THE GOLDEN LAMP AND ITS GOODLY LESSONS – Charles Spurgeon
THE GOLDEN LAMP AND ITS GOODLY LESSONS
Introduction: The Vision of Zechariah
“And the angel that talked with me came again and awakened me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep and said unto me, What do you see? And I said, I have looked and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it and it has seven lamps thereon and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top: and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl and the other upon the left side. And I answered again and said unto him, What are these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Don’t you know what these are? And I said, No, my lord. Then he said, These are the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” Zechariah 4:1-3; 12-14.
The Awakening of Zechariah
The Prophet Zechariah, as he tells us in the introduction to his vision, had to be awakened by the angel, as one is awakened out of his sleep. His mind was dull and heavy, perhaps weary and worn out. Do you not often feel a similar lethargy, from which you need to be awakened before your mind is equal to the study of the truths which God is revealing to your soul? May it not, then, be well, at the commencement of our meditation, to pray the Lord to awaken us, as a man is awakened out of his sleep? A divinely mysterious power can brood over us and quicken us out of lethargy. Have you ever felt it? “Or ever I was aware my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.” I had been slow before, but when the Spirit came, then was fulfilled that ancient proverb, “Draw me, and I will run after You.” The touch of the Holy Spirit makes our faculties strong, our powers of thought are greatly enlarged, and we get the key to mysteries that we had never been able to unlock before. Come, blessed Spirit, then, to each one of Your slumbering children at this good hour and awaken us, that we may see what You would set before us! Like young Samuel, whom You called in his sleep, we would, each one, heartily say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.”
The Darkness of the World
Beloved Friends, we live in a world which is naturally shrouded in darkness. The “Prince of this world,” “the Prince of the power of the air,” is a dark spirit loving ignorance and sin! This darkness hovers over all the world as it did over Egypt—a darkness that might be felt is upon the souls of men! We sometimes fear that this gloom will thicken into an awful midnight. When we mix with men in the ordinary avocations of life and hear their profane language, when we see the angry passions, the earthly propensities, and the worldly policies that prevail among people who are held in repute among their fellow creatures, if we are children of God, we cannot fail to be distressed that the world should still be so benighted and so destitute of that knowledge which purifies the heart. Nearly 1,900 years have passed since the blessed feet of our Divine Master touched this globe, and yet it still smokes beneath the hoof of the Wicked One! The sun has risen on this Egypt, and yet a miserable midnight covers the guilty people. We are apt, therefore, to become somewhat desponding, lest the light of the knowledge of God should gradually wane—till at length it shall utterly die out.
The Promise of God’s Unfailing Light
What, then, would become of the world? If the one golden candlestick were taken out of its place, if those who are the light of the world should all be removed, and if the sure Word of Prophecy, which is like a light that shines in a dark place, should become extinct—what, then, would be the horrible darkness? Now, I think the vision of Zechariah may remove all fear on that score. Rest assured that the lighthouse which God has lighted to guide men across the boisterous sea and preserve them from the peril of eternal shipwreck shall have its lamps trimmed throughout all time! Until the “Sun of Righteousness” shall rise, that lantern shall never go out, for the Lord will take care that the Light of God shall still shine, notwithstanding all that the powers of darkness may do or devise to extinguish it. This one thought I beseech you so to grasp that it may strengthen your faith and comfort your hearts—the light of God’s Grace has been kindled never to be quenched!
I. The Wonderful Lamp Which God Has Provided to Light the Sons of Men
First, turn aside and see this great sight! Look, I beseech you, at the wonderful lamp which God has provided to light the sons of men. “He said unto me, What do you see? And I said, I have looked and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it and it has seven lamps thereon and seven pipes to its seven lamps, which are upon the top.” Here is a candlestick that must challenge the notice of all who gaze at it, for it is of costly material and curious form—the work of wisdom fitted for the Holy Place of the tabernacle of the Most High! It resembles the candlestick whose pattern Moses received from God, and yet, in some respects, it differs, as we shall see. The object is scarcely more remarkable than its position.
The Lamp in the Open
Note that it stood in the open. Under the old covenant, the candlestick stood within curtains, where only priestly eyes might see it—it was hidden from the mass of the people. We are very apt to think that because the Jewish ritual was full of symbols, the worship of the people must have been so materialistic that there was little or nothing to raise the soul to spiritual adoration of the Invisible One. But it was not so—to the average Israelite, there was little more of symbol than to us. Although it is true that within the Holy Place there were many symbols, yet there were very few of God’s people who ever saw one of them, and most probably we, ourselves, know far more about the types than the Jews ever did.
The Lamp of the New Covenant
The worship was not visible to the camp, for it was within an enclosed space, and when the people were settled in Canaan, the actual temple area could only hold a few of the vast multitudes who inhabited the land. Within the Holy Place, the holiest of all, the “Holy of Holies,” no man ever entered except the High Priest, and he but once a year, so that those who worshipped God in the further parts of Palestine would, for the most part, not even see the Tabernacle or the Temple! And when they did go up to Jerusalem, they believed that the symbols were inside, behind the veil. Their worship had less of the visible about it than we are apt to imagine, for most of the material emblems were simply certified to them by testimony and not otherwise verified to their senses.
Then, as if to let us know that the Light of God did not yet fully shine among men and that the fullness of Grace and Truth had not yet been revealed, seeing Christ had not come, the seven-branched golden candlestick stood out of sight of the mass of the people, shut in within the curtains, enclosed within the Holy Place. But the lamp which Zechariah saw was in the open air! We are quite sure of this because he saw two olive trees growing, one on each side of it. It was, therefore, in an open space.
The Open Lamp: The Gospel for All
Today, Beloved, “the veil of the temple is torn in two.” What was mystery before has become plain to us now. Now we see Jesus, and, seeing Jesus, we behold a Light such as never greeted the eyes of Prophets and kings. Though they longed to behold it, they died without the sight. Let us take care that we keep this lamp in the open—do not let us suffer anyone to shut it up. Let the Gospel be preached plainly to the masses of the people. Let the adorable name of Jesus Christ be proclaimed in your street corners. In every place where you can have access to the sons of men, let it be known that there is salvation in none other than by Him and all that believe in Him shall obtain the forgiveness of sins. Some would cover up the golden lamp with ceremonial observances, and others would hide it away under philosophical quibbles and theological jargon! But be it yours to be a “city set on a hill that cannot be hid,” and what is said to you in secret, speak in the light—what you learn in closets—publish aloud upon the housetops!
The Golden Lamp and the Church
Lift up the beacon that it may flame afar all over the land and across the sea! Let the blaze of Gospel light flare out till dwellers in the utmost parts of the earth shall ask, “What is this light? From where does it come?” and you shall answer, “It is the candlestick of the Lord, once hidden among the peculiar people, but now set out before the nations in Christ Jesus! It was once concealed under type and emblem, but now made manifest by Him who speaks no more by parable, but tells us plainly of the Father.”
II. The Golden Lamp: A Symbol of Purity and Holiness
Note, next, that it was a lamp of pure gold. This is a fact of much significance. We are emphatically told that it was a “candlestick all of gold.” The major vessels of the tabernacle were all of gold, and this, I think, indicates that the lamp which God has kindled is of the most precious kind. The Church, which may be said to represent this candlestick, is as God has made it—of pure gold. Those who are united together in the fellowship of the Church of God on earth should be a holy people, precious in the sight of the Lord, as gold is precious among metals.
There should be no mixture of dross and tin, no careless reception of carnal men and mere formalists—but those who are elect of God, precious in His sight and honorable. God’s chosen should be choice men. The lamp which holds the golden light should itself be of gold! The Lord will not use an unholy church to be His light-bearer, and where there is an apostasy as to doctrine, an absence of spiritual life, or a defection as to holiness of conduct, He will not use such a church, lest His holy name be polluted among men! His candlestick is all of pure gold! His people are a “peculiar people,” “sanctified unto Himself,” “zealous of good works.”
III. The Golden Oil: The Truth of God
This wonderful candlestick, all of gold, you will observe, is lit with golden oil. Such is the expression used in our text. At the 12th verse, we read, “Which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves.” The quality of the oil is, doubtless, here commended, for I suppose it means the very best possible oil of a rich golden color, and in value, in splendor, in purity, and in clearness, excellent beyond all praise. This represents that precious doctrine, that golden Truth of God, that fullness of Gospel Grace which keeps alive the Light of the Church of God.
The Spirit as the Source of Light
Or may it not remind us of the Divine Spirit, who, coming into His Church and imparting to her the golden oil of His Graces and gifts, enables her to maintain her brilliance of testimony and to scatter her Light among the sons of men. The Holy Spirit is also the flame by which the oil is kindled and made to burn and give its light—and thus we have the Truth of God on a blaze with sacred fervor—sound doctrine united with intense zeal—and all because the Spirit of Truth is present and reveals Himself at the same time as the Spirit of Power!
The Truth as the Oil
We will say of this golden oil that it is the Truth, the living and incorruptible Word of God. This is the oil which the Church must burn, and with this she must trim her lamps. No strange doctrines, no vain traditions, no scientific conjectures, no poetical reveries, no thoughts of men, no excogitations of human brains, but the revealed Word of God, the Truth as Jesus Christ has given it to us! The Truth as the Holy Spirit has revealed it in the sacred Book! The Truth as He brings it home with Divine power to our understanding and conscience.
The Importance of Sound Doctrine
This it is that we must use, and we must take care that if we have it, we empty it out of ourselves into the golden pipes, that they may never be without sacred oil to keep the flame alive! Precious beyond all conception is the Truth of God! God will not be served with falsehood, but in Truth is His delight. Take care that you bring nothing here but the best of the best, nothing but the unadulterated olive oil of Revelation.
IV. The Unity of the Church and the Role of Every Member
I want you, Brothers and Sisters, to look, one and all of you, after the details of Church work. Especially in a Church of such magnitude as this, with such a multiplicity of agencies, attention to detail is most requisite. What can one overseer do? What could 20 pastors do? It is impossible if you leave this work entirely to us that it will ever be properly discharged.
The Role of Every Believer in Church Work
Oh no—let each member have its own office in the body, even as each pipe had its own oil to carry to the one light of the candlestick which it had to supply. Do not get out of your place, do not interfere with other people’s service—do your own work and see that it is well done and then look over all the Church and pray the Lord to supervise the whole, so that the golden bowl and the golden pipes may all be in full operation.
The Church’s Call to Unity and Action
We must mind that the Church in her machinery is ever kept abundantly supplied! We ought not to be slack in our labors nor scanty in our equipment. The everlasting Gospel should be promulgated with great energy and varied service. Little oil will mean little light—little Grace will mean little work for God and little Glory to His blessed name. But let us endeavor to make every arrangement more effective.
The Church’s Mission to Keep the Light Shining
The light might not be extinguished even in one pipe—to the completeness of the Divine design, every light must be in good order. Be it our aim to keep the seven pipes constantly flowing and feeding so as to convey a sevenfold measure of oil that the light may burn steadily on from hour to hour till the Lord comes!
V. The Mysterious Supply of the Lamp
The most remarkable disclosure in this vision is the mysterious supply by which these lamps are kept burning. There were no priests to trim these lamps, nor is mention made of anyone being appointed to keep them in order! No golden snuffers nor golden snuff dishes were used. Nor was any oil brought by any living man to replenish them. That is remarkable! Moreover, there is no mention of oil being given by the people. The lamp in the Temple was fed by the offerings of the people—they brought the best oil to keep the lamp perpetually burning before the altar.
There is nothing of the kind here—that is not the way by which this oil gets to the lamp in the vision before us. Neither by priest nor people is it supplied. But how, then? Why simply by a natural process without any machinery—for there are two olive branches—“Two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl and the other upon the left side. And these trees in this vision empty the golden oil out of themselves through the two golden pipes and so the marvelous lamp is kept supplied!”
