How big was the seven branched candlestick? It was tiny. It was only twenty inches high including its tripod base, reaching from floor to knee height. Every ancient artistic picture of it that has survived, including ancient synagogue mosaics and catacomb graffiti, is consistent as to its miniature size.
The most famous contemporary portrayal is, of course, that on the Arch of Titus. The prominent double polygonal base, probably wooden, shown there was not original. It was either an artifact of Herod’s to raise the level of the lamps to a more convenient height, or more likely a contrivance of the Roman conquerors for the purpose of displaying the candlestick in Caesar’s palace. The lower polygonal base contains at least one sculpture of a naked woman, perhaps symbolic of the enslavement of Israel.
How heavy was it? It weighed about fifty-six pounds, the same weight as one typical gold bar traded today or stored in Fort Knox. When the hollow gold tubular branches and stem were filled with olive oil it would weigh a little more.
What was it made of, and how was it made? It was made of “pure gold,” but certainly not solid gold. It was made by “beating,” and it was made as one single piece of beaten gold, a marvelous work of the goldsmith’s art. A skilled goldsmith can beat gold until it is only 1/10,000th of a millimeter thick, or draw out that 56 pound gold bar into a gold wire stretching three times round the Equator without breaking!
What happened to the seven-branched candlestick? It was in the tabernacle in the wilderness, and then in Shiloh. Perhaps the Philistines melted down the original, and David or Solomon made another. It survived the Babylonian conquest and display in the temple of Nebo, to be returned to Zion with Sheshbazzar. As the Romans’ trophy of conquest, it became the superstitiously venerated centerpiece of the Emperor Nero’s “Golden House” in Rome (still extant, though ruined). Constantine took it to Byzantium with him, where it was the centerpiece of the palace in his renamed capital of Constantinople. Finally, on April 14, 1204, it was captured by the Crusaders and melted down to pay overdue wages to the avaricious knights.
What is the meaning of the seven-branched candlestick? The Revelation tells us. The light is the truth. Seven is perfection. Gold is precious, pure and holy, the purity of Christ, not of ourselves. The “churches” of Christ are “one single piece,” the undivided body of Christ. It is “beaten gold,” tested and hammered by persecution and affliction. The oil is God’s Spirit, bearing buds, flowers and the fruit of the Spirit. It is not difficult to imagine that it was inspired by the tree of life! The entire candlestick, the whole brotherhood, is tiny, “despised, forgot,” looked down upon in the eyes of men. But, as all seven bowls are on the same level, so the many “churches” (ecclesias) throughout the world are all of equal importance, shining out together as one the light of truth.
The famous lighthouse on the great eastern cliffs of Cayman Brac shines its powerful beams all of thirty miles across the dark, treacherous waters of the Caribbean Sea. It has guided and saved many ships in Caribbean storms. It can be seen on clear nights from passing aircraft at 40,000 feet. Tourists are startled when they visit the Bluff. The wonderful light turns out to be little bigger than an ordinary light bulb, and the new automatic lighthouse is just a simple frame a few feet high! But the beam has never been more powerful. It is just like that with Jesus and with us. He is the Light of the world. We are the Light of the world. For we are One.
Lord, we share this bread in token and worship of you, the bread of life. You were and are pure beaten gold, filled by the Spirit, the Light of the world. Use us, Lord, as a bright beacon light to guide the storm tossed and weary to the safety of your glorious Kingdom. For your Name’s sake,
Amen.
Lord, we sip this wine to share the preciousness of your sacrifice. May we understand that our golden purity is from you, not from ourselves, and be humbled accordingly. For your dear Name’s sake,
Amen.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One