The Golden Candlestick was in the Holy Place. It was made of pure gold. It had one main shaft and six branches. You can read about it in Exodus 25:31-40.

   The Candlestick is representative of Christ. The only light in the Holy Place came from the Candlestick. Christ is the light of the church. If a church does not follow Jesus’ teachings, then there is no light in that congregation. The priest had to take care to keep the candlestick lit and burning. It was up to him not to allow the light to go out.

   Christians must study the Bible and be diligent to properly teach and preach the Word. If they do not, the light will leave their congregation.

    Why six branches? There may be several pictures in this but we will just look at one possibility. In Isaiah 11:1-2 we read, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out if his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” Notice that there are six things that this Branch will have. Perhaps the six branches represent these six things that Christ demonstrated.

    The Candlestick had bowls in the shape of almonds. The Hebrew word for almond can mean “to hasten” and “wakeful.” Christ hastened to preach the good news to man, and we are to hasten to listen to Him. The Jews welcomed the almond tree blossoms as an indication that new life of another spring had come. Christ brought a New Covenant that truly brought life to every man if he obeys it. Christ is always awake and ready to help us. He is always watching us, and we are always to be ready to hear and accept His Word (ready to read and study our Bible).

    I am glad that Jesus is our Lampstand. I know you are too. Keep reading your Bible and getting the light of God. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

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Hardheaded

    Most people do not like to be told they are hardheaded. In fact, most people would be insulted if you told them they were hardheaded. In most instances, if you told someone he is hardheaded, you would be telling him that he is not reasonable. You are saying that he does not listen to all the evidence, and then make a proper decision on the evidence. You are saying that he will not change his mind, no matter what is said to him.

    God said that the nation of Israel was hardheaded. In Ezekiel 3:7, God says, “…for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.” The word “impudent” is the translation of the Hebrew word for hardheaded. God condemned Israel for this characteristic. The Israelites refused to listen to God and His prophets.

    Then God told Ezekiel in verse eight, “Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.” God was going to make Ezekiel hardheaded. God was not saying that He was going to make Ezekiel a bad person. God was saying He would strengthen Ezekiel so that he could withstand the arguments of the Israelites. God helped him withstand the mocking of the people of Israel. Always standing up for what is right is having the right kind of hardheadedness.

   God was not only going to make Ezekiel as hardheaded as Israel; He was going to make him harder. In verse nine, God said He would make Ezekiel as hard as an “adamant.” This is the word for “diamond.” Diamonds are used to cut other rocks. God was giving the picture of Ezekiel being a diamond that is able to cut the flint of the Israelites. Flint is a type of rock. So, Ezekiel was not only able to withstand the Israelites, he was able to cut through their hardness. Israel would not win in this battle of wills.

    Make sure you are the right type of hardheaded person. Study your Bible. Learn all you can from it. Then teach it to others and do not let them take your faith. Do not let them discourage you from teaching and doing what is right. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.