The Tabernacle Part 9 Table Of Shewbread Series

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.