“And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same” (Exod. 25:31).
When we think of the menorah, we usually associate it with the Festival of Lights called “Chanukah,” an eight-day celebration established when the Jews of Palestine were delivered from the oppression of the Syrian- Greeks. This famous revolt of the Jewish people is know as the Maccabean revolt. It was led by the sons of Mattathias the Priest, from the Hasmonean family. The word “Maccabee” is an acrostic from the words “Mi Kamocha ba’elim, meaning “who among the mighty is like thee, O God?”
Original Construction
We need to return to the original text found in Exodus 25:31, in order to understand why God wanted the menorah to be constructed in the first place. Although it’s a special and beautiful celebration, Chanukah is not associated with the construction of the menorah. Knowledge of the menorah is very important to all believers, because the understanding of this candlestick will help paint a mental picture that actually reveals the Messiah.
If we are to fully examine the menorah and see its conceptual meaning, we must have some understanding of the Hebrew language. Hebrew is conceptual. It creates mental pictures which facilitate the understanding of the highlighted topic. English and all other languages derived from the Greek language is abstract and doesn’t create such “pictures.”
“Abstract thought is that thought which seeks conclusions of the whole based upon the examination of one part. Concrete or conceptual thought on the other hand, forms no interpretation of the whole based upon examination of a single part. Conceptual thought reaches conclusions of the whole based upon examination of the whole.” 1
The Lord commanded Moses to make a candlestick of pure gold. The word “candlestick” in Hebrew is the word “menorah”, which comes from the root נִיר (Nur), and means “to give light.” Interestingly, even though the word “menorah”/candlestick is a noun, as we learn how to get to the roots of a Hebrew word, we discover that all words in Hebrew are derived from a verb root. Jesus taught us that we are the light, literally, the menorahs of the world. (Matt. 5:14) By this definition, we are called to give light.
Come be with us at OTC on this Wednesday night, when I will teach more about the menorah and how we may benefit by better seeing the Kingdom of God through this understanding. There is much information regarding the menorah that will reveal beneficial relationships between us and it, as well as with seemingly unrelated topics such as agriculture and its most important substance, soil.
The “menorah” is an exciting and revealing and rewarding study of the principles of the Kingdom. Please join us.
Many blessings,
P/Karen
- The Menorah, A Picture Of The Christian Life, Doug Wheeler Ph.D c1996 Mended Wings Ministries, Inc.
