The Menorah

(Exo 25:31-40) "Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand - three on one side and three on the other. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair - six branches in all. The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold. "Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

God is the light

(1 John 1:5 NIV) This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.

God’s Word is a lamp/light

(Psalm 119:105 NIV) Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Yeshua is the Word

(John 1:1 NIV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(John 1:14 NIV) The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Yeshua is the light

(John 8:12 NIV) When Yeshua spoke again to the people, He said, "I am the light of the world.

(John 9:5 NIV) While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

We are now the light

(Mat 5:14-16 NIV) "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

(Message) Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand - shine!

With Yeshua gone, we are now the light of the world. Light is not meant to be hidden, but it is meant to be in a place that it can give the light to other people. Yeshua is the light so He, or His light, is intended to shine forth from us so that people see Yeshua in us. They are to see Yeshua so our good deeds are not intended to draw people to us. They see the light which is Yeshua so are drawn to Him.

(1 John 4:12-13 NIV) No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us. We know that we live in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

(1 Cor 6:19 NIV) Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

If God is the light, how can we be the light? God now lives in us! So we ourselves are not really the light. We simply have the light living inside us so people see Yeshua (who is the light) in us.

Be different from politicians. They will do good deeds, but too often it’s for a different reason than we are reading about here. They often do things so that people will be impressed by them, and vote them into office. Our good deeds are intended to draw people to Yeshua, and not us.

(Matt 6:3-4 NIV) But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

(1 Cor 2:4-5 NIV) My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

Let the good deeds shine ONLY for the right reason. The result of our good deeds, and speaking, is to draw people to depend on God.

What does light do (in the natural)

(John 11:9 NIV) Yeshua answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light.

Light helps us to keep from stumbling. When I wake up during the night (for any reason) I do not want to turn on the lights. I am concerned it might wake me up and prevent me from falling back asleep soon. So I will walk around in the dark hoping I remember exactly where everything is. But this can be dangerous. Things get accidently left on the floor and if I walk by something that I cannot see, I risk tripping over it and hurting myself. God gives us light to keep us from stumbling.

(John 3:20 NIV) Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

(CEV) because it clearly shows what they have done.

Light exposes things. It lets us see things that we would have missed.

(Eph 5:8-14 NIV) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Messiah will shine on you."

(Living Bible) you should only do what is good and right and true.

Light enables us to see things. Ryrie: Believers expose the sins of other believers through church discipline.

(Matt 7:1-5 NIV) "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

God lives in us so that we have His light in us. It is there so:

People can see God through us.

We won’t stumble or fall.

We can do what is good and right and true.

We can see things we would not see if it were dark. But don’t get carried away here. First, let the light enable us to see the sin in our own lives. Then we can talk to others about sin in their lives, but we need to shine the light on peoples sin in humility. We should only do this so that people can experience the freedom we ourselves received from God.

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