Leviticus 24:2-4

The Golden Lampstand (Leviticus 24:2).

Leviticus 24:2

“Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. Without the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, shall Aaron keep it in order from evening to morning before Yahweh continually. It shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations. He shall keep in order the lamps on the pure lampstand before Yahweh continually.”

In the tabernacle, in the Holy Place outside the veil, was the seven-branched golden lampstand (Exodus 25:31). This represented the perfect light of God shining in Israel (see above). While it shone out God was present with His people. This light had to be maintained by Aaron, the High Priest, so that one of its lamps burned ‘continually', fed with olive oil specifically provided by the people of Israel. Whether God remained with His covenant people or not depended on them. Its sevenfoldness declared the perfection of God's light. It declared that day after day, on and on throughout their generations, God was present with His people, ready to act if they were responsive to Him. In Zechariah 4 we have an illustration of that action (see above).

But the prime emphasis here in line with the emphasis in this part of Leviticus is on the people's responsibility. This was to provide pure oil for the lamp so that it could burn continually. Aaron is then to ensure that it maintains its function day by day continually (see Exodus 25:37; Exodus 30:7; Exodus 40:4; Numbers 4:9; Numbers 8:2 compare 2 Chronicles 13:11).