Lamp Various kinds of lamps are mentioned in the Bible, some for indoor use (2 Kings 4:10; Daniel 5:5; Matthew 5:15; Acts 20:8), others for outdoor use (Psalms 119:105; Matthew 25:1; John 18:3). They were made of a variety of materials (clay, metal or wood) and were of different shapes and designs, but they all functioned in much the same way. Basically, a lamp consisted of a bowl to hold the fuel (oil) and a cloth wick that soaked up the oil for the flame (Exodus 27:20; Matthew 1:25-4).
A lamp was so important for everyday living in the ancient world that it was almost a symbol of life itself (2 Samuel 21:17; Job 1:29-3; Proverbs 13:9; Revelation 18:23). The Word of God and the servants of God are at times likened to lamps, since they provide light from God in a world of darkness (Psalms 119:105; Matthew 5:16). The lamp was therefore a fitting symbol of the witness that the people of God bear to him (Luke 12:35; John 5:33,35; cf. 1:7).
Lampstands
In the tabernacle built by Moses, seven lamps were fitted to a single lampstand to provide light for the Holy Place. God gave Moses no dimensions for the lampstand, but it weighed about thirty-five kilograms, was made of one piece of gold and was richly ornamented. The common people provided the oil for the lamps, and the priests checked the lamps each morning and evening to ensure they were kept burning (Exodus 1:25-40; Exodus 27:20-21). In Solomon’s temple there were ten lampstands, five against each of the two side walls (1 Kings 7:49).
Many years later, when the Jews had returned from captivity in Babylon and were rebuilding their temple, the prophet Zechariah had a vision of a seven-branched temple lampstand. Two olive trees, one each side of the lampstand, fed the lamps miraculously with a continuous supply of oil. This symbolized the continuous supply of God’s supernatural power, which would ensure the satisfactory completion of the temple (Zechariah 1:4-14). It probably also symbolized the witness of God’s people (Revelation 1:11-4).
In the book of Revelation, lampstands feature in one of the visions that John saw. In this vision, seven lampstands represented seven churches, to which God directed John to write seven letters (Revelation 1:1-13,20). Each church was to be a witness to Jesus Christ, but if it failed in its task and ignored God’s warnings, God could ‘remove the lampstand’ by bringing the church to an end (Revelation 2:5).