Dear church,

This chapter reminds us of several truths, and any one of these could be things you might spend time in prayer about.

The light in the tabernacle was to remain burning. It lightened the Holy Place and made worship possible. The light was burning even at night. Access to God always is available. 

Jesus, of course, is the light of the world. He gives access to God (John 8:12). And Christians are to be lights in this dark world, constantly pointing to Jesus – even in the darkest parts of the night (Matthew 5:14-16).

The bread in the tabernacle symbolized God’s provision for his people. Think here about manna in the wilderness and, of course, about Jesus Christ himself (John 6). He provides life for us.

And then there is the Name. In the ancient world, names carried a lot of significance. To curse the name of God – Yahweh – was a serious offense, representing the rejection of God himself. The punishment in ancient Israel’s theocracy was death by the people. Everyone was involved in the rejection of the blasphemer. 

Today, we don’t put someone who commits blasphemy to death. We leave those things to God. But we do urge people to turn to Jesus Christ in faith. 

And we understand the name of Jesus Christ is something we uphold and cherish. Sometimes, we say there is power in the name of Jesus. We pray in Jesus’ name, as he stands next to the Father in heaven, interceding for us by his own blood. 

And we understand we have eternal life by the name of Jesus. “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Chris