The Gospel according to Numbers
chapter 8. There are four verses of scripture
here that have just been such a blessing to me. I don't know
how many times I've read the book of Numbers, but it was just
reading to get through it. Because that was on the list.
And you couldn't stay very long because tomorrow you had more
of the list to read. Well, it is a wonder to go through
slowly. and think about it. I think much
of the Book of Numbers could have that phrase that we find
or that word that's found over in the Psalms about stopping
and think about it. Sela. Stop and think about it. So let's stop and think about
these four verses of scripture in the eighth chapter of the
Book of Numbers that share with us some things about the candlestick. About the candlestick. One more
time, we hear these words recorded in this wonderful book. We're
going to find it many times, several times in this chapter,
but many times in this book, and the Lord spake unto Moses
saying. Now that you notice that that
word Lord is a little different than normally we write it. It's
in all caps. Now when we find the word LORD
in all capital letters, the translators wanted us to know that in the
original this was Jehovah. So we have Jehovah speaking to
Moses. Now back up one verse of scripture,
the last verse of chapter seven. We didn't get to it last week.
I just want to read it because this is where Moses heard this
word from. It says, And when Moses was gone
into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him to the Lord,
that he heard the voice of one speaking to him from off the
mercy seat that was upon the ark of the testimony from between
the two cherubims, and he spake unto him. Now this is the Lord
speaking. What a wonderful thought to have
the Lord Jehovah speaking to him from there. Now the Lord
is the true mercy seat. The Lord is the true tabernacle.
The Lord is the true sacrifice. And here we have this wonderful
picture, this wonderful type, the shadow of the Lord speaking
to his people from a very glorious spot. And it is a very glorious
thing that the Lord would speak to his people. That's just beyond
measure that he would speak to us, that the God of heaven would
speak to a people. Here it is, he's doing this with
Moses, and these are the words that he gave to Moses at this
particular time. Verse 2 of Chapter 8, speak unto
Aaron, I have a message. Now, Moses is simply going to
be a reporter. He's just going to tell what
he heard. He's not going to add to. He's
not going to take away. He is going to directly tell.
And you know, that is truly our only responsibility, is to be
a reporter about the word of God. That's all we are to do. The rest is left up to the Lord.
says here speak unto Aaron and say unto him when thou lightest
the lamps the seven lamps shall give light over over against
the candlestick and Aaron did so he lighted the lamps thereof
over against the candlestick as the lord commanded Moses and
this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold unto the shaft
thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work according to
the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses. So he made the candlestick. Now we have a lot of catch up
in this verse of scripture with regard to the candlestick. We
have a lot of things said here that we find in other places,
but so do we find out with regard to the Lord. There are many things
repeated about the Lord, and this particular subject about
this candlestick Now, sometimes it's a misnomer to call it a
candlestick. We find in our translation that's
what it's always called, but it is not a candle. There is
no candles up on those arms. They are little pots filled with
oil, and that's what's lit. There's a special formula for
the oil that would be put in there. So that is what it is,
not a candle as we know it, but we're going to find it called
a candlestick many times throughout the scriptures. The Lord spoke
to Moses saying this, and this is the message that was given,
and we find that it is with regard to this candlestick. Now I'd
like to read another translation. with regard to verse two now
listen when you set up the seven lamps in the lamp stand place
them so their light shines in front now that's what all those
words mean in verse two you are going to set up this candlestick
so that the lights are not omni-directional but there's going to be some
way that this light is going to be unidirectional one way
and it's going to shine out front of it now There's where we're
going to find a real blessing. We'll get to that in just a moment.
Let's finish this other translation. Place them so their light shines
in front of the lamp stand. there's some way that Levi, or
that Aaron, as he set this up and he lit it, he could direct
the light. Now, whether there were reflectors
behind it, it doesn't tell us. But we do know that this lampstand
was made after the pattern that was shown Moses in the mount.
There is specific directions about that. In fact, we find
in that verse four that it shall be beaten gold, beaten gold. Would you turn with me to Exodus
chapter 25? Just keep your finger right here.
We're just going to back up a couple of books to the book of Exodus.
A lot of cross-reference between Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. A lot of things are brought up
that have been repeated in the past, and isn't that the truth
of the gospel? That it is always repeated. I am very forgetful. even in
my best state so the lord has made sure that when a gospel
preacher preaches he preaches the gospel to refresh us in the
good things of christ it also helps us with everyday activities
that sometimes turn to be sour but the gospel is what refreshes
us over and over again, what the Lord has done for his people. All right. Over here in the book
of Exodus chapter 25 and verse 31. Exodus chapter 25 and verse
31. Thou shalt make a candlestick,
a lampstand of pure gold. Now, you look that word up here
and that's what it means. There is to be no alloy. I have
read sometimes that a certain amount of gold has to be mixed
or a certain amount of aloe has to be mixed. With this my golden
ring my wedding ring to keep it from being bent all the time
It is so soft that it could be bent. Well, this lamp stand is
made of pure gold. There is no alloy There is nothing
added to it and it goes on to tell us here in the book of exodus
chapter 25 And there in verse 31 it says of beaten work shall
the candlestick be made His shaft and his branches his bolts his
knobs and his flowers shall be the same now. It's very decorative
But it is purposeful because it has cups at the top that holds
this oil now There's three on each side and one up the middle
and in the original language. The word is menorah So, you know
a Hebrew word now, I just found that out Menorah is the Hebrew
transliteration of the word and it is a seven cupped lampstand
It is placed in the holy place in the tabernacle. It has a specific
place, and we'll read about that in just a moment. Thou shall
make a candlestick, a lampstand of pure gold, and it will be
beaten work. If you'll look with me to Exodus
chapter 25 and verse 40, we have this word recorded, Look thou
that thou make them after the pattern which was shown thee
in the mount. Now when Moses was on Mount Sinai for those
40 days and all the other activity that was going on down below.
nonsense. I don't worship and all kinds
of things were going on. This Jehovah was speaking to
Moses and he gave him a pattern for the tabernacle and every
piece of furniture in the tabernacle and every color that was going
to be required and every covering that was going to be required
Now, whether he wrote it down or whether God gave him a good
mind, I don't know. But when he came off of that
mount, he was able to share with the craftsman what he'd seen
in the mount. And we find in the book of Hebrews
that what he saw in the mount was heavenly. And what he has
down here is Earthly it's a picture. It's a type in a shadow now.
It just filled in a whole bunch for me when I heard that Verse
of scripture read this morning from the book of Matthew about
while the disciples asked Why do you constantly speak in parables
and the Lord answered them and said it is for you to know that?
the blessings of the kingdom of heaven, but it's not given
to them. Now, over in the Old Testament,
we have parable after parable after parable after parable.
We have pictures, types, and shadows, and there were people
there that understood what it meant, and there were people
there that just saw a building. They just saw boards. They just
saw Never saw what it is now what a blessing it is to have
the Lord Jesus reveal all of this to those two on the road
to Emmaus and You and I can be the third in the fourth to have
all the Old Testament revealed to us as the Lord did there.
And he didn't talk about a physical tabernacle. He talked about the
spiritual tabernacle himself. And all that shed blood was shed
blood that pictured him. And he could do it once. It took
all those to do it, to picture it. Well, as we move on, we find
that there's going to be a pattern that's made. Go back with me
to the Book of Numbers, if you would. Chapter eight and verse
four. It tells us about this candlestick, this lamp stand. When Nancy and I were on our
trip, we were in Rome and we had a wonderful tour director,
tour leader. She brought up some things that
had often been brought up. Where is the menorah? Where is
the original menorah? Well, there are a bunch of people
in Rome. that are descendants of Abraham
in the flesh that believe that that menorah is in the papal
city. It's in the Vatican. It's not
in the Vatican. It was destroyed by the Babylonian
king when he overthrew the original temple. It was never placed back
in it. But it was beautiful. it to think
for a moment that a man could take a lump of pure gold and
it means to make when it was beaten out of one lump. They did not take multiple pieces
of gold and weld them together. This person given such craftsmanship
was able to produce out of one lump of gold this seven lamp
candlestick. out of one lump of gold in such
glory. The cups, the flowers, the knops,
everything was out of one lump. And we find it is so pictorial
that Jesus Christ is of one glory. He has one glory and that is
the glory of God. And he came and he is the light
of the world. He's the only light that will
ever shine in people's hearts to their salvation. It goes on
to tell us here in this work of the candlestick, verse 4,
was a beaten gold unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof
was the beaten work. And this means to be taken to
a hammer. Well, this just really reminds
me of what we find over in the 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah
all our salvation depends on Jesus Christ becoming our substitute
and Jesus Christ is being the able one to pay the price for
the salvation. The price that was owed to God.
The price that God's lost sheep owed to God is paid for by the
Lord Jesus Christ. This is that word beaten. It
is hammered. It is bruised. We read in the
53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah, he was smitten of God. Who was
holding the hammer? God was holding the hammer. Who
was the hammer tended to? The Son of God. That's who was
beaten. God beat him, if you please,
because of the sin of his people that was imputed to him. He was
smitten of God. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. And it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. And he made his soul an offering
for sin. God the father used the hammer
of his justice on this pure gold glory of his son and put him
in a condition that he said it is finished and gave up the ghost
and all the sins of all his people were put as far as the east is
from the west. What a glorious act of God. Now It doesn't matter how much
religion forgives the Romans or the Jews, it was God that
beat him. Everything that happened to the
Lord Jesus Christ on that day or throughout his entire life
was pre-planned before the foundation of the world and carried out
to the very last inch. Just everything was fulfilled
by the Lord Jesus Christ. This work may be considered from
two parts, Godward and to us. To God, the cross work of Christ
was propitiation. Somebody must pay if people are
going to be set free. There must be a debt paid. Over
in the book of 1st John, chapter 2 and verse 2, it says, he's
not only a propitiation for our sin, but for the sin of the whole
world. Now, when we understand what the word propitiation means,
we find out it is impossible for anybody that has ever on
the left-hand side, and here's the words of the king, say, depart
from me, ye workers of iniquity, I never knew you, into the pit.
It is impossible for them to the Lord Jesus Christ ever paid
their sin debt. Propitiation is security. Propitiation
is absolute payment. You know, we would have a problem
if one of us owed a terrible debt, and somebody came along,
unbeknownst to us, and paid that debt, and then let us know that
it's been paid, and the person that the debt was owed to sent
us a bill, a second bill for it. What would we do? Well, that debt's been paid. Doesn't matter, you have to pay
for it too. You know, God is not one like that. When the debt
is paid, it is paid. And when Jesus Christ made a
propitiation for his people, and that word means an appeasing
of divine wrath. When God's divine wrath was appeased
by the blood of his son, it's over. No more. Justice has been paid, and that
is no wonder why the Lord Jesus Christ cried from the cross,
it is finished. The debt is paid. It's over with. How do we know that? He came
out of the tomb. On the third day, he came out
of the tomb. God was so pleased with the debt
that was paid, he welcomed his son back into glory and had him
sit down at his right hand. What does that mean for the church?
The debt's paid. The debt's paid. Propitiation
has been made. So the father has been satisfied
and divine justice and holiness has been satisfied. Now, to us,
what does that mean? It means substitution. You or him. Substitution. The innocent taking the place
of the guilty and the just dying for the unjust. That's what it
is to us. Someone took my place and Jesus
Christ is the one that took the place of his people. He's the
only one who could. He's the only one God would take.
He's the only one that God would take and put into that subjection. Man could not pay for it. We
can't even pay for our own sins, not for the sins of someone else.
