The Lampstand and the Bread of the Presence (Leviticus 24)

Today's passage discusses the regulations regarding the lampstand and the bread of the presence in the sanctuary of God.

Upon entering the sanctuary and facing the left wall, there are seven lampstands, while facing the right wall reveals the twelve loaves of bread on the table of the presence.

God commanded the Israelites to bring pure, pressed olive oil to keep the lamps burning continuously, and Aaron was to tend to the lamps from evening until morning outside the curtain of the testimony in the tabernacle of meeting. This was to be an everlasting statute for generations to come (Leviticus 24:2-3).

The oil used to light the seven lampstands was pure, pressed olive oil, and the lamps had to be cleaned and refilled with fresh oil every day from evening until morning.

"Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf. Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. By each stack, put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and as an offering made to the Lord by fire. This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant" (Leviticus 24:5-8).

The twelve loaves of bread represented an everlasting covenant and were to be set out before the Lord regularly, every Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites.

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As the concept of the sanctuary, which was strongly spatial in the Old Testament, moved into the New Testament, it was replaced by the concept of the "temple of the Holy Spirit" dwelling within the hearts of believers.

The Old Testament sanctuary, like a model house, is a symbol of the temple of the heart that is accomplished through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

By meditating on the meaning of the lampstand and the bread of the presence, we can adorn our hearts with wisdom, and in our lives where the presence of God is full, we can gain much wisdom.

The lampstand represents "prayer," while the bread of the presence represents "the word." The oil used to light the lampstand is pressed olive oil, and the bread of the presence is made from fine flour that has been "pressed and kneaded." This means that the life of prayer and the word, which is humbly offered up with one's ego crushed like crushed olives, is the most important element of walking with the Lord in the temple of the heart.

If our ego is not crushed like an olive in a press, then the oil of the Holy Spirit will not flow through our prayer, and if our ego is not kneaded like flour, the word will not be baked into our lives, and we will be unable to create the image of the Lord.

Rather than expecting something visible through a life of words and prayers, I learn to focus on decreasing myself until the unseen inner person becomes like dust... and becomes more like Christ who lives in me.

Today, I pray earnestly for a day where I humbly approach the throne of the Lord, asking that the image of God may be formed within me and that I may die to self and live only for Christ.

<Prayer>

Dear Lord, I thank you for making my heart a holy temple through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for teaching me to always keep the lamp of my heart burning with the oil of the Spirit and to always keep the bread of your word in my heart. Above all, I have learned that I must crucify my old self-centered nature on the cross, by breaking and refining myself. There are so many impurities within my words and thoughts every day that need to be broken through your word and prayer. Please pour out the pure oil of the Holy Spirit within me, and make me more and more humble until the beautiful image of God is formed within me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen!