Our Spiritual Journey Inside the Tabernacle – Part 5: The Menorah

Inside the Tent of Meeting

So far we’ve seen that God has given us faith to enter through the fence of the tabernacle courtyard into His glorious kingdom.  We’ve found forgiveness through God’s own Son offered on the Bronze Altar.  We’ve taken a good look at ourselves in the Bronze Basin and committed to a new life with God.  And now we want more.

So God guides us behind the first veil into the Tent of Meeting, the Holy Place, and up to the menorah (or lampstand).  The oil lamps of the menorah provide the only light in the Holy Place.  The seven branches of the menorah represent the seven spirits of God, which are found in Isaiah 11:

1. The spirit of God
2. Wisdom
3. Understanding
4. Counsel
5. Strength
6. Knowledge
7. The fear of the Lord

The gift God offers at the menorah is a – transformed mind one that’s illuminated with a spiritual perspective.  He offers to put His own Spirit within us.  This is really like a seven-fold gift He has for us in order to draw us closer to Himself and allow us to live in intimacy with Him.  These seven spirits within us change our whole perspective.

In our previous analogy of the father inviting the son home, this would be like the son coming to his father’s home and finding it set high upon a mountain with a 360˚ view of everything below.  Everything looks completely different — he can see the bigger picture.  The things he was doing and was concerned with before look minute, and he can now see how things really work and what things are most important.

With the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can now comprehend the spiritual nature of things.  We can see what’s happening behind the physical circumstances – behind the veil — and we can be led by His spirit in our actions, words and understanding.  With the Holy Spirit, God is equipping us to participate with Him in His business — in bringing about His will and plan for ourselves, and for mankind – now and into eternity.

But, there’s more!  Our new perspective changes our motivations and desires.  We now need the gift awaiting us at the Table of Showbread. We’ll start there in Part 6.