God’s Sovereign Provision
It is a very amazing picture which is now before you, oil flowing directly from the living tree and at once creating light! Ordinarily, when the olive tree yields its berries, they must be taken to the mill and ground before oil can be produced. But there is no mention here of any mill, or press, or strainer, or jar, or bottle of oil. The food of this light does not come in that way at all, but the tree grows and, in a mysterious way, imparts its fatness to the bowl from the pipe and in this way the flame is fed.
Thus we are shown that the Light of God is not dependent upon human will or human skill! It is an apt illustration of the text we were reading just now, which lights up the whole chapter: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.”
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.” Not by your grinding out your oil by laboriously turning the mill of study, nor by your contributions of wealth, nor by your eloquence and logic, but by Divine agency shall living men be raised up, and through these living men shall come the wondrous golden oil of Grace by which the lamp of testimony shall be kept bright and the darkness of the world shall be overcome! At first sight, the provision may appear to be inadequate to the purpose. For God to make two olive trees grow by the side of the candlestick seems, at first, to be a deficient arrangement because the trees stand out so separate from the lamp that we cannot perceive any connection between them. Had I beheld that vision as the Prophet saw it, I feel I should have been as perplexed as he was. I would have said, “What are these?” I could not have made it out. Two olive trees growing by the side of a candelabrum! What connection can there be between them and it?
The Mystery of God’s Provision
But that is the very pith of the vision! You are to be shown the unique manner in which the Lord keeps His Church burning and shining without mechanism. He simply raises up chosen men, perhaps only two, sometimes more, who live and grow, and in their life and growth, they bring forth, by God’s Grace, as from their very souls, the sacred Truth of God—the holy oil with which the lamp of God is kept burning! I suppose that the two olive trees represent, in this case, Joshua, the High Priest, of whom we read that his filthy garments were taken away and he was clothed with change of raiment, and Zerubbabel, of whom we read in this chapter that his hands had laid the foundation and his hands should finish the house. These were the two men whom God strengthened and enabled to set up a standard because of the Truth of God.
Joshua and Zerubbabel: God’s Chosen Instruments
The Lord qualified them to build the Temple that He might be glorified. Those two men, by Divine Grace, carried out the Lord’s design, moving the people to sacred service. Joshua was made the ruler and teacher of the people, and Zerubbabel was promised that his hands should lay the top stone, as his hands had laid the foundation of the Temple. And this, too, when Judah’s lamp burned dim and her light was well-near gone out! These two, though they were nothing in themselves but godly men, who, like living trees, brought forth fruit unto God, should be the means, according to the appointment of God, of keeping up the sacred Testimony so long as they lived.
God’s Way of Working Through the Few
Such means certainly appear insignificant in comparison with the magnificent result to be achieved. But that is God’s way of working—He generally works by ones or twos, and when He uses two, He couples them well. In the missions of the Lord’s ordaining, we observe Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Peter and John, Paul and Barnabas, Calvin and Luther, Whitefield and Wesley. Foolish persons rail at a one-man ministry, but what can they say against a two-man ministry? To the end of time, there will be two witnesses—representative men will rise in pairs and do the work of the Lord so as to awaken the whole Church. Little as the world may think of them at the time, men do arise whose influence wonderfully displays the power of God, for they are made to stand like olive trees and, by some mysterious means, it is through them that the lamp of God is kept burning continuously!
The Anointed Ones: Empowered by the Spirit
Of these two men, I want you to notice two things. You wonder how it is that God should speak of them as keeping the lamp burning. He does so speak of them, for He says, “These are the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” First, remember that they are able to do this because they stand before the Lord of the whole earth! Those whom God chooses to do His work stand as His servants in His sight—they could do nothing of themselves or by themselves, but their testimony comes from God and their unction is of the Holy One, and they are clothed with Divine energy—otherwise, they would be weak as the rest of their brothers.
