Lord God shines and the Lamb is the lamp radiating God.
God is shining from the throne, and this shining gives light to the new universe; this light is there to administrate (all nations will walk in the light of the city), govern, rule, manage, and operate things.
Even in the church life, God rules by light; the more shining there is, the more God is ruling among us. Darkness means that something and someone else is ruling – the power of darkness; God today is replacing that rule with His own rule by Himself as the light.
6. Light motivates; when we are in a dark situation we are depressed, but when we are in a lightened up situation and a bright light, we are stimulated and motivated. Sunshine energizes us, excites us, calls us to action, and causes us to go on. The divine light motivates us and stimulates us as the army of God.
Lord Jesus, we open to You as the unique light; shine in us, illuminate us, and brighten up our situation. Cast away all our darkness, Lord, and elucidate all things. May Your light penetrate, expose, and remove anything of the darkness and the works of darkness. Lord, we want to live in the light and cooperate with You to light the lamps in the church life. May Your light direct us, adjust us, and regulate us. May Your light administrate and govern in the church life. May Your light motivate us and energise us to be the army that You need today on earth!
The Need for Lighting the Lamps to have Light in our Serving, Fighting, and Moving
Although there are many details regarding the Tent of Meeting which were not mentioned in Num. 8, God specifically instructed Aaron to light the lamps of the lampstand (see Num. 8:1-4).
After the offering of the twelve tribes of Israel and the speaking of God from between the cherubim on the expiation cover in Num. 7, God instructed Moses to light the lamps.
God told Moses specifically that, when Aaron lights the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in front of the lampstand.
Up to this point there was the cleansing from defilement, there was a Nazarite vow, the encamping and the forming, the blessing, the offering, and the speaking of God; now there’s the need to light the lamps.
The seven lamps – signifying the seven Spirits (see Rev. 4:5), gave light in front of the lampstand, shining toward the middle of the tabernacle; thus, the shining of the lamps was in the right direction for serving and moving.
When the lamps were lit, God’s people could begin to render their spiritual service to Him.
We may say that, even though we may be a priest properly dressed, consecrated, and sanctified, unless there’s the light of the lamps, we cannot serve God, for we can’t serve God in darkness. This means that, in order for us to serve as priests, there has to be light.
In the church life today we may be ready to serve, but if the condition and the environment in the church is not with light, we don’t know what to do or say.
Sometimes there may be much service in the church life, but there’s darkness there, and things are done in darkness, without any light; eventually, there will be a problem.
For our service and move there needs to be much light; light is the environment and condition to be under for us to serve God in a proper way. The unique purpose of lighting the lamps was for offering, fighting, and moving, for all these require light.
In the church life today we need more light; in the church life with all its aspects there’s the need for light, so we need to light the lamps!
The more light and brightness is there, the more shining of God is there, the service is there, the warfare is properly fought, and the building work can continue.
Without the shining of the light, the children of Israel could not move – much less fight for God; therefore, as soon as they consecrated something to God (as seen in Num. 7), they immediately lit the lamps in order for the light to shine.
We are not the source of light – God is; but there’s the need for us to light the lamps. As priests, it is our job and responsibility to keep the lampstand shining, to keep the light in the Holy Place bright.
We need to tend to this holy duty by keeping the light shining in the church life. If we as God’s people consecrate something to God, He will shine among us, and we will have light; for us as God’s people to become His army, we must have light in order to fight, walk, and serve.
Without having the divine light we can’t see where to go and what to do, and without God’s light we cause problems and may even fight with one another.
Since the night is far advanced, we need to cast off the works of darkness and put on the weapons of light, which is Christ Himself in different aspects to put on and live out (see Rom. 13:12, 14).
Lord Jesus, we consecrate ourselves to You with all that we are and all we have. Shine on us, Lord, and cause Your divine light to be expressed to lead us and guide us in our serving God, fighting for God’s interest, and moving one with God for His move on earth. Our life depends on Your shining, Your speaking. Lord, we want to cooperate with You to be the priests today who are lighting the lamps in the Holy Place in the church life so that the church would be full of light. We cast off any works of darkness and put on the weapons of light!
Read this article / blog post in Romanian – puteți citi acest articol și în limba română la următorul link – Nevoia de aprindere a lămpilor pentru a avea lumină în slujirea, lupta și mișcarea noastră.
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Minoru Chen for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1960, vol. 1, “Synopsis of Numbers,” ch. 1, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallisation-Study of Numbers (1), week 9, Lighting the Lamps.
- Hymns on this topic:
# The Church the lampstand is to Christ, / Christ is the lamp with God as light; / The light divine from Christ doth shine, / The Church upholds its glory bright. / The light which shines within the lamp / Is God as life, unique, divine; / The stand must therefore be of gold / To match the glory which doth shine. (Hymns #822)
# ’Tis th’ eternal golden lampstand, / Holding Christ, the lamp of light; / God in Christ the light of glory / As the Spirit shineth bright! / ’Tis the ultimate expression- / Man in God and God in man; / ’Tis their mutual habitation, / Goal of God’s eternal plan. (Hymns #976)
# Oh, may Thy living light, Lord, / Scatter all my night, Lord, / And everything make bright, Lord, / For this I pray to Thee. (Hymns #426)
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