Do you wonder why you see a Menorah every time you look at my page, ‘near ’bouts’? Did you know there are actually multiple “Menorah” lamps in the book of Revelation? Most people are not aware of it.
There are seven in chapters 2 and 3, and ONE in Chapter 4 and 5.
The Menorah of each congregation in Chapters 2 and 3 is so critical to the congregations, that Yeshua warns that He will take the Menorah away from them if they do not fix their error.
The Menorah in Chapter 4 is seen as the ‘seven-fold Spirit of God’, so the seven ‘lamps’ are the seven branches of the Menorah of God, which represent His Ru’akh: Power, Breath, Spirit.
As I was working on our “The Word of יהוה ” website, I got to Psalm 118, and I thought of Yeshua praying so hard in the Garden that drops of blood came out of His forehead. He was in “Gat Shemen”, or “Gethsemene”, the Garden of Oil. On the Mount of Olives, there are many olive trees, and they made olive oil from the olives, to light lights, and other various purposes. Yeshua is, of course, “Mashi’akh”, or “The Anointed One,” and the oil of His anointing is the Ru’akh HaKodesh, or the ‘Holy Spirit’, the very Breath and Life of God Himself.
The night He prayed so desperately in the garden was Passover. You can see in the gospels that after the Passover meal, they headed toward the garden, singing “The Hallel”, ‘praises’ in your gentile bibles. The Hallel is a series of Psalms, 113-118, which I just added to our site today. 118 was quoted as Yeshua entered the city from the base of the Mount of Olives, from the tiny village Beit Anya. It was then sung by Yeshua and His Torah Students as they approached the garden that night. You can see Yeshua’s struggle in its words, as He begged His Father to take the cup of His suffering away from Him:
Tehillah/Psalm 118
1“O give thanks unto יהוה , for He is good, for His compassion endures forever.”
2So let Yisra’el now say, for His compassion endures forever,
3So let the house of Aharon now say, for His compassion endures forever.
4So let them now that fear יהוה say, for His compassion endures forever.
5Out of my straits I called upon יהוה ; He answered me with great enlargement.
6 יהוה is for me; I will not fear; what can man do unto me?
7 יהוה is for me as my helper; and I shall gaze upon them that hate me.
8It is better to take refuge in יהוה than to trust in man.
9It is better to take refuge in יהוה than to trust in princes.
10All nations encompass me; in the Name of יהוה I will cut them off.
11They encompass me, yes, they encompass me; indeed, in the Name of יהוה I will cut them off.
12They encompass me like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns; indeed, in the Name of יהוה I will cut them off.
13You did thrust sore at me that I might fall; but יהוה helped me.
14 יהוה is my strength and song; and He will become Yeshua[h] for me.
15The voice of rejoicing and Salvation is in the tents of the Tzadikim; the right hand of יהוה does valiantly.
16The right hand of יהוה is exalted; the right hand of יהוה does valiantly.
17I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of יהוה .
18 יהוה has chastened me sore; but He has not given me over unto Mavet.
19Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto יהוה .
20This is the gate of יהוה ; the Tzadikim shall enter into it.
21I will give thanks unto You, for You have answered me, and have become Yeshua[h] for me.
22The stone which the builders rejected is become the chief corner-stone.
23This is the one which is from יהוה ; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24This is the day which יהוה has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25We beseech You, O יהוה , Hoshi’ah Nah! We beseech You, O יהוה , make us now to prosper!
26Barukh Haba B’Shem יהוה ; we bless you out of Beit יהוה .
27 יהוה is God, and has given us light; order the Khag with boughs, even unto the horns of the Mizbe’akh.
28You are my God, and I will give thanks unto You; You are my God, I will exalt You.
29O give thanks unto יהוה , for He is good, for His compassion endures forever.
My takeaway in pondering all of this on this occasion is that the Menorah is the quintessential symbol of His Congregation. Yeshua was taken back to that mountain and executed on an olive tree the next day, shedding His blood, being forsaken to She’ol by His Father, for our sakes, and being laid in a tomb. The Menorah is not only symbolic of His Breath, and its various powers that He gives to us [Isaiah 11:1-2, Rom 12, 1 Cor 12, Eph 4], but it is also symbolic of His Suffering as OUR ANOINTED ONE.
Is it any wonder that it was driven from the public memory of the faithful for so long?
The prayers in the psalms are all about walking the Life of Messiah. If we belong to Him, we will suffer in the same way as He, and as all our brothers do. We are not alone. He has given us words to pray, inspired for King David by His Breath, written down for our sakes, and they embody His Ru’akh/Spirit. And they sing the praises of His Torah, the very foundation of all scripture, which most people castigate, scorn, and cast aside. A life of prayer in the Psalms is so powerful. The Menorah symbolizes these words, and our Messiah, better than any other symbol.
D'var יהוה , The Word of יהוה 