We like, we read about in the scriptures, for a good man, even
some people would die, but it didn't make him justified. Jesus
Christ justified his people in his death. Now, would you go
back with me to the book of Numbers, chapter eight, and look at verse
three with me. Verse three, oh, the glory of
this candlestick, this lamp stand. I've seen pictures, you know,
artists' descriptions. I've also seen pictures of what
heaven's like. I don't think anybody has any
idea. It just can't be described. Well, the beauty of this was
just phenomenal. One piece of gold beaten into
this beautiful lampstand that was set up in the holy place
with two other pieces of furniture. Numbers chapter 8 and verse 3
it says, and Aaron did so. He lighted the lamps thereof
over against the candlestick as the Lord commanded. Now he's
going to do something with those candles, those lamp stands, those
knops at the top, the cups. He's going to make them all shine
in the same direction. There will be no light behind.
Now there might be some reflected light behind, but the initial
light is going to be shown across. It has reflectors some way, some
means, God purposed that this would take place. Make these
lamps not omnidirectional, but unidirectional. I like omnidirectional
light sometimes, but sometimes I like unidirectional. One way. And that's what these lampstands
did. They were pointed in one direction. Thou shall command the children
of Israel to bring pure olive oil. It's what we've read in
the book of Exodus chapter 27 and verse 20. Pure olive oil
beaten. How many times do we find that
to the scriptures that the things that God recognized had been
beaten. Olives to make olive oil. grain
to make bread all of these things share with what about grapes
they had to be crushed all of these things are symbols of our
savior the lord jesus christ and what he endured to purchase
his people that isaiah 12 this morning wow that was an apropos
passage of scripture what he's done taken us oh At the top of
each of these seven branches of the lamp stand was cups to
hold the oil. Aaron lit these cups of oil and
then did one more thing. He directed the light forward. The light was directed across
the holy place. Now what was on the other side?
It tells us in the book of Exodus chapter 40 and verse 22 that
the, or verse 24, excuse me, the candlestick was on the southward
side of the holy place, on the southward side. Now inside of
this building, I can't tell you what's north, east, south, and
west. I wish I could. I think that's north. Anyway,
the candlestick was to be placed on the southward side of the
holy place. Now across that short distance,
on the northern side, we find the Table of Showbread. Now isn't
that interesting that all of this light from these seven lights
were to be cast across to the table of showbread, another piece
of furniture, but on that piece of furniture were stacked 12
loaves of bread. and they were not little loaves
of bread. When we studied this in the book of Leviticus, we
found out that there was two or three pounds of flour in each
one of them, maybe more than that. It was a great big loaf
of bread that was placed there. Now, it was changed weekly, and
we find that David went in there one time unlawfully, And ate
some of that because he was hungry and gave it to his to the other
men of his of his troop But this light is cast over there on the
table of showbread This light is cast upon the bread of life. Isn't that what the holy spirit
does? Is the holy spirit? Well, let's just read a verse
over in the book of john chapter 15 In the book of John chapter
15, we read these words about the Holy Spirit. And these are
the words of the Lord Jesus. In John chapter 15 and verse
26, on the south side, we have the candlestick. On the north
side, we have the table of showbread. And on just before you went to
the veil, into the Holy of Holies, there was the golden altar of
incense. Three pieces were in this holy
place. One piece was in the Holy of
Holies. Well, really two. There was the Ark of the Covenant
and then there was the Covenant in the mercy seat. Outside on
the east side, we have the altar The burnt offerings were placed
there. We have the labor where the priest washed their hands,
became clean before they served the Lord. How the Holy Spirit
cleans His people up is how He does it. He makes us presentable
before God. He gives us sanctification. We don't have any sanctification
of our own and we can't appropriate any of our own. It doesn't matter
what we do. We cannot meet the sanctification
that Christ requires. He is our sanctification. He
is our righteousness. He is our salvation. He's everything. Well, here in the book of John
chapter 15 and verse 26, we find the Lord mentioning about the
Holy Spirit. John chapter 15 and verse 26. It says here, but
when the comforters come, whom I will send unto you from my
Father. Now this is an aspect of the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has convicted everyone that has
ever been saved. The Holy Spirit has revealed
Christ to everyone that's ever been saved. The Holy Spirit gave
the new birth to everyone that's been saved. Nobody was saved
by those sacrifices in the Old Testament. Abel was saved by
the new birth. God gave him the grace. And then
he believed and trusted Christ. Well, here in this aspect, I'm
going to send the Holy Spirit in a special way when he has
come. He's going to have his mirrors. He's going to have his reflectors.
