Egypt

Leviticus (NLT) 

18 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. 3 So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. 4 You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. 5 If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord.

The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. Exodus 12:40 (NLT). In time, Joseph and all of his brothers died, ending that entire generation. But their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land. So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. Exodus 1:6-8 (NLT). I live in Australia nearly five years now. I used to live in almost totally different country before I came here. It took me a while to cope with the entire new situation. Different language, different culture, different perspective, different life style, different value system, etc. as time goes by I started adapting myself with the new situation. In the same manner the Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years, born and grew up there. The only value system that they have known by them was the Egyptian value system. But, God gave them a clear command not to act like they used to be. No more Egyptian value system. Surprisingly, He also told them not to act as the people of Canaan. He wanted them to obey only his commands. Adapting to the new life He gave them. 

Paul in his letter to Romans explained about the old and the new man (Adam and Christ), and he says “Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. ” Romans 6:19

Our journey of Christianity started from our personal Egypt. We cry out to God to deliver us from slavery of different captivities. It may be sin, illness, addiction, hopelessness, pride you name it. The way we used to live back then were quite the opposite of what we experience after God set us free. We clearly noticed that our value system differentiated. But, there is always “BUT” in the journey. I feel like I am going, BUT where am I? In my study of the exodus of the Israelites, I found two views on Egypt after slavery. The first one is, when they were between the Red see and the Pharaoh’s army. At that time, they were plainly on the dry land of Egypt. The first tough moment after the Passover, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” Exodus 14:11-12(NLT). Some of us may be in that condition. What I can say for those who are in this situation except repeating what Moses told to them. “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today... The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Exodus 14:13-14(NLT).

Second, the Israelites repeatedly went back to Egypt in their thoughts even when they were way far from the land of Egypt and made God unhappy. Some of us might be in that kind of situation. I sometimes find myself using the old value system in my new life. Since it is a spiritual journey, it is hard to notice where we are unless we take time to examine where we are, using the map, the word of God. For those who are in this situation, I again repeat what Paul said in Romans 6. “Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.” Romans 6:5 (NLT). Read all Romans 6.

John 8:36 (NIV) 

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Where are you?

Deuteronomy 6 (NIV)

23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 

Looking back to the picture above, you probably asked yourself "Where is this place?" Let's make it more exciting..., imagine finding yourself at the place within the picture. Would your question then be "Where am I?" Now looking at the second picture below, I hope most of us can recognise the place. And we can now say,"Yes I know this place".

Christianity is somewhat the same. It is a journey through which we should frequently ask ourselves where we are. The Israelite Journey serves as a good example that can better help us understand our personal relationship with God.  As 1 Cor. 10:11 says, “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” 

There have been times in my Christian walk where I have felt lost. It has not been until I took the time and checked my surroundings, that I've been able to see where I am with my walk with Jesus. I spend time with myself and evaluate my situation. I do this by asking questions such as "How far have I come?", "When and where do I arrive?", "How long should I / Will I stay at this place?", "How strong has my faith become?" "How well am I equipped for the journey ahead?", "Am I enjoying it or complaining alot? "what or who is my focus?"..And so on. 

Beginning in Egypt, the Israelites passed through various places and experienced different situations. The amazing time of the Passover, walking through the Red Sea, receiving the Law in the Sinai desert. Another amazing experience was crossing the Jordan River, not to mention many more memorable experiences such as God leading his people day and night by cloud and fire. Despite all this, the first generation of Israelites that left Egypt ended up in the desert. 

The second generation, most of them probably born along the journey, arrived at the promised land. They ended up getting the reward that God had promised their parents. All these situations show us how long the journey for the Israelites was from Egypt to Canaan. 

The Israelites probably never imagined how long a journey it would be when they left Egypt. All they knew was that they would arrive in a land with flowing milk and honey. I wonder what the Israelites would have said, if God had told them the length and the type of journey they would face after leaving Egypt. Would they have agreed to go? Would their story have been as exciting if they had passed via a different route to get to the promised land? 

As we explore the journey of the Israelites and relate it with our lives, it is always good to know that the journey that we started has a destination. At the same time, when we think of the destination, it is also good to know that there is a journey. There is no journey without a destination, and a destination without a journey. The secret is that God always tells us the destination but not how the journey looks like. It is always wise to check that we are on the right track to arrive to the destination safe. To stay on course, the secret is to know and trust the compass of God's Word and apply it in our journey of day-to-day life. 

Psalm 119:105 (NLT)
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

The Oil

Numbers (NIV)

8 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.’” 3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold—from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.

The light and the lampstand are connected by one and only one thing to function properly. The Oil. Wikipedia defines “Oil lamp” as “An oil lamp is an object used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source”. The lamp is an instrument that needs an oil to give the light. With out the oil the lamp has no power to produce light continuously. “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.” Exodus 27: 20-21 (NIV) 

As it is for the lamp, we alone have no power to show the light continuously. In Zachariah 4 it is mentioned about the solid gold lampstand and two olive trees. “Olive oil is the pure oil obtained from the fruit of olive trees. No oil obtained using solvents, re-esterification processes, or mixed with other vegetable oils qualifies under this description.” –the olive oil times. In this chapter golden oil, which pour from the olive branches, is related with anointment. The most important verse that should be highlighted in this perspective is verse 6. It says …“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” In one review this verse explained as, “Might emphases on collective strength, the resources of an army. Power emphases on individual strength. God says, “not by the resources of many or one, but by My Spirit. It will not be by your cleverness, your ability, or your physical strength that the temple will be rebuilt or the light will be shone, but by the Holy Spirit.”

