And there was light!

Lately I find myself thinking more and more about the temple at Jerusalem and Christ's familiarity of it -- He worshiped there regularly (we could never know how many times) before the crucifixion.

What would He be thinking as He entered the temple courts? He would know exactly what lay behind those heavily embroidered curtains. And He would know why each object was there and why it was placed exactly where it was placed.

I have a copy of The Stone Edition of the Chumash, a Jewish copy of the Pentateuch (Chumash is a Hebrew word for Pentateuch) with commentary notes. Sometimes it is fun to sit and read parts of it.

Right now I am reading about the Menorah, the seven-branched lampstand designed for use in the Tabernacle and then later for the Temple. The lampstand and its accessories were to be made of solid gold.

The accessories were implements used to clean and prepare the lamps. With the tongs the priests would grip the wicks to place them in the oil. The spoons were used to remove the previous day's ash and other residue so that the lamps could be prepared for the new day's lighting.

The lampstand and accessories were to be made of 1 talent of pure gold, which according to this commentary would be 2400 ounces. At today's prices that would be over 3 million dollars!

Some people say that in Israel today the Jews are preparing for their new temple (the 3rd) and that they have already crafted much of the furniture needed for the new temple, including the main menorah. These new items are secreted away in a safe place to be brought out when the new temple is built.

They are waiting for the reclaiming of Temple Mount so they can build the new temple. We wait for the triumphal coming of our Lord and His coronation as King of Kings.

Anyway, what I found captivating in this Jewish commentary was this paragraph:

The symbolic and esoteric interpretations attached to the Menorah are virtually endless. In its simple sense, the ornate gold Menorah served to demonstrate the majesty of the tabernacle. It was placed in the outer chamber so that it would be visible--and inspirational-- to everyone, and not inside the Holy of Holies [the most holy area that housed the Ark and where only the High Priest could go, and only once a year on Day of Atonement]. The lampstand was not in the room with the Ark--because the Ark and all it contained and represented (God's Word inscribed on the stone tablets) did not require light: the Torah is its own light.

I LOVE that paragraph! The Ark with its contents of God's Word did not require any light, because God's Word is, in itself, its own light!


Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path, the poet sang in Psalm 119:105