The Menorah and the Holy Spirit

The Bible says in Isaiah 11: 1-2 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of 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. 
This Scripture passage is referring to Jesus our Messiah. However, it is also a description of the Hebrew menorah or candlestick of the tabernacle.  This menorah is described in detail in  Exodus 25: 31- 40. As you read the description you will see that Isaiah's reference to the spirit of the LORD is a reference to the middle stick of the menorah or the candlestick. The oil from the menorah was drawn up from the middle and so the root is the spirit of the LORD. Now the scripture in Isaiah points out the the spirits of wisdom and understanding are linked together as are the spirits of counsel and might and also the spirits of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. The Menorah has seven branches and the two outside branches are connected as well as the two middle branches and the two interior branches as you can see from this picture. So when the oil is drawn up to light one side of the candlestick it lights the other side of the duo as well.
Now in the New Testament these spirits are often referred to as the gifts of the Spirit as described by Paul in Romans 12. Paul starts on the left side of the menorah and describes the oil flow as the following: prophesy, ministry (or service) , teaching, and then on the right side exhortation, administration (leadership) and mercy. If you study the gifts of the Spirit you learn that prophecy and mercy pull from the same expression of the Holy Spirit the same oil flow if you will. The gifts of service and administration also pull from the same oil flow and also teaching and exhortation flow from the well. The middle candlestick is referred to as the Spirit of the LORD which Paul describes as giving which is a common Hebrew description of acts of righteousness- in Hebrew a " tsedeka "
We are effectively equating the Spirit of the LORD to the measure of righteousness within us. Now if you know me, you know that I am all about grace. So at this juncture let me say that the Lord fills us with grace without measure! I love how in the Old Testament there are layers and layers of prophetic pictures that lead us into a deeper understanding of our relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In my next blog I will address the connection of the menorah, the gifts of the Spirit and the covenant pictured in the rainbow. You won't want to miss the amazing connection to color and God's prism in the sky! This is Pastor Susan Living the Everyday Prophetic life and allowing the light of the Holy Spirit to shine as a candlestick!