3B The light in a local church cannot be bright unless we fulfill our priestly duty to burn the incense and light the lamps (Exo. 25:37; 27:20-21; 30:7-8; Acts 6:4; 1 Cor. 14:24-25).
4C Numbers 7 ends with God speaking in the Tent of Meeting, and chapter 8 begins with God's continued speaking concerning the lighting of the lamps for light (7:89—8:3):
51 This sequence indicates that whenever God's word comes, His people receive light; thus, during the age of Eli the priest, when the word of Jehovah was rare, the lamps in the Holy Place were about to go out (1 Sam. 3:1-3; cf. Psa. 119:105, 130).
62 Only when there is God's speaking in the church can light shine brightly among God's people; the ministering priests were able to minister and move because of the light of the lampstand (cf. Mal. 2:7).
73 Moreover, the seven lamps giving light in the same direction signifies that even though each person has a distinct ministry in the Body, their direction is the same and their ministries are still one ministry (Col. 4:17; 2 Tim. 4:5; Acts 20:24).
84 For example, Paul had his ministry, Peter had his ministry, and John had his ministry; nevertheless, their direction was toward Christ; they testified for Christ together; their light shone out from Christ and shone toward Christ; hence, their ministries were one.
17Further Reading: CWWL, 1977, vol. 3, "The Ultimate Significance of the Golden Lampstand," ch. 4; CWWL, 1960, vol. 1, "Synopsis of Numbers," chs. 3, 15