He's going to have all about him pointed in one direction. Because he shares with us here
in John chapter 25 and verse 26, even the spirit of truth,
whom I'll send you from the Father, even the spirit of the truth,
which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me. You know, there's one thing we
find in the Bible that the Holy Spirit does not brag about the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brags about Christ. That's his
ministry, is to point people to him. Now, when he does that,
as the Father does that, then they are honored. The only way
a person can honor the Father and honor the Holy Spirit is
to honor Christ. We can't do it any other way.
Oh, Father, I honor you, but I don't want a thing to do with
your son. Oh, Holy Spirit, I honor you, but I don't want a thing
to do with the father or the son. That is trash. The scriptures
teach us that there's only one way to honor the father and only
one way to honor the son, and that is to honor the Holy Spirit. That is to honor Jesus Christ
the righteous. to have him as our hope. He is
the center of the covenant. God, in the purpose of grace
before the foundation of the world, he chose a people and
had their names written down in the Lamb's Book of Life. The
Holy Spirit said, I will go and find them and bring the gospel
to them and I'll regenerate them. But all of this is dependent
upon the act of one member of the Trinity. The son must lay his life down,
a ransom for many. Now they're co-equal and they
work together, but the son's activity, oh my, a beaten son. Here it says, as we read there
in the book of John chapter 15 and verse 26, he shall testify
of me. What does that mean? He's gonna
turn all the light on the bread of life. That's who people will see when
they enter the holy place is all the light is gloriously reflected
upon Jesus Christ the righteous. He is all important. He is the
only Savior He is the only one that could take care of sin.
All of this is glory to the Son. And when we give glory to the
Son, we've honored the Father and we've honored the Holy Spirit
in the same way. Turn with me back one chapter
in the book of John, if you would, chapter 14 and verse 26. Chapter
14 and verse 26, here again, But the comforter, which is the
Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach
you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever
I have said unto you. So as the word went out from
the Lord Jesus, and it still goes out, who's the one that
is going to reveal Christ in those words? The Holy Spirit.
The Lord said here, he shall teach you all things. Well, I'm
thankful for good teachers When I needed good teaching, when
it came to spiritual things, gospel preachers have stood in
this pulpit and preached us good word. But who was it that opened
our eyes, opened our understanding? Who caused us to see what these
words meant? The Holy Spirit. He's the one
that is going to shine the glorious light of the gospel on the one
who is the gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is Him that reveals
the Son. Turn with me, if you would, a
couple of chapters forward into John chapter 16. John chapter
16 in there in verse 13. John chapter 16, and there in
verse 13, we read these words. It says, how be it when he, the
spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth.
I've had people say, well, the Holy Spirit reveals different
things to different people. That is true, but it's all going
to be the same truth. I know some preachers that know
a lot more about the Book of Romans than I could ever figure
out. The Lord gave it to them so they could give it to me.
I know preachers that have spent time in this book or that subject,
and they are glorious preachers in those things. God has revealed
them to them. But you know what? When the truth
is being spoken, they, everyone will agree. There's not going
to be a contradiction. Nobody's going to be saying,
you have to do this to be saved, and you have to do this to be
saved. All of them are going to say, Jesus Christ is the Savior,
and He's the only Savior. You must come to Him. You must
deal with Him. Well, I'm thankful that God the
Father has already dealt with the Son, and now the Spirit of
God allows us to know that in the new birth, and we say, it's
all taken care of. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Things
have been taken care of. What a revelation. It's all been
taken care of. The do is done. The did is now
ours. All that stuff we had to do is
done. In the book of, let's read on
here, verse 13, it says, how be it when he, the spirit of
truth has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall
not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he
speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me. Oh, can you just see that light?
