Whether in creation or in Christ, “God saw the light, that it was good” (Gen 1:4). Very good!
Two statements stand in stark contrast: “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 Jn 1:5) “and men loved darkness rather than light” (Jn 3:19). How would God overcome this darkness? The solution is explained in the windowless tabernacle. The light in the Holy Place was the menorah, or lampstand. It must have been beautiful! “All of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold” (Ex 25:36), weighing about 114 pounds, which would be worth about two million dollars at today’s rate. The value, however, was not in the gold, but in it’s breathtaking revelation of truth. “Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. And six branches shall come out of its sides…bowls shall be made like almond blossoms…with an ornamental knob and a flower” (Ex 25:31-33). We’ll have to wait till Numbers chapter 17 to hear the story, but God produced a miracle when the High Priest’s rod “sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds” (Num 17:8). Preserved in the ark, this became a symbol of our Great High Priest’s right to rule in resurrection life. We might suggest the almond bud, being the first to flower after winter, pictures the promise of His rising, the blossom as symbolic of His endless life, and the almonds as the fruit of His victorious resurrection and rule. The oil fueling the lamps speaks of the Spirit, as we’ll see later, but here is a clue. When we visit the True Tabernacle in heaven, we find seven lamps there, too. In Revelation 2 and 3, they are God’s people shining in the dark; in chapter 4:5, they are God’s Spirit. But isn’t that the case? When believers share Christ to those who are saved or lost, it’s the Spirit showing forth our Lord’s beauties!