(V.1) In the previous chapter, we saw the “appointments with Yahweh”, the Holy Days, from Unleavened Breads to Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day Assembly. In this chapter, we start with the menorah, with its olive-oil burning lamps, at the dedication (hanukkah) of the Holy Place.

Today, we still celebrate Hanukkah following all the Holy Days. Though we do so in remembrance of the rededications of the Holy Temple, the origins are with the beginning of the Tabernacle. It is this menorah that plays a significant role in Hanukkah – the Hebrew word meaning dedication.

This menorah is the light of the Holy Place. Its center* lamp is called the shamish – the servant: as its fire is used to light the other lamps, it represents Yeshua, the Light of the World (John 8:12), who gives us light to illuminate the world. John tells us (Revelation 1:12-18) that the center lamp is Yeshua: “in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man”.

* The Talmud says the western lamp miraculously stayed lit. Except, after the crucifixion of Yeshua, this is one of the miracles that stopped.

From this original Tabernacle in the Wilderness, Moses brought God’s words and judgments to the people. Moses sought the glory of Yahweh, not his own glory. Thus Moses represented Yeshua: “Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me (Moses) from among you, from your countrymen: you shall listen to Him” (Deuteronomy 18:15).

In fulfillment, Yeshua came to glorify Yahweh. Jewish leaders sought to put Yeshua to death, but the people marveled at His teaching. Yeshua answered the people how they should judge whether His words were from God: (John 7:18-19) “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

“Did not Moses give you the Torah”. . . in seeking God’s glory, “ and yet none of you carries out the Torah?” because they sought their own glory – power and position and recognition.

Clear olive oil is the first from lightly pressed olives, before they are crushed and the oil contains sediment. “Continual” means that the lamps would be lit every day, not that they never went out; this is like the “continual elevation offering”, one being burned every morning and evening.

The previous chapter concerned the Holy Days, which represented various high points in God’s caring for His people. This chapter deals with the menorah and show bread, which represent God’s daily caring for His people.

The show bread was twelve large unleavened loaves, baked each Friday and placed on the Sabbath. Each loaf was baked from two omers (more than a gallon) of fine wheat flour, and shaped like a rectangle with the corners turned up. They were placed in two stacks of six, the lower two resting on the flat table top, and each higher loaf being supported by golden rods of a rack which was the upper part of the golden table. A bowl of frankincense was placed on top of each stack.

The frankincense was the only part of this offering that was burned on the altar. The loaves were divided among the priests on the following Sabbath: like the Sabbath, the loaves were called an eternal covenant, and were the only offering described this way. It is recorded that the loaves were always as fresh baked loaves at the end of their week.

As the Sabbath provides for the rest of the week, so the loaves symbolized God’s provision for His people for their millennial week on this earth. We are taught to not be anxious about our provision here.

“Do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” ( Matthew 6:25-34).

So, our concern here should be to seek God’s glory, and then (and only then) we can trust Him to provide our every need. We should seek to spread His word, not our own thoughts. We need to continually seek correction, of our thoughts and ways, from God’s word.

Then, from v.13, following the instructions concerning God’s symbols of His care for our spiritual and physical well-being, we find instructions to the judges for dealing with us. These verses concern judgments that are under the authority of the judges to make. Included are punishments for blasphemy and murder, relating to the two main categories of commandments – loving Yahweh our God and loving our neighbor. These are capital crimes. For lesser crimes involving injury to our neighbor or his property, equitable restitution must be ordered by judges.

Concerning “an eye for an eye . . .”, this is not referring to personal retribution. In Exodus 21:1 this is classified under “judgments” (Heb. mishpatim), and again in Deuteronomy 19:18-21 we see that it means for the judges to make equitable judgments, granting the value of an eye for a lost eye.

Exodus 21:23-25  “You (Moses and the subsequent Sanhedrin) shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,  burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

Leviticus 24:13- 22 ¹³ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, . . . ¹⁷ “If a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death.  ¹⁸ The one who takes the life of an animal shall make it good, life for life.  ¹⁹ If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be required of him:  ²⁰ fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be required of him.  ²¹ Thus the one who kills an animal shall make it good, but the one who kills a man shall be put to death.  ²² There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am Yahweh your God.”

Deuteronomy 19:15-21 ¹⁵ “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.  ¹⁶ If a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing,  ¹⁷ then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days.  ¹⁸ The judges ^ashall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely,  ¹⁹ then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.  ²⁰ The rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you.  ²¹ Thus you shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

Matthew 5:38-39  ³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’  ³⁹ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”

Yeshua is speaking specifically about personal retribution. This does not mean that an offended person should not take a matter to the judges. Paul makes a case that believers should take cases against other believers to the local bet dein (synagogue judges) rather than denigrate God's Name before the world (1 Corinthians 6:1-6).

God said that He gave His Holy Spirit to the original judges of the Sanhedrin (Numbers 11:17), in order for them to make righteous judgments for the people. These judgments included both settlements of disputes and criminal matters, and halachic judgments (how the people were to walk to fulfill Torah).

It seems interesting to note that God instructed the “sons of Israel” to bring pure olive oil to Moses for Aaron to fill the menorah (v.1-4). God instructs us to be “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), to walk in His light and be loving one to another.

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