(5.) Menorah: The Seven Branches of the Lampstand

(5.) Menorah: The Seven Branches of the Lampstand. 

“You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, it central stem, it cups, its calyxes, and its flowers shall be made of one piece with it. And there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it… You shall make seven lamps for it. And the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the holy space in front of it.” (Exodus 25:31-40).

What is the Menorah? “Menorah” is a Hebrew word that simply means light-bearer, or the place that shines and gives light. Menorah and lampstand are treated as synonyms throughout the Bible, even with its variations down through biblical history. The first official menorah was made according to very precise spec’s from Lord Yahweh Himself given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. As with every other piece of furniture in the wilderness Tabernacle, every piece meant something profound, and was a shadow of a heavenly thing to help us understand God better (Hebrew 8:5). Included in the Lord’s instructions regarding the Lampstand were items like these (refer to Exodus 25 and various rabbinic sources):

1. It is to be shaped by hammering out one large piece of pure gold that weighs around 75 pounds;
2. It is to be large enough to completely light up the interior of the Holy Place, and according to rabbinic tradition the Lampstand was about 5 feet tall and over 3 feet in width;
3. It is to have a central shaft resting on a golden base with six branches extending outwards, three shafts on each side facing the central branch in the middle;
4. It was to be made with a cup on top of each branch to be refilled daily with olive oil to fuel the lights;
5. It was to be fueled by pure olive oil and was not to be made for candles;
6. It was to be elaborately decorated with images of a flowering almond tree that had blossoms, buds and flowers;
7. It was to be lighted every evening and kept burning through the night until morning;
8. It was to receive daily maintenance by the priests that involved cleaning the Lampstand, trimming the wicks, and refilling the cups of olive oil on each branch;
9. It was for private use by the priests inside the Tabernacle and not to be seen by worshipers outside;
10. It was to be carefully covered by a special blue cloth and a layer of fine leather when the Israelites broke camp and continued their wandering.

SEVEN: a Biblical symbol for perfection, completion, fullness, fulfillment, wholeness, finished. 

A case can be made that seven (7) is God’s favorite number. Because of what it represents, the number seven seems woven into the very fabric of Holy Scripture. Between the Hebrew Bible (OT), and the Gospels (NT), the number seven is mentioned in well over 700 passages. It is commonplace to have a number symbolize something when we communicate… Thanks a million! (an abundance); That’s a ten out of ten! (excellence); I’ve told you a hundred times! (frequency); Don’t wear number thirteen! (bad luck); They are definitely a pair (a committed couple). Sure enough, seven has its own biblical meaning and is used a million times, it seems!

Seven in Hebrew Bible. In each of these passages, the number seven represents the completion of something, the fulfillment of something, the perfection of something, the finished product or event. Various sevens in the Hebrew Bible include:

1. 7 days of creation, the 7th being the Sabbath day, completing God’s initial creation;
2. the 7 pillars holding up the house of Wisdom (Proverbs 9:1);
3. the 7 colors of the rainbow of promise, the full spectrum of beauty in the sky;
4. the Sabbatical year every 7th year, completing the first cycle, during which the slaves were released, the debts were forgiven, and the land enjoyed some rest from cultivation;
5. the Jubilee year, 7 sabbatical year cycles, completing the bigger cycle of 49 years, during which all land was returned to the original owners, the land was at rest, and all hired workers were to be set free;
6. Noah bringing 7 pairs of clean animals onto the ark, all that was needed;
7. the 7 sprinkles of blood by the priest on the red heifer;
8. the menorah, with 7 lamps on the tabernacle lampstand, representing the fullness of creation;
9. Israel being punished 7-fold for “walking contrary to God in disobedience” (Lev. 26:14-21);
10. the light of the sun will be 7-fold during the messianic era, all the light that is needed (Is. 30:26);
11. the 7 days of Passover with unleavened bread, the complete remembrance;
12. the Jews in exile in Babylon for 70 years because they failed to observe 7 sabbatical years (according to Jewish tradition);
13. the 7 things that God completely hates, in Proverbs 6:16;
14. the deceitful person with 7 abominations in his heart, completely deceitful, perfectly abhorrent to God (Proverbs 26:25).
15. the dominance of the number 7 in the destruction of Jericho (Joshua 6);
16. the 7 times of daily prayer stated by the psalmist in Ps. 119:164, which developed into the Christian Liturgy of the Hours, covering a complete days’ time;
17. God’s Word is like pure silver refined 7 times and is completely and perfectly pure (Psalm 12:6).

Seven in the Gospels. The life of Jesus in the Gospels also revealed varied appearances of the number seven. Once again, seven denotes completion, fulfillment, perfection, wholeness, finished:

1. the 7 petitions of the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13);
2. the 7 I AM metaphors to describe Christ’s character and mission;
3. the unlimited forgiveness of 70 x 7 offenses (Luke 17:4);
4. the 7 woes against the Pharisees (Matt. 23);
5. Jesus’ 7 healings on the Sabbath;
6. the 7 loaves of bread given to Jesus to multiply;
7. the 7 demons cast out of Mary Magdalene;
8. the 7 unclean spirits that possessed completely the unfortunate man in Luke 11:26;
9. the 7 last statements of Christ on the Cross.
10. the 7 signs in the Gospel of John.

One particular number mentioned that many times is not coincidence. It is significant. Scripture reveals that seven represents an idea that is part of so many passages that it would be tiresome and tedious to relate them all. God decided in His wisdom to create the universe in seven days, and the number 7 has been kept busy ever since. Many theologians consider seven to be a holy number because of its weighty presence in Scripture. Knowing what seven means in the context of a biblical passage will help us to understand that passage better. Seven (7), the biblical number that tops all other numbers.