Exodus 25:31
And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.
God commanded a lampstand of pure gold to be hammered from one solid piece with its shaft, branches, bowls, knobs and flowers, formed with seven branches holding seven lamps to stand on the south side of the holy place of the earthly tabernacle. Because that sanctuary had no windows, its lamps were kept burning continually day and night and were never all put out at once, so that their light filled both sacred rooms. That light shone upon the gold-covered walls, the sacred furniture and the richly colored curtains, and its reflection in the gold made the rooms appear glorious and magnificent with colors like a rainbow. Its pattern exists in heaven, where the golden lampstand stands with the table of showbread and the altar of incense in the first apartment of the temple, where Jesus ministered until the prophetic periods ended in 1844, when He closed that door and passed within the second veil into the Most Holy Place.
Making and Placement
The candlestick was to be made of pure gold, formed by beaten work rather than by casting or separate joining. Its shaft and its branches, its bowls and its knops and its flowers, were to be of the same metal, hammered out of one solid piece.
It had seven branches holding seven lamps. Its branches were decorated with finely worked flowers resembling lilies.
It stood on the south side of the holy place, the first apartment of the earthly tabernacle. That tabernacle was built by Moses at God's command as the dwelling-place of the Most High.
The direction belongs to the detailed specifications for the tabernacle and for Israel's service. Those specifications Christ gave to Moses on the mountain after the law was given at Sinai.
Light and Splendor
The sanctuary had no windows, so its interior depended entirely on artificial light. For that reason the lamps of the pure-gold candlestick described in Exodus 25:31-40 were kept burning continually day and night. They were tended so that they were never all extinguished at once, giving light by day and by night. That light supplied illumination to the sanctuary itself and to both of its sacred apartments.
Its light shone upon the gold-covered boards and walls, upon the sacred furniture and furnishings, and upon the richly colored curtains. The reflection from the gold-covered boards and from the gold-plated surfaces caught the colors of the curtains and furnishings. So reflected in the gold, the colors appeared like a rainbow and made the rooms appear glorious. That reflected glow added to the magnificence of the sanctuary.
The pattern belongs also to heaven, where the candlestick with its seven lamps stands in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. There the candlestick and all the furniture of that apartment are of purest gold. They look rich and glorious. That purest gold reflects the image of the one who enters there.
Heavenly Pattern and Service
The pattern commanded for the candlestick exists in heaven, for the golden candlestick with its seven lamps belongs in the holy place, the first apartment of the temple in the Holy City. That holy place is entered through the door and lies behind the first veil and curtain and before the second veil. It is the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, viewed before the second veil is lifted to enter the holy of holies. There the candlestick stands with the table of shewbread and the altar of incense, with the censer. Jesus ministered in that holy place until the prophetic periods ended in 1844, when He closed the door of that apartment and passed within the second veil into the Holy of Holies where He ministers. The detailed specifications for the tabernacle of which this command is part were given by Christ to Moses, and Paul repeated these specifications chapter after chapter to his fellow workers. While doing so he labored quickly and skillfully with his hands in tentmaking, for his own benefit and theirs, setting an example of diligence and thoroughness that joins intelligent manual labor with preaching the gospel. The skill, genius, and wisdom put into the tabernacle work were given by God to be used for His glory, teaching that supreme honor is to be given to God.