THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD

The table of shewbread supplied the priests with food. They needed guidance, which was provided by the light from the candlestick. They also needed an intercessor, and this was supplied at the golden altar that stood before the veil. Everything that the priest needed was to be found in the holy place. He could feel absolute security if he stayed in the tabernacle.

How much this speaks of our need to stay in the church and walk in God. People get in trouble and need when they step out of the church and begin to walk in the natural light of the world and eat the food offered them by the world. Stay in the church and God will supply all your needs “according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians. 4:19).

The Table

Exodus 25:23 — The table of shewbread was made of the same materials as the Ark, wood overlaid with gold. For Jesus to be a priest it was necessary for Him to become a man. But His priesthood is not after any human order, for the scriptures declare: “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec” (Hebrews 5:6). The wood that was in the table speaks of Jesus’ humanity, while the gold speaks of His deity. While Jesus was a man and could stand as the representative of the redeemed, He also stands as God the Savior of all men. The gold is of a different substance, it was a different material from the wood, but it added preciousness, firmness, eternal stability, and glory to the wood.

The Bread

Leviticus 24:5–9 — The bread was to be made of “fine flour.” It is evident that such flour could not be obtained through a mere simple process; it did not grow on the stalk like this. A simple grinding at the mill would not produce the “fine flour.”

The fine flour is indeed a beautiful and expressive type of that pure and perfect Man who came to do His Father’s will. It represents Him in the flesh because the fine flour is a product of the earth, grown, nurtured, and ripened on the earth. We read in the gospel how the Lord referred to Himself as the corn of wheat, but here we find it is “fine flour” designating the lowly, unobtrusive character of the Lord. At the very outset of His life He had no need of discipline or chastisement to break down harshness; in Him there was none.

We learn how to appreciate the value of gentleness and grace that is seen in the lives of the saints of God who live about us, for we are aware of the fact that this is the result of long and painful discipline and of much exercise of the soul before God. The depths of grace are not easily obtained — they may only be known after many hours and years of patient experience in God. May the younger generation honor and respect those who walk before us in humility. They may not walk as fast as you, but they have walked farther!

This fine flour was baked into twelve loaves and presented on the table. He that came into this world as the fine flour had to pass through trials, sorrows, and temptations during His walk on earth. Satan’s temptations, scorn and rejection from men, deep sorrow on account of the sin and hardness of men’s hearts around Him characterized the path of Jesus on this earth. The writer of Hebrews declares, “Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” (5:8).

Just as the wheat will not become “fine flour” through a mere passing hurriedly through the mill, neither will you or I become full in the things of God by the mere passing through the waters of baptism and being filled with the Holy Ghost.

It will take some years of patient endurance and trials of faith to reach that place where God wants us. In this age of instant everything, we cannot take the quick route when it comes to obtaining those things needed in God. The same method used fifty years ago must also be applied in 2020!

The bread speaks of the result of death and suffering. Bread is wheat ground to powder and baked in a heated oven. It speaks of the crushing of Gethsemane and the burning heat of Calvary. This was the price our Lord paid for us so that we might be privileged to partake of this Bread from heaven. When we would grow impatient or discouraged with life, keep this in mind. Picture our blessed Lord agonizing in the garden because of the cup He was about to drink for our sins, the humility He suffered in the judgment hall, the excruciating pain He must have felt hanging on that Roman tree for my sins. Through it all — the blood, the sweat, the tears, and the agonizing pain — He was bringing about our salvation.

Twelve Cakes

The instructions were to make the fine flour into twelve cakes and place them upon the table for the priests to eat. This was according to the number of tribes of Israel in order that each tribe might equally be represented before God — of the same size, the same material, and the same weight. And so, it is now in considering the church and God’s work through the church. Some may, like Judah of old, have a more honored and prominent position in the camp. On the march others may be like Dan, comparatively little esteemed as being the hindmost of all the camps on the march. Not only may we find the positions assigned to the saints of God on earth greatly differ (so that some may have a more prominent position than others), but even as to the obedience and faithfulness of the saints, one may be far more diligent and faithful in the work of God than another. But if we turn our eyes away from the scene we have before us here on earth and look into the sanctuary of heaven, if we look at the memorial of acceptance presented before God, we would no doubt find that there all the saints are represented in blessing, and glory and perfection. All who are saints and doing what they can do for the kingdom are presented alike in the eyes of God. To Him there is no big “I” and little “you.” All are represented alike on the table before us. Dan, as much a Judah, had a cake of fine flour in God’s presence.

The weakest as well as the strongest are represented there, the hindmost as well as the one who led the procession.

The Frankincense

After the bread was baked, the command was put “pure frankincense upon each row.” The Hebrew word translated “frankincense” is taken from a root word signifying “to be white.” Frankincense was a gum taken from a tree. This gum was evidently noted for its whiteness. We also find the word “pure” attached to it. The frankincense was a growth of the earth as well as the fine flour; for we read in the Songs of Solomon 4:14 of “trees of frankincense.”

All that you may find on this table for the priests to eat were the loaves of bread sprinkled with frankincense — this was all that was necessary for them in the service of the Lord. You would not find any fancy salads or sauces, no fancy dishes prepared by some famous chef, no fancy desserts to appeal to the palate — JUST BREAD!