Anointed for Service
Then, be sure of this, that they have been anointed—they are said to be “anointed ones.” We have no power to pour forth oil until we have been, ourselves, anointed. It is not possible that we should feed the holy Light until God has worked in us the will of His own good Spirit. These men are said to have been filled with the Spirit of God according to the sixth verse—“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.” There is Joshua! You can see him. He is clad in filthy garments! Is this the Lord’s High Priest? Is this he that is to instruct the people? Is he the man who wears garments that are old and soiled and foul? Yes, that is the man! “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts,” and My Spirit shall rest upon this poor Joshua, this brand plucked out of the burning, and he shall teach My people!
The Work of Zerubbabel
There is the other man over yonder—Zerubbabel. He is a poor, timid creature. It is the day of small things with him. He has but little confidence. God has to chide him and say, “Who has despised the day of small things?” But he is the man before whom the mountain shall become a plain! He is the man that shall build the Temple of the Lord because the Spirit of God shall be upon Him—“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.”
The Weakness of Man and the Strength of God
You will always find that when God chooses men to do His work, He makes it palpable to everybody that they are nothing but men. Sometimes they have imperfections over which we mourn very much and over which they mourn far more than we do! But these manifest tokens of their infirmity show more distinctly the infinite skill of Him who uses such poor instruments. The frailty of the earthen vessels is made evident so that the excellency of the power which is of God and not of them may be the more conspicuous! So it is with God’s work, for He will have it known that it is not by charm of eloquence, nor by force of reasoning, but by His Spirit that He operates with resistless power!
God’s Power Made Perfect in Weakness
He takes men, poor humble men that seem no more able to trim the golden lamp than two olive trees would be, and He works by them to the praise of the Glory of His Grace! Yet these men must be full of faith. “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you shall become a plain.” I doubt not that Zerubbabel grasped that promise, relied upon it, and rejoiced in it and proved himself to be a man of faith. God will use us, whatever our faults are, if we have faith!
Faith: The Key to God’s Use of Us
I do not know what use He could make of any man who has no faith. Read the 11th chapter of Hebrews and notice on what strange men God set the seal of His approbation because they had faith. Samson may be quoted as an extreme case—speaking after the manner of men, we might have thought that God would have set him aside altogether, because there were such serious flaws in his character. Yet he was a great child-man who, with all his faults, believed in God and, perhaps, believed more in God than many who were far better than he in other respects.
The Faith of Samson: A Model for Us All
With a thousand enemies before him, only think of that one man, daring, through His confidence in God, to fling himself upon them all—with no weapon except a poor ass’s jawbone! Look! He leaps upon the crowd! “Heaps upon heaps. With the jawbone of an ass, I have slain a thousand men.” He never counted the odds. He just went at it, believing that God would help him, however tremendous the struggle might be. So when they put him, blind as he was, into that huge temple of the Philistine gods where everything was so strong and massive that it could bear up all the Philistine lords up there in the gallery, he begins feeling for the pillars.
Samson’s Triumph of Faith
This poor blind man, whose hair had been shorn and who had been made a prisoner by his bitter adversaries, feels for the huge columns, believing that God would enable him to snap them like reeds or rock them to and fro as bulrushes! Oh, what a desperate and glorious tug was that! What a transcendent act of faith when he bowed himself with all his might and pulled the structure down upon the heads of his oppressors! A glorious faith animated him! He was a poor specimen of propriety in many respects—he was made of strange stuff—but there was grandeur in his faith, and that saved him!
O my dear Brother, if you can believe God, God can use you! But if you have no faith, or if you have but a weak, trembling faith, your unbelief will hinder the Lord, and it will be said of you, “God could not do many mighty works by him, because of his unbelief.” Oh, if we could believe more implicitly and venture to act more unreservedly on the certainty of the covenanted promises, what exploits we might achieve! The limit of our usefulness is narrowly set by our lack of confidence in God. If we had more faith, the harvests we reap, which yield tenfold, might yield fifty-fold, or a hundred-fold! With more faith, the weakest of us might be as David, and David would be as the Angel of the Lord!
