The Shewbread
(Exodus
25:23-30)
The Showbread Table was placed on the
right-hand side of the Holy Place, the North side, a little way from
the gold-covered Boards. It was not very big: approximately 1 metre
long, half a metre wide, three-quarters of a metre high. It was made
from acacia wood overlaid with gold, similar to the Boards, speaking
of the two-fold nature of Jesus Christ: He was born of Mary as a genuine
human being, yet conceived by the Holy Spirit and called the Son of
God (Luke 1:35), truly man overlaid with God.
The Showbread Table had a crown made of gold, unlike the Burnt Offering
Altar. Back there in the Outer Court, all was about washing, judgement
and death at the bronze-coated Laver and Burnt Offering Altar. Here
in the Holy Place, all is about life, food, light and fragrant incense.
Therefore "we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels,
because of the suffering of death" in the Outer Court, but at the
Showbread Table (and at the Golden Incense Altar) in the Holy Place
we see Jesus "crowned with glory and honour" (Hebrews 2:9).
On the Showbread Table were placed twelve loaves of unleavened bread,
one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The loaves were replaced
every week freshly on the Sabbath (Leviticus 24:5-9): fresh food in
the house of God for the priests, Aaron and his sons. Peter tells us
that those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:8), who have
tasted that the Lord is gracious (I Peter 2:3) are not only a spiritual
house, but also a holy priesthood, a royal priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (I Peter 2:5,9). As
priests, we are ministering to the Lord through faith in Jesus' blood
and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Our food, in addition to some
of the offerings, is the fresh bread on the golden Showbread Table:
Jesus as the Bread of God who came down from heaven to give LIFE to
the world (John 6:33), crowned with glory and honour.
SHEWBREAD
• Twelve cakes of fine flour. Leviticus 24:5
• Called hallowed bread. 1 Samuel 21:4
• Materials for, provided by the people. Leviticus 24:8; Neh. 10:32-33
• Prepared by Levites. 1 Chron. 9:32; 1 Chron. 23:29
• Placed in two rows on the table by the priests. Exodus 25:30;
Exodus 40:23; Leviticus 24:6
• TABLE OF.
• Dimensions of. Exodus 25:23
• Covered with gold. Exodus 25:24
• Had an ornamental border. Exodus 25:25
• Had staves of shittim wood covered with gold. Exodus 25:28
• Had rings of gold in the corners for the staves. Exodus 25:26-27
• Had dishes, spoons, covers, and bowls of gold. Exodus 25:29
• Placed in the north side of the tabernacle. Exodus 40:22; Hebrews
9:2
• Directions for removing. Numbers 4:7
• Pure frankincense placed on. Leviticus 24:7
• Was changed every Sabbath day. Leviticus 24:8
• After removal from the table given to the priests. Leviticus
24:9
• Not lawful for any but the priests to eat, except in extreme
cases. 1 Samuel 21:4-6; Matthew 12:4
• ILLUSTRATIVE OF.
• Christ as the bread of life. John 6:48
• The Church. 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Cor. 10:17
