PART 5
MF Blume Jan. 7/96
THE CANDLESTICK AND WISDOM
The candlestick was described as a single stem with three branches protruding from either side of the stem. The likeness of Almond blossoms were worked into the branches. What we then see is the picture of an almond tree giving forth light.
Exod 25:31-37 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 six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: Three bowls made like unto almonds, [with] a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, [with] a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. And in the candlestick [shall be] four bowls made like unto almonds, [with] their knops and their flowers. And [there shall be] a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick. Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it [shall be] one beaten work [of] pure gold. And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.
The Blossoming of an almond tree signifies the mature age of a man whose hair has become white with age. Such years of experience had granted such a person much WISDOM.
Eccl 12:5 Also [when] they shall be afraid of [that which is] high, and fears [shall be] in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
Ecclesiastes speaks of maturity of life when almost weightless burdens of youth become more heavy. The reason the likeness of an almond bloom is used to illustrate old age is due to the fact that the almond blossoms are white as the hair on the head of an older man is white.
Jere 1:11-12 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
Almond trees also represent haste and alertness to activity to perform God's will. The almond tree blooms late in winter. We can see, here, the thought of "earliness" in the light of the fact that almonds bloom BEFORE spring when all other blossoms appear. How can alertness and older age blend together to make a single picture? They seem to contradict. However, when we recognize the point of WISDOM, represented by older age, which comes with maturity, we can see how one will be spiritually alert and sensitive after obtaining God's wisdom. The judges in Britain still wear white wigs in order to signify the WISDOM of their judgment, as the white hair of a man tells us that he has experienced many years which have provided him with much wisdom. The wisdom of God makes us sensitive to the things of the Spirit. We are then able to understand how to hear from God. We have our spirits tuned to clearly receive revelation from God. We are well experienced in hearing His voice and acting in faith.
Light emits from the candlestick. This light, then, is maturing in it's effects upon us. The source of the light is the almond tree of wisdom and maturity. These seven lights represent the seven spirits of God as listed in Isaiah 11:2.
The main Stem of the Spirit of the Lord branches out, as it were, and endows the believer with the 6 other attrtibutes of the Spirit as one begins to lean upon the Spirit for understanding. A rod from the stem of Jesse would grow - a Branch - out of his roots. This Is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
We born-again believers are also Sons of God, and the light of God's seven spirits must rest upon us in order to cause us to mature. It makes us capable of judging righteously and not after the sight of our eyes and hearing of our ears. We often judge according to what we see and hear, and that is often misleading as to the truth of the situation in need of judgment. It is faulty judgment to judge according the externals of sight and sound.
Light emits form the candlestick and rests upon those under the tree. It brings about a maturity and changes our lives. In order to judge righteously we must receive this work of maturity just as Jesus matured in spirit. When we possess such maturity and wisdom we will righteously judge and be fit to accomplish God's will more properly. Moses lacked this ability in his initial endeavour to deliver Israel, so he failed. After his wilderness purging, though, he lost all immature, misdirected zeal, and matured to understand the proper method of deliverance.
The wilderness corresponds to the holy place as being the place between initial salvation in the Outer Court of Egypt (where the altar of the slain lamb stood), and the goal of the Holiest-of-Holies-realm of Canaan, where God's throne and presence (depicted by the mercy seat on the ark) was placed. The Holy Place was the room outside the Holiest Place where the candlestick stood. And in the wilderness, the counterpart to the Holy Place, Moses gained WISDOM. Beforehand, he tried to FIGHT Egypt in order to deliver Israel. That was folly. He knew Israel needed freedom from Egypt, but he did not know, at that point, where to take Israel after having freed them.
