Menorah (palm tree!) with 7 big flames on top, symbol of God's presence

The great golden Menorah
- Sign of God’s Presence

André H. Roosma
14 February 2012 (NL: 21 Jan. 2012)

In a previous edition we saw that the palm tree was a sign that pointed to the presence and the speaking of God. And in the previous edition that God had spoken to Moses from a fire on the top of a palm tree.
We also saw, that the great golden Menorah that first stood in the tabernacle and later in the temple in Jerusalem, was in fact an image of this (for a description, see Exodus 25:31-40). The seven great oil lamps on top the Menorah and its six branches represented the fire and the light of God Himself.
Therefore that fire had to be kept burning at all times.² Because the great golden Menorah was so holy – so connected with God Himself – it had to be made out of one piece of pure gold, and only holy olive oil was to be used for the lamps.

It is interesting as well to look at the basis of the word מנורה - Menorah. In the old script¹ it reads: . The heart of this is: נור - nur - - literally: what comes forth from attachment to God: that you are going to shine as well, radiating/spreading light (attachment) around you, like God Himself is light and propagates it. (Think of how Moses’ face was literally shining whenever he had been in the presence of God - Exodus 34: 29-35; cf. Mattit-Yahu/Matthew 17: 2). This is the old form of the Hebrew word ניר - nir - lamp. The Menorah had many ( water, abundance, many) of those lamps and was meant to contribute ‘to joyful adoration’ ( worship, adoration, wonder, joy).
So the great golden Menorah was a fullness of lamps/light (coming forth from being attached to God Himself), directed at joyful wonder and worship towards Him.

I do not understand how some people who study the First Testament can say that it is only about ‘the law’, or that it is tough.
In the rich symbolism I find so much joy, so much beauty, so much inspiration...
Here, too, I see richly illustrated how we are called to search for the presence of God YaHUaH, and, from our belonging to Him, to spread His light in this world around us (cf. Mattit-Yahu/Matthew 4: 16; 5: 14-16; Luke 2: 32; 8: 16; 11: 33-36; Ephesians 5: 8; Philippians 2: 15; 1 Peter 2: 9; 1 John 1: 5-7; 2: 8-10).

Hallelu YaH !

Notes

The word explanations given here are based in part on an extensive study of the oldest pictographic Bible script. See: André H. Roosma, ‘The Written Language of Abraham, Moses and David – A study of the pictographic roots and basic notions in the underlying fabric of the earliest Biblical script’

, Hallelu-YaH Draft Research Report, 1^st English version: 18 April 2011 (1^st Dutch original: January 2011).

About those lamps, which had to be kept burning 24/7 some interesting stories can be told.
At the re-dedication of the second temple (at the time it had been polluted by oppressors) there was at some moment only enough holy olive oil for one day, but the Menorah burned a week long on that. This is the basis of the Jewish festival of Chanukkah. It became a festival in particular, because this wonder was experienced as a sign of the return of YaHUaH to this new temple.
Almost the opposite happened during the first decades after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension. Then often the Menorah could not be kept burning continuously; often it its light was extinguished without any cause... A similarly clear sign that God’s presence had left the temple.
Christians are called, to care for sufficient oil in their lamps, sufficient fullness of God’s Spirit in them, to be able to emit light at all times (Mattit-Yahu/Matthew 25).

Also the branches of the Menorah are worth investigating. The Bible calls such a branch a קנה - qaneh (/qanah; think of cane - stick) - stem (a hollow, long stalk); in the old script: - to rise, come forth from, to worship/ celebrate/ live. To me, this confirms the idea that the Menorah is based on the palm tree.
(By the way: the same word qaneh is used also for the shoulder joint. This appears remarkable when we continue:)
Those branches – three on each side – are the fronds of the palm tree, emerging/rising from its top, and giving the palm a look like a figure with raised, moving arms; so: joyfully worshipping. At that worship, that praise to Him, YaHUaH likes to dwell! (Psalm 22: 3)