That seven lamp stand. As Aaron went up there, he says,
the instruction is, Turn these reflectors over there and over
there is the bread, the bread of life, a picture of the bread
of life. The Holy Spirit does his work
when he reflects the word, reflects all on his son, the Lord Jesus
Christ. What did John say to his disciples
as he's led by the Holy Spirit? Behold the Lamb of God which
taketh away the sin of the world. And you know what his disciples
did? They deserted him. Isn't that sad? No. He was happy. Go join him. Go join him. How
glorious it was for John to see his disciples. Go join him. And that's what the Holy Spirit
does for us. Go join him. In verse 14 of that,
it says, he shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine
and shall show it unto you. I'll give him. He'll reflect. He'll let you know. This is it. He shall testify of the bread
of life, the true blessing of all types and shadows and pictures
of every piece of the tabernacle, of every sacrifice that was ever
offered. They all shall speak of one that
would take care of the problem that man has with God, and that
is sin. He shall take care of it. by
the sacrifice of himself. God said a number of times in
the Old Testament, he was not pleased with all of those sacrifices,
but he was pleased with one sacrifice. Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews, chapter nine. As
we think about this light that was placed across the holy place,
upon the table of showbread, that crushed wheat that was made
into the bread that was brought in, great loaves, there's plenty,
there's plenty, doesn't run out, plenty of bread there. Here in
the book of Hebrews chapter nine and verse 26, we have these words
recorded for us and we've been here several times recently as
we've been studying the book of Hebrews, the sacrifice of
himself, the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews chapter nine and verse
26, the scriptures share this, For then must he often have suffered
since the foundation of the world, but now once in the end of the
world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. Now all that light is turned
on the bread of life. He is the one that God hath commanded
all men everywhere to believe. You know, I tried that for years,
trying to work up enough. And I found out in regeneration,
all of that is supplied. All repentance is supplied. If
it's my repentance and my belief, it is my works trying to appropriate
something from God. But we find that this light was
turned on the bread. No man stood in between. No man
stood in between the light and the table of showbread. The light
shined on the table of showbread. Not a work of ours can appropriate
this great salvation, the work of the Lord's. We are called
on to believe the report, the gospel report, a Savior that
saves, a Redeemer that actually redeems His people from their
sin. The Lord declares, it's a done
work. Now I know a religion says, it's
a do work. But Christ said, it's a done
work. Finished. Well just for in closing, let's
turn back to the book of Numbers chapter 8. Just want to read
a couple of those verses again. Numbers chapter 8. Couched in
here between a great amount of things that went on in chapter
seven and a great amount of things that are going on in chapter
eight after this we have this glorious picture of our savior
the lord jesus christ the meaning of all what all of this means
This word, this message came from Moses, went to Aaron, Aaron
did what he was instructed to do, and this is what he was instructed
to do. Speak unto Aaron and say unto
him, when thou lightest the lamps, or as the other says, put those
reflect, put the light forward, put it forward, put it forward.
As the Lord commanded Moses, and this work of the candlestick
was a beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof and to the flowers thereof
was beaten work according to the pattern which the Lord had
shown Moses. So he made the candlestick. What a glorious thing. I'm thankful
like the brazen serpent. You know, the brazen serpent
stayed around for a while. You know what they did with it.
They turned it into idle. What would happen if people found
that menorah? Oh, we're going to have it. I want the real menorah. The
real light. I want the real bread. I've mentioned
a number of times when we go to a restaurant, we don't eat
the menu. Even if it looks like Denny's
menu. We don't eat the menu. We're waiting for the food to
come. Don't eat the menu. Don't swallow
the works. Trust Christ and don't move a
muscle. Brother Mike.