The Light and Water of Life
The seven-branched candlestick in the sanctuary and the bronze laver in the court are the only two articles of furniture in the temple for which no dimensions were provided by God. Ex 25:31-40.
The ark was 2½ x 1½ x 1½ cubits (Exodus 25:10)
The table of showbread was 2 x 1 x 1½ cubits (Exodus 25:23)
The curtains were 4 x 28 cubits (Exodus 26:2)
The boards were 1½ x 10 cubits (Exodus 26:16)
The altar of burnt offering was 3 x 5 x 5 cubits (Exodus 27:1)
The altar of incense was 1 x 1 x 2 cubits (Exodus 30:2)
But the lamp stand and the laver are dimensionless—and timeless.
The light was also to “burn always…it shall be a statue forever” Exodus 27:20,21.
At the laver the priests were to wash “and it shall be a statute forever” Exodus 30:21.
And, these are the only two articles that did not contain any wood (humanity).
The Candlestick was of pure gold; the Laver of bronze.
Thus the Light provided by the candlestick, and the cleansing provided by the laver, was unlimited, eternal, and purely divine, pure divinity divested of humanity.
Light and Water Connection
There is a close connection between the Light and the Water.
Jesus said, “Come unto me and drink” and out of your belly “shall flow rivers of living water” John 7:37,38, “the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” John 4:14. “I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life” Rev 21:6. “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come to the waters” Isa 55:1.
Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world…the light of life” John 8:12.
The True light that comes into the world that lights every man?
The light comes “down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17)
who dwells in the light unapproachable (1 Tim 6:16)
“Who covers Himself with light as a garment” Psalm 104:2.
“God, Who commanded the Light to shine out of darkness (2 Cor 4:4; Gen 1:3), has shined in our hearts" for “God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts” Gal 4:6, “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
We can understand and know the Father because we see in Jesus the Light of life.
The Light and Water of Life
If Jesus is the Light of life, is he not also the Water of life? He gives it, it comes from him, it is his water.
But it flows from the throne of God. “And there proceeded out of the throne of God a river of life” Rev 22:1. “And every thing shall live wherever the river comes” Ezekiel 47:9. The Water of life comes from “the Fountain of life” (Ps 36:9), the Father. It is sent by the Son who gives it to us as “the gift of God”. And we are “all made to drink into one Spirit” 2 Cor 12:13. Because they “did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock…and that Rock was Christ” 2 Cor 10:4. The water of life flows out of the Mountain of God and gushes forth from the Rock that was cut out of the Mountain. The Son gives us his very own Life, his Spirit, the Spirit of Christ.
The 7 branched candlestick was placed “toward the south” before the table of shewbread “on the north side” (Exodus 26:35). “And he lighted the lamps before the LORD” Exodus 40:25. In Rev 4:5 they are “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne”. This confirms our conclusion that the table of showbread with its unique dual crown border (Exodus 25:24,25) represents the shared throne of God and the Lamb, His Son (Rev 3:21; Rev 7:9; Rev 7:17; Rev 22:1).
7 denotes completeness, all. The 7 lamps are identified as “the seven Spirits of God” Rev 4:5. In Rev 5:6 these “seven Spirits of God” are “sent forth into all the world.” This describes the omnipresence of the spirit(s). In this chapter, however, the seven spirits are not lamps of fire but the 7 horns and 7 eyes of the Lamb. The lamps-become-eyes matches the description of Christ in Chapter 1: “and his eyes were as a flame of fire”(Rev 1:14). The Spirit of Christ appeared as “cloven tongues of fire” above the heads of the 120 gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3). He came to them just as he promised in John 14:18, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you .”
The horns and eyes are the Lamb’s—they belong to him. Besides the eyes of omnipresent omniscience, Horns are symbolic of power and 7 horns represent all power. “All power is given unto me,” Jesus said (Matt 28:18) just before he ascended to be in his Father’s presence. And this is where we see him in Revelation chapter 5, the “Lamb as it were slain from the foundation of the world” standing before the Father’s throne.
The lamps in the temple are filled with “pure olive oil” (Exodus 27:20) that comes from the two olive Trees, the Source of the power and light (Zech 4:3; Rev 11:4).
In Revelation chapter 1 we first see Jesus walking among the 7 candlesticks which are identified as the 7 churches. Jesus said that we, too, are to be the light of the world, and we are to let our light shine “that men might glorify our Father in heaven.” We should observe that the candlestick is not the light, but bears the light, the fire. So, too, it is Christ in us (not we ourselves!) that is the hope of glory. Col 2:27.
Light and Water, Creation and Sanctuary
There is also a close connection between the furniture in the sanctuary and creation week. Both are composed of 7 items. There are 7 articles of furniture (Ex 40:19-32) and 7 days in earth’s first week. We see the Son, by whom the Father created all things, directly involved in both institutions.
In Exodus 40 the 7 pieces of furniture are listed in an order that corresponds to the days of creation week. The first piece was “the covering of the tent” which separated the light of God’s presence inside from the darkness of the world outside with which “the god of this world had blinded our minds” 2 Cor 4:4; as on the first day God divided the light from the darkness (Gen 1:4. The second piece was “the veil of the covering” that divided the holy and most holy apartments; as on day two God divided the waters below from the waters above (Gen 1:7). Notice that in the first two days of creation, Light and Water are divided and separated. But the Light and Water of the sanctuary appear as the 4th and 7th articles of furniture.
“And he set the laver between the tent and the altar and put water there to wash. And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed…they washed” Exodus 40:30-32.
The laver was for washing, cleansing, sanctification, the removal of sin. As the 7th piece of furniture, it represents an important aspect of the Sabbath which is sanctified and hallowed, that we might be sanctified and made holy. Especially on the Sabbath does God draw close to us that we might drink of the Water of life and be filled and overflow; that our thirst for righteousness might be satisfied, that we might receive the Water of life into our hearts
Jesus, our Creator, the Lord of the Sabbath, desires to dwell in our hearts by faith (Eph 3:17).
The Lord is our Light (Ps 27:1;Rev 21:23).
He is the Lamb slain on the altar of burnt sacrifice.
He is the bread of life sitting on the throne of his Father—the table of showbread.
He is the mercy seat. He is the Door. He is the veil (Heb 10:20).
Inside the ark of the covenant He is the manna, He is Aaron’s rod that budded.
He is the High Priest. He is the temple himself (Rev 21:22; John 2:21).