Are we not witnesses of men drifting far from the principles of the doctrine of the apostles handed down to us? Do we not find men straying far from the simple, yet absolute formula given by the Lord to the apostles and by the apostles to us? The spiritual things have been relegated to second place in favor of something more entertaining in our day. Instead of sincere worship in the service of the Lord we are treated sometimes with a lot of preliminaries and announcements, with singing that has no meaning to it, music that sounds like it came from the jungles somewhere and testimonies that do not ring with joy and the Holy Ghost. Entertainment has taken the place of worship in some places. Singing and music has replaced the Word of God.

If there is any preaching it is a fifteen-minute message worded to hurt no one’s feelings and not to expose sin in the life of any present lest they become offended.

It is a sad thing when prayer meeting and Bible study has been replaced by a social hour. It is a sad commentary on so-called saints when the Bible study is attended by a mere handful, while if an invitation is given to attend a supper or other social the place may be packed out. Then we wonder why there is a spiritual weakness in our churches today!

There remains but one answer to our needs — return to our knees and return to the Bible. It may taste a little bitter in our mouth, like the frankincense, but it will bless our souls in the end.

Keep It Fresh

Every Sabbath the bread was to he placed before the Lord. Do not let it grow stale and old, keep it renewed every Sabbath day. What a lesson this holds for us from the One who said, “Behold I make all things new.” There is a danger of one growing careless in our spiritual walk with God. We may become negligent in the things that will tend to keep us spiritually renewed. It is easier, true enough, to let things go such as prayer, Bible study, witnessing, etc., but this will bring about a stale spirit in our life. May we return again and again to renew our covenant and blessing with God. Like Jacob, let us return to Bethel!

Fellowship Table

This was the food for the priests who ministered in the holy place before the Lord. It was about this table that the priests gathered and had fellowship before the Lord with one another. The bread, as previously mentioned, referred to the One who said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger.” He again repeats the statement, “I am the bread of life. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever” (John 6:35,48,51).

The table thus points to Jesus our sustainer, and the bread on the table is symbolic of His body. The table was the center of fellowship for the priests around which they gathered. So, we are as New Testament priests, ministering unto the Lord. We have each been crucified on the altar of sacrifice, we have each washed in the water of cleansing; we are each walking in the light of Jesus; so now we each seek fellowship around the table with others who have likewise entered the church through the plan of God. Everyone who has been baptized in the name of Jesus and filled with the Holy Ghost seeks the fellowship of others who have also found this truth.

It is contrary to the scriptures, both the Old and New Testament, for there to be divisions among the people of God. The Holy Ghost is to bring people together into one common bond. It matters not whether you live in Texas or Ohio, if you have been filled with the Holy Ghost and baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, there is supposed to be a common bond between you and others who likewise have obeyed this great truth. It is men who have split the church into factions. It is men who have formed organizations and divided the body of Christ. It was not so in the beginning.

We are fully aware of the need of being organized to work more efficiently for God. But organization should not separate people from worshipping together and having fellowship together! Jesus had order and organization in his work while here on earth, but he certainly did not encourage men to divide and not fellowship those who held the same truths.

Paul admonished the church at Corinth that “ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you” (1Corinthians 1:10). John wrote, “if we walk in the light . . .we have fellowship one with another” (I John 1:7). Again, Paul taught that though the body had many members, yet there was “but one body” (1Corinthians 12:12–20).

There needs to be a revival of fellowship among the saints of God. We need to gather around the same table and have fellowship with one another and worship the Lord together. This will only come about when men get their eyes off selfish glory and begin to see that the work of God is of far greater importance than our ideas and opinions that hinder the work of God. Our ideas will die; but the work of God will endure whether we are part of it or not.

Remember, there were twelve loaves of bread on that table representing every tribe of Israel. We know that all together we could find fourteen tribes mentioned in the Old Testament. Joseph and Levi were not included in the number found in the book of Numbers, leaving the twelve others. In the book of Revelation when the tribes are sealed, 12,000 from each, we find Ephraim and Dan are missing because of sin. The church of God will be completely represented in heaven on that glorious day of the rapture whether you or I will be found in it. Whether we are will be determined by how we live in His sight.

John 6:51 — While the loaves of bread sprinkled with frankincense are a thing of the Old Testament and many years ago, we as New Testament priests may still gather around the table of fellowship and partake of the bread of life.

You will notice that the priests ate of the bread “standing up.” There were no chairs found in the tabernacle for the priests to sit, for the house of God is not a place of ease and entertainment, it is a place of work and service. There is work to be done, and we must eat our bread standing on our feet ready at any time to move at the bidding of the Lord. Like Israel on that Passover night of long ago standing with staff in hand, their loins girt about, and with their shoes on their feet, as they ate the Passover lamb. They were ready to depart just as soon as the signal was given.

As long as we are in this life, we shall gather around the table of fellowship with others who have also entered His presence and there partake of Jesus and His divine nature. We stand ready at any moment to hasten to do His bidding. We also stand ready for that welcome call from on high to call the church to His side where we shall be privileged to look upon Him with our own eyes. No longer will we look at Him through type and shadow, and through eyes of faith and spirit; then we shall see Him as He is “and be like Him.” O Glorious Day!