1. The Oil 

As the lampstand needs the oil to produce light, with out the Holy Spirit we cannot shine the light Jesus Christ. The necessary resource for God’s work is the Holy Spirit. “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” Jhon16:7 (NIV). Jesus made it clear, that to be able to defeat the devil and shining the light, we need more power than what they possessed. He promised us. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NIV). "I will send the Holy Spirit, just as I promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven" Luke 24:49 (NLT). He stressed the importance of the power of the Spirit in the believer's life. 

2. The Holy Spirit glorify Jesus 

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” John 16: 12 -15 (NIV) 

3. Continual shining 

We need constant fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and being aware of His presence with us at all times. He is a Person. He will talk to us. We must permit Him to direct our lives. "Be filled with the Spirit" Eph.5:18 (NIV) "Walk in the Spirit" Gal.5:16 (NIV). "Be led of the Spirit" Gal.5:18 (NLT). "Live in the Spirit" Gal.5:25 (NLT). "Covet earnestly the...gifts" 1 Cor.12:31 (NLT). Let's keep coming to Him daily to "Be filled." It's not an option; it's a must. Without Him we fail. With Him there is victory.

Galatians (NIV) 

522 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

The Position of the Lights

Numbers (NIV) 

8The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.’” 3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold—from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.

I stuck with the words “in front of” and “forward” when I read this verse, … the light should be “in front of the lampstand” and should be “faced forward”. They should be visible enough so that they do their purpose. More over it is written in Exodus 30:8 and Leviticus 24:3-4 that these lights should be regularly or continually tended by Aaron. That is the lights should be on always. No matter the situation is the lights should be shining in the front. When I think of these lights and try to figure out how the Ark of the Covenant looks like, the light that Jesus talked in Matthew 5 came to my mind. It says on verse 14 “You are the light of the world.” Yes, if we are the light then we should shine that light wherever we are regularly, no matter the situation that we are in. It is as simple as “if the light is there, it will shine”. However, it is not easy to do so, especially when it comes to regularly shining. As all simple things are not necessarily easy. 

But, what does that “shining the light” mean? How can we be sure that we are shining the light? From where do we get the light? How can we regularly shine the light? We can list more, …………. It is very common to ask such kind of questions anytime when we want to know deeper about anything. This time, about the “light”. I broke them down as per my understanding and I am sure you can add more. 

1. Who is the light? 

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NIV)

                                           2. What does that shining the light mean? 

Does that mean just telling people about Jesus? That’s just one thing but it is living in the right way to make God happy. Matthew 5:16 says “…, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” To put more on this, in Matthew 23:1-4 Jesus does not condemn teachers of the law and the Pharisees to preach, nor even their message from Scripture ... just their failure to practice what they preach (From The “Stumbling Blocks To Spirituality” Series)  

3. How can we be sure that we are shining the light?

Simply I can say that “Are you humble enough to serve others no matter where we are?” Serving God most of the time is related to church activities only. Yes, that is one aspect of it. But, serving means “to act as a servant” when? “continually” or “regularly”. Isaiah 57:15 (NIV) says, For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: 
“I live in a high and holy place, 
 but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, 
to revive the spirit of the lowly
 and to revive the heart of the contrite. 

4. How can we continually shine the light? 

If the source of the light is Jesus, John 8:12, then abiding in Him helps us to continually shine the light. John 15:4 say, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you.” Praying, reading, meditating His word and fellowshipping with others and etc. … it is simple but if we do not commit ourselves to do that it’s not easy to shine the light regularly.  Just to conclude, shining the light means becoming God’s best version of us everyday. Allowing Holy Spirit and allowing Jesus to flow through us. It shouldn’t be a burden on us. It should be something that comes naturally like our native language. Imagine that if you throw an open bottle into a river the water will flow inside of it and then it will sink totally to the bottom of a river filled by water. Jesus is the light. If we allow Him to flow in us, we will be filled with His light and immersed in Him (full of light) so that we can shine the true light that we’re destined to shine.

Matthew (NIV) 

514 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The Lampstand

Numbers (NIV)

8The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.’”3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold—from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.

The same verse another pausing moment with “hammered gold”. The lampstand was made of hammered gold. This time 1 Peter 1:7 came to my mind, “… the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, …” Does that mean we are the lampstand? That was my first question. The point that came to my mind was as God chose us to show the light, Jesus, we should pass through trials to become pure like gold. This thought allow me to think deeper and read more about the Lampstand. Before explaining that, I would like to put forward the following verses. 

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” Proverbs 17:3

“See, I have refined you, though not as silver; 
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” Isaiah 48:10

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:17

“But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:13

Reading these verses and exploring more about the lampstand helped me to understand how much we are loved so that elected to be part of God’s plan to shine the light to the darkness. The trials do not make us gold but make us worth greater than gold.

1. The Lampstand unraveled

“Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. …, The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.” Exodus 25:31&36

2. Christ is the middle of the Lampstand

Jesus is the light as well as the middle/center of the lampstand where all other branches come out. Jesus is the first one who humbled Himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross. (Phil. 2:8) Tested and proven to be gold. The only source of our good work is Him. We are shining Him in our life when we abide in Him and Him only. Act 17:28 (NIV) says “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” And 2 Corinthians 2:7 says “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”

3. Hammered out of pure gold

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 (NIV) As it is mentioned in Numbers 8 the Lampstand was made of hammered gold form its base to its blossom, which makes it made for a special purpose. “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” 2 Timothy 2:20-21 (NIV) We are the lampstand attached to the center of the Lampstand, Jesus Christ. He shone His light while He was on earth by obeying and doing his Father’s will. Now we are the one who shine His light by abiding in Him. Jesus said “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV)

1 Peter (NIV)

1 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.