As God continued to describe to Moses the furniture for the Tabernacle beyond the Ark, the covering over the Ark, and the cherubim, we have the table for the Bread of the Presence.
“And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me continually” (Exodus 25:30).
The Book of Leviticus describes how the bread is to be presented to God.
You shall take choice flour and bake twelve loaves of it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf.
You shall place them in two rows, six in a row, on the table of pure gold before the Lord.
You shall put pure frankincense with each row, to be a token offering for the bread, as an offering by fire to the Lord.
Every Sabbath day Aaron shall set them in order before the Lord regularly as a commitment of the Israelites, as a covenant forever (Leviticus 24.5-8).
Obviously, God is not hungry and doesn’t need bread from humans. However, humans need to give God an offering that pictures fellowship with God and His human creation.
Jesus amplified the picture of the Bread of the Presence with His presence and His statement that He is the Bread of Life.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).
As we look over the furniture of the Tabernacle, we have the centerpiece, which is the Ark of the Covenant, where God meets with people between the cherubim.
Then we have the Bread of the Presence, which pictures God’s desire to have fellowship with human beings.
The furniture pictures God’s guidance, his presence, and fellowship between God and humans.
The Lampstand
Central to the teaching of the Tabernacle is the One who is the Light of the World. That is, where God dwells, there is light.
This is pictured by the lampstand in the Tabernacle.
“You shall make a lampstand of pure gold” (Exodus 25.31).
A lampstand, or menorah, appears 41 times in the Old Testament, 20 of which are in Exodus.
In today’s YouTube video, Rudy Ross provides an excellent description of the lampstands and how they were always shining on the Ark.
The lampstand pictures our role to shine our light for God, bringing the truth of his love and guidance to the rest of the world.
This was Jesus’s message.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5.14 and 16).
Think About It
It is altogether too easy to read about furniture, measurements, and the items that go into the Tabernacle and just scan over them without thinking too much about it.
However, if we dig deeper, we will see God who is to be worshiped. He takes the initiative and meets with people. He establishes fellowship with people.
He gives us the ability to shine our light, His light through us, to the rest of the world.
Let’s not miss the great gift God has given to us with His presence, and let’s not miss our responsibility to be His light to the world.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Whispering Danny, and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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