THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD
(Exodus 25:23-30; 37:10-16; Leviticus 24:5-9)
The table of shewbread stood on the north side of the holy place
A table always speaks of fellowship
One day, on the plains of Mamre, Abraham invited three strangers into his home and gave them a meal at his
table. Because of this fellowship, Abraham became the recipient of God's revelation concerning the
destruction of the cities of the plain (Genesis 18)
About this table in the tabernacle the sons of Aaron ate the shewbread. This spoke of fellowship, the sixth
step of the journey toward God, in the holy of holies
Exodus 25:23-30
Matthew 12:3, 4
John 6:33-35
1. The table
Like the other articles inside the tabernacle, the table was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold
This again spoke of Christ's humanity and deity
It was three feet long, one and one-half feet wide, and two and one-fourth feet
high
Its height was the same as that of the blood-sprinkled mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant. Fellowship is
based on the Blood sacrifice!
This is seen in the prayer of the publican, whose prayer might be Paraphrased, “Be merciful toward me as thou art when thou lookest upon the atoning blood”
The table had a double crown, indicating the security of the bread from being dislodged. (We are much more
secure in Christ than most Pentecostal people think.) For years some have preached if you stubbed your toe
and let out a curse word you would go to hell if you died right then and there
2. The bread
The name shew-bread meant "Presence bread" or "Bread of faces"
It was ever in the presence of Jehovah; His eye was continually upon it as He looked out from the glory cloud
"He, when He had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1:3)
The Father looks upon Him always
Christ was the bread from heaven in His earthly ministry (John 6:33-38)
This bread brought life to men. But the believer-priest feeds upon the Man in the glory (Hebrews 12:2, 3)
3. The material
The bread was made of fine flour
The "corn of wheat" had to fall into the ground and die (John 12:24)
It was tramped out, ground between the mill stones, then baked in the oven
All this pictured Christ
There was no leaven used in the making of this bread. Leaven in Scripture. Without exception, is a type of
evil. Leaven is meal or some other material into which the microscopic organism, yeast, is put. It works upon
organic matter producing decomposition. There was no sin in Him therefore His body defied the laws of
decay in the tomb
“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” (Psalms 16:10)
4. The number of loaves
There were twelve loaves representing the twelve tribes
Little Benjamin was represented on this table in the same way as was a kingly Judah
Every believer is baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13)
All have the same rights before Him, although their functions in the body of Christ may be entirely different
Fellowship of Christians would be deepened if they practiced the injunction given them that, "The eye cannot
say to the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you."
(I Corinthians
12:21)
Yes, Even Bubba needs help sometimes. The following illustration was downloaded from the internet and
illustrates the point nicely
This man was in an accident (work accident, not car accident), so he filled out an insurance claim. The insurance company contacted him and asked for more information. This was his response
I am writing in response to your request for additional information for block number 3 of the accident reporting form. I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust the following detail will be sufficient. I am an amateur radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new80 foot tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about300 pounds of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now un-needed tools and material down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using a pulley, which was fortunately attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower. Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and material into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow descent of the300 pounds of tools. You will note in block number 11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh only 155 pounds. Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40 foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley.
Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold onto the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40 foot level, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80 feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind. I let go of the rope.
Yes Even Bubba needs help from time to time
5. The renewal
This bread was renewed every Sabbath. It was always fresh and never allowed to become stale
God has two Words, the Living and the Written, upon which believers are to feed. Both have daily freshness.
They never become stale. Both are as precious to the twentieth century believer as to the first century
believer. The "findings" of so called science have never been able to discredit either, for both are divine.
A TV program this week made shocking new discovery - Old people who "EXPERIENCE" God live longer and are happier, DUH? Brilliant, eh!
6. Prohibitions Leviticus 22:10
The stranger and the hired servant could not eat of this bread. The stranger typifies the unsaved church
member. They cannot feed upon spiritual things (I Corinthians 2:14)
Let me make a comment here…When the Bible says that the natural man cannot understand the things of
God it does not mean that one cannot but rather will not. There is a difference here. If man hears the Word of
God and then cannot make a decision to follow Christ no one would ever be saved.
The simple point here is that the natural man cannot feed upon
spiritual things because the natural man has not made the decision
to follow Christ and therefore is still in darkness.
This is an important fact because we live in a generation that says I can not because I was born this way….Every person can understand the simple Gospel when presented. The Holy Spirit woes and convicts the hearts of men. That is why it is important not to resist the Holy Spirit as he draws you to Christ.
The hired servant stands for the person who attempts to work for their salvation. They, too, cannot feed upon
spiritual truths. Leviticus 22:4
The seed of Aaron with a running issue could not eat
. These men were Priests but had become defiled.
Defilement of sin breaks fellowship with God.
Leviticus 21:16-22,
Certain physical handicaps prevented them from offering but not from eating This pictures those weak in the
faith but not defiled by sin.
WARNING
The Living Word and the written word are to be the center of fellowship for the priests of this dispensation. Christ said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). This is the basis of true fellowship. Beware of the fellowship that resorts to worldly means and amusements! It is from below and not from above.