Grace Alone Can Empower Us
God grant us His Grace that we may so believe and rely upon His sure Word that we may become men fit for His use and profitable for His service. One thing more is prominent and unmistakable about these men—these olive-tree men that fed the lamp and kept it burning—they ascribed all their success to Grace, for it is said that when the top stone of the Temple should be brought out, there should be shouts of, “Grace, Grace, unto it.” If souls are saved, it is always by a ministry of Grace! Whatever else is left out in a soul-saving testimony, there must be a clear ring as to Grace! Election by the Grace of the Father, regeneration by the Grace of the Holy Spirit, remission of sins by the Grace of God through the atoning blood of Jesus—Grace beginning, continuing, and perfecting!
Grace: The Source of the Oil
I like the word, “Grace,” even when it is coupled with an adjective and spoken of as, “Sovereign Grace,” “Free Grace,” “Effectual Grace”—and all those whom God will bless must be men that love His Grace and feel His Grace and preach His Grace—for this is the very essence of the golden oil by which the lamp is trimmed. These men, or rather these trees, emptied out the golden oil, “out of themselves.” They did not make the golden oil—it came into them by the miraculous power of God—the process was beyond Nature! Men cannot create Grace any more than trees could prepare oil themselves. Olive trees cannot distil oil without a press, nor can men be the means of Grace to others unless God shall cause them to be so, and then they empty out themselves to a good and gracious purpose.
Emptying Ourselves for God’s Use
Well, dear Brothers and Sisters, if you want to know how to be useful, one of the things that is absolutely necessary is that you empty yourselves out! Do you expect to give anything to another without losing it yourself? You will be mistaken! Take it as a general rule that nothing can come out of you that is not in you, and as the next general rule, it takes something out of you to give something to other people. Paul said he did not merely wish to impart the Gospel to the people, but himself, also. Though he did not preach himself, yet he was willing to spend and be spent so long as he could bring souls to Christ.
The Power of Giving of Ourselves
I believe the difference between the result of the labor of one man and another is often this—one gives more out from himself than another. I am acquainted with some very learned Brothers of mine who do not feed many people. They are huge barrels of learning, like the Heidelberg wine cask, and they are full to the brim with the best wine in the world, but never much comes out! On the other hand, I have never, myself, been anything but a very small cask, but I let everything run out that is put into me. If you have not ten talents to boast of, turn the one talent you have over and over and over again, and you will make far more of it than if you let many talents lie still and rust.
Take care that you are actively earnest in the cause of the Master, and a blessing will surely come out of it. Oh, how it shows the wisdom of God and the power of God when He makes simple means produce surprising results and, by feeble instruments, accomplishes His infinite forethoughts! God might have been glorified by doing the work Himself, as when of old He stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, speaking, and it was done. But He is far more glorified by using poor, unworthy creatures for the accomplishment of His Divine purposes!
God’s Power Through Imperfect Instruments
When Quintin Matsys made the celebrated well-cover at Antwerp, it would have been highly creditable to him even if he had used the best of implements to make it with. When we are told, however, that his fellow workmen robbed him of his tools and that he did it with one common hammer or some such instrument, our estimation of the artist’s skill is greatly enhanced. It is no wonder that the Spirit of God can, Himself, convert souls—the wonder is that He converts men by us! That we, who are so imperfect and so feeble, should become channels of blessing is a great marvel!
The Role of Grace in the Church
Those two olive trees might, it was feared, grow in the way of the light, but God made them to be its maintainers! The branches of our infirmity might hide the light from the people’s eyes if Grace did not intervene and make every one of them yield its olives and pour out its measure of oil for the supply of the golden candelabrum! Therefore, Brothers and Sisters, if you have the Light of God, shed it! If you have Grace, endeavor to impart it! The Lord has blessed you—ask Him to bless you more by His Holy Spirit. Let those olive trees, yielding abundance of oil, be your model, that your lively vigor may prove of lasting value to the Church. So be the Lord with you from now on and forever. Amen and amen!