All religions know that man must be freed from evil in this world. But how many know where to lead man after taking him out of evil? In actuality, they do not know, and they wind up having to flee the process, leaving man in the evil without deliverance. And we have see as a result is an empty religion void of true power. A social club. Moses would never have helped man at all either, after trying in his own strength to accomplish the freedom, had not God took hold of him in the wilderness. There, Moses learned that God would do the work of deliverance merely using Moses as a spokesman, and God would also lead them into Canaan! Finally! A word was given concerning WHERE to take man after being freed from Egypt! And Moses was a prophet like unto the Great prophet to come,
Jesus Christ. Jesus, alone, knows the goal to which man must be taken after freed from sin. Christianity alone has the answer for fallen man's dilemma. Yet we must understand that it is TRUE Christianity that has that answer. Many believers are not Spirit-led and, therefore, cannot lead man into anything better than what the religions of the world can lead him into - nothing. True Christianity relies not upon flesh in order to free mankind from sin. It does not promote works as the means to liberty. It does not promote "do this" and "don't do that" in order to help man find the Rest of the Garden. True Christianity is led by the Spirit of God, for it recognizes that God, alone, is to lead us by His Spirit - typified by the pillar of fire and cloud.
Moses used his own fleshly fighting abilities to free Israel. Likewise does counterfeit, carnal Christianity encourage man to handle the flesh himself and exert human will power to be free from sin. Paul, however, discovered that will power is not enough when it comes to being a means of deliverance from sin.
Roma 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not.
Therefore, the old axiom, "where there's a will, there's a way" is not entirely correct. We all desire to do good, but HOW to do it eludes most. WISDOM provides the answer.
Moses learned wisdom. And where was it that Moses acquired this wisdom? We know it was in the wilderness, but where in the wilderness? It was AT THE BURNING BUSH. At a bush or TREE that shed forth the light of God's fire did Moses learned WISDOM.
Jesus Christ had the seven spirits to judge righteously.
Isai 11:3-4 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
A wonderful counterpart to these verses, which speak about Jesus, is found in the New Testament and is spoken by Jesus, Himself! And it regards us!
John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
Jesus, here, is telling us to judge in the manner that He judges! And if He is able to judge in this manner, Himself, due to the seven-spirits of God upon Him, or the seven eyes, then we deduce that we are to also receive these seven spirits of God!! And then we, too, will be able to judge righteously. And how do we receive them? We let the light of the seven-branched candlestick of the tree of wisdom shine upon us and filling us with it's light. Jesus is that WISDOM. He is that Tree of Life.
1Cor 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
Jesus is made WISDOM for us. He is the Tree of Life. In a sense, He is WISDOM. And He is the LIGHT of the world. His light of truth shines upon us and endows us with wisdom. We learn of the things of the Spirit as we receive of His light. As Moses (there's the thought of Moses again!) saw God's glory and in turn shone with that glory, himself, we gaze upon the light of the glory of God in Jesus' face (2 Cor. 4:6) and receive His WISDOM. And we thereby see how to enter the Rest! We see the entrance in the holy place that leads into the holiest. We see the Jordan River while in the wilderness and understand that through the rent veil of the Jordan do we enter the Canaan-Rest of maturity and dominion in the Spirit!
Joshua received WISDOM from Moses, and thereby knew how to enter Canaan by passing through the veil of the Jordan, RENDING IT. "Joshua" is "Jesus" in Hebrew. Jesus leads us through the rent veil and into the holiest of holies!
Mark 15:37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. Mark 15:38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
Thus it is said that THROUGH CHRIST, or through the virtue of His death for us, we enter the holiest!! We return to the Garden dominion! Jesus judged righteously:
John 8:15-18 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
Jesus judged not after the flesh but ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT. He would rely upon the carnal senses of His flesh. That is why He said that without the Father in Him He could do nothing:
John 5:30-32 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
The righteous judgment of Christ has some connection wit the witness of the Father, for Jesus declares this necessary witness in both John 5 and John 8. We can tie this in with the thought of the following verse:
1Joh 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
The Spirit bears witness, and we receive this same Spirit! And by it do we judge, for it holds the seven spirits of God within itself. Oh, how we must be led of the Spirit!
Zechariah seen a vision of the seven-branched candlestick and two olive trees. One tree was on either side of the candlestick:
Zech 4:2-6 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all [of] gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which [are] upon the top thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right [side] of the bowl, and the other upon the left [side] thereof. The interpretation of the vision was as follows: Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This [is] the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.