"He also made the lampstand of pure gold; of hammered work he made the lampstand" (Ex. 37:17a).
Without the light of God’s revelation, man is blind to the proper worship of God. Sin has cast a veil over his mind so he is unable to live according to right doctrine. By relying on his fallen mind, sinful man does not worship God as He deserves, but he sets up his own idols, superstitions, and ceremonies in honor of himself. Paul refers to this in Romans 1 where he describes fallen man as being exposed to the light of God’s general revelation, but also as suppressing that truth because of his love for sin. He says their foolish hearts are darkened and their thinking is futile, resulting in an inability to worship God.
The candlestick in the tabernacle reminded the people of their need for God to illumine their minds to the truth. Without His Spirit, they would remain in darkness, in the futility of their thinking, and in the blindness of their rebellion. Only by the light of God’s revelation in the Scriptures can man know how to worship Him properly. And not only this—for man can read the Scriptures and still be darkened in his understanding—but sinners need the illuminating power of the Spirit to open their eyes and to give them the ability to see the truth in a life-changing way. “Unless we have divine teaching to enlighten us, our own reason will beget nothing but mere vanity,” Calvin commented. “But it was not enough for the Israelites that the right way should be pointed out, unless their eyes were open to direct them, since men sometimes are blind in the very midst of light.… But the candlestick, shining with its seven lights, reminded the people that, in their worship of God, they should look attentively to the light of heavenly doctrine.”
Zechariah’s vision of the lampstand and olive trees (Zech. 4) harks back to this candlestick in the tabernacle. In that vision, God promises that His Spirit will prevail against the darkness, and that He alone will preserve the church. We see this vision manifested in the kingdom of Christ where the glory of our Lord shines forth in the darkness: “Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended.” In Christ, the redeemed will no longer live in darkness, but they will see the light of truth in His face and will worship God by His Spirit.
Do you rely on the Scriptures to know how God is to be worshiped and to understand how you are to live before Him? To live faithfully, we must live according to His revealed Word, not according to the fallible philosophies of men. Meditate today on 1 Corinthians 2:6–16.
