We know from verse 31 that the lampstand was of pure gold. Pure gold signifies the pure divine nature. As the embodiment of the Father for His expression, Christ is purely divine. This is also true of the church as the lampstand. In Revelation we see that the seven churches are seven golden lampstands (1:20). It is true that in the church life we need a strong uplifted humanity, a proper humanity. Nevertheless, the actuality of the church does not depend at all on humanity. On the contrary, it depends on divinity. How much of the divine nature has been imparted into us determines to what extent we are the church in actuality.
Christians have said to us, “Why do you call yourselves the church? Are we not the church just as much as you are?” In God’s standard of measurement, the church is measured by divinity. How much of God do we have in us? How much of the divine element is in the church in our locality? If we have only a very limited amount of the divine element, of divinity, then the church in our locality is limited, small, and immature. But if we have a greater measure of divinity, the actuality of the church is increased.
When Christ was on earth, He had both humanity and divinity. However, it was not because of His humanity that the light was shining, but because of His divinity. This is why there is no mention in Matthew, Mark, and Luke of Christ as the light of life. Matthew does refer to Christ as a light (4:16), but not in the way John does. John says explicitly that Christ is the light of life, because his Gospel reveals the divinity of Christ. It opens with the words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God....In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1, 4). Christ’s being the light of life is intimately related to His divinity. If He were not divine but simply a good man, He could not be the light of life. To repeat, the light of life is derived from Christ’s divinity. This is the significance of the lampstand being of pure gold.
Just as Christ shines because of His divine nature, so we are able to shine with the divine element which has been infused into us. The degree of our shining is according to the degree of the divine element within us. If you are kind, nice, humble, and loving in a natural way, without any portion of divinity, you will not have any light. Others will not see light in you. But if you live Christ with His divinity and express God, light will be manifest. First John 1:5 says, “God is light.” Light comes from divinity, not from humanity.
Exodus 25:31 says, “Of beaten work shall the lampstand be made.” Verse 36 says, “Their knobs and their branches shall be from it—all of it one beaten work of pure gold.” Beaten work signifies sufferings. To be beaten is to suffer. When Christ, the embodiment of God, was on earth, He experienced much suffering, much beating.
With the ark, the gold was beaten to express the glory of God. The two cherubim were made of gold which had been beaten. These cherubim of glory signify that the glory of God comes out of the beating, that the glory of God expressed in Christ comes out of His sufferings.
With the lampstand, the gold was beaten to shine forth the light of God. This light equals the glory of God. This means that the light on the lampstand equals the glory above the ark. Both came out of gold which had been beaten. This indicates that through His sufferings Christ expresses God’s glory.
If we are short of sufferings, our light may not shine brightly. Although we should not seek to suffer, we should not despise sufferings, for they are useful. If we never experience any difficulties, any beating of the gold, we shall not be able to shine. For example, if your husband or wife or your children are always good to you, this may hinder your shining. But if you face difficulties in your family life, these difficulties will help you to shine. Children can be compared to little hammers, hammers which beat the gold within their parents and help them to shine.
We do not know the measurements of the lampstand. The dimensions of neither the cherubim nor the lampstand are recorded. No one knows how high the lampstand was. Although we know that the weight of the lampstand with all its utensils was one talent, we do not know the exact weight of the lampstand itself.
What the Bible does not say is sometimes just as significant as what it does say. The significance of the lampstand being without measurement is that the divinity of Christ and the light He shines are immeasurable (John 3:34). The shining of the lamps we use today can be measured, but the shining of Christ is immeasurable. Both His divinity and His light are beyond measure.