Exodus 25:31-40 (ESV)

“You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. And there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out from the lampstand. Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. You shall make seven lamps for it. And the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it. Its tongs and their trays shall be of pure gold. It shall be made, with all these utensils, out of a talent of pure gold. And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.”

A talent (75 pounds) of gold is worth over a million dollars. The lampstand is the most expensive piece in the tabernacle, but not the most important. It’s not holy enough to merit rings and poles for carrying.

The description of the lampstand is much more detailed than the descriptions of the ark and table. Note: the calyx of a flower is the leaves that had been the outer husk of the flower pod before it opened.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepal

But the description of the lampstand is hard to understand. There are zillions of images of the lampstand on the internet – and they all look pretty much alike – yet they don’t show “cups” that look like three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almond
http://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/golden-lampstand-menorah-3d-max/613145

Still, we know that the real one was done right because God then showed Moses exactly what he wants. And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.

God communicates this to Moses in two stages. First, He gives the general description, and then He shows it visually to Moses. Moses couldn’t have built the lampstand exactly right based on just the general description. But if Moses only had the visual to go on, he would have been hard pressed to get all the numbers right (e.g., the flowers).

God’s two-stage teaching caters to Moses’ human weaknesses.

Similarly, God sometimes tells us things in multiple ways. Is there something that God has said to you more than once? Have there been recurring hints, or a combination of general and special revelation?

Is God calling you? Are you resisting because it’s so unexpected? Open your heart to the possibilities.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies