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Study Series

Lesson Eight - The Table of Showbread, Part One

 

Exodus 25:23-27  - Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. [25] And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. [26] And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. [27] Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table. 

 

        The second article of furniture to be made in the Tabernacle was the Table of Showbread. This table was made of shittim wood, overlaid with pure gold. It was placed directly opposite the Golden Candlestick in the Holy Place, the second part of the Tabernacle. In our study on the Ark and the Mercy Seat we covered the Holy of Holies, which was a separate compartment from the Holy Place and the Outer Court. Upon this Table of Showbread were placed 12 loaves of bread, which were the priests of the Tribe of Levi to partake. This table is a beautiful type of Christ and His ministry to the Church as the Bread of Life.

 

 

You Will Make A Table

 

        This is the first use of the world "table" in the Bible The first use of a word is always significant, and here the same is true. In Genesis we see the first sin and man's ruin because of it. In Exodus we are give a picture of fallen man redeemed by the grace of God. We see God's grace coming to fallen man to re-establish the severed lines of communion. God provides the Table for His Priests in His Sanctuary. All of this tells forth the truth that God has prepared a Table in Christ for His redeemed people, the PRIESTS of His Sanctuary under the New Covenant. The Priests ate the 12 loaves of bread off the Table under the Old, we partake of THE BREAD OF LIFE, CHRIST, under the New. Praise God.

 

        In the construction of the Table in the Old Testament we find it was again like all the other pieces of furniture given by revelation. It was constructed by the Divine pattern. After its construction it was set on the NORTH side of the Holy Place, opposite the Golden Candlestick. It was take the light of the Golden Candlestick to reveal and illumine the Bread and the Table.

 

        The Table is given several names in Scripture. It was called:

 

·         The Table of Shewbread (Exodus 25:30)

·         The Table of Shittim Wood (Exodus 25:33, 37:10)

·         The Pure Table (Leviticus 24:6 - we must be clean by the blood to partake)

·         The Table (Exodus 39:36; 40:4,22)

·         The Table of God (1 Kings 7:48) - in Solomon's Temple

 

 

        The Table of Shewbread is typical and significant of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself as the Bread of Life to His people. (JOHN 6) It points to the Table of the Lord or the Communion of the New Testament Church, the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:15-21; 11:23-24) and Matthew 26:26-28. This Table is what David had in mind when he declared:

 

Psalm 23:5  - You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. 

 

Matthew 26:17-20  - Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passover? [18] And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with my disciples. [19] And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover. [20] Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 

 Of Shittim Wood

 

        Once again, as seen in the Ark of the Covenant, shittim wood speaks of the sinless, incorruptible and perfect humanity of Christ. As already noted, the shittim or acacia wood is translated "incorruptible wood" in the Septuagint version. Christ Jesus is the ROOT OUT OF DRY GROUND, the Man whose name is the BRANCH. Christ's incorruptible nature is seen in the dessert of this world system and is portrayed for us in the four Gospels.

 

Zech. 6:12-13  - And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: [13] Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 

Isaiah 11:1-4  - And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: [2] And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; [3] And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: [4] But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 

Two Cubits The Length; A Cubit Breadth; A Cubit And A Half The Height

 

        God has divinely established measurements for everything. All things must measure up to this standard. It is to be noted that the Table, the Brazen Altar Grate and the Ark of the Covenant are all 1 1/2 cubits in height. Thus the Brazen Altar Grate in the Outer Court, the Table of Shewbread in the Holy Place and the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies and its Blood-stained Mercy Seat are brought together in the same measurements.

 

        This same height signifies the same standard or the same level set forth before God. It speaks to the believer that we begin at the Judgment Seat (1 1/2 cubits of Brazen Altar - the Cross) that we may come to the Shewbread Table and have fellowship with God and His Priests (1 1/2 cubits of the Table of Shewbread) on the basis of the blood of the Mercy Seat (1 1/2 cubits of Ark lid) and enter into God's presence between the Cherubim.

 

You Shall Overlay It With Pure Gold

 

        The Hebrew word for "gold" comes from an unused root word meaning "shimmer" of "from its shining." Gold therefore is always a type of HEAVEN, DIETY or the DIVINE nature of Christ, which overlaid the EARTHLY nature (acacia wood). In the Table we have gold and wood, which again speak of His two natures - deity and humanity - which in their fullness are seen in the wood and gold. The Lord Jesus is the GOD-MAN. He is the WORD (Gold) made FLESH (wood) and He dwelt among us. 

 

        It is this same Christ who is the mediator between humanity and divinity. In order to mediate between the two parties He had to be both and partake of both natures. He must be Divine to represent God to man. Yet, He must be human to represent man to God before the throne. The gold and the wood came together in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

1 Tim. 3:16  - And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 

1 Tim. 2:5-6  - For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; [6] Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 

John 1:1-3  - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] The same was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

John 1:14-18  - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.  [15] John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. [16] And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. [17] For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. [18] No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

 

A Crown Of Gold To Border The Table With A Golden Crown

 

Exodus 25:24-25  - And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. [25] And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. 

Exodus 37:11-12 - And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereunto a crown of gold round about. [12] Also he made thereunto a border of an handbreadth round about; and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about. 


        By corresponding these two passages we see the Table had a double crown around the border with a handbreadth between these crowns. The handbreadth was as a border between the crowns for the various vessels. It also acted as a guard to protect anything from falling off the Table. We notice that it is the HAND of Christ that is able to keep of from falling. The hands of Jesus are where the first drops of blood fell when their pierced those hands with nails:

 

Zech. 13:6  - And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 

John 10:28  - And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 

Jude 1:24  - Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 

 

        Crowns in the Old Testament speak to us of principally two offices - Priest and King. The miter on the High Priest was actually called "The Holy Crown". It is also called the "Crown Of Anointing” The second office that was crowned under the Old Covenant was KING. The Kings were crowned after they had been anointed to their office.

 

        The double crown on the Table points to the fact that Jesus Christ is our Priest-King before God and He has united the two offices in HIM. He is crowned KING-PRIEST after the order of Melchizedek. Jesus is THE BRANCH who is sitting as King-Priest exercising ministry of Mediator between God and man. Man crowned Him with thorns (the product of sin and a curse), but God crowned Him with Glory and DOUBLE HONOR (the seal of a finished work) 

 

Exodus 29:6  - And thou shalt put the miter upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the miter. 

Leviticus 21:12  - Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord. 

Zech. 3:5  - And I said, Let them set a fair miter upon his head. So they set a fair miter upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by. 

Hebrews 2:6-8  - But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that you visit him? [7] You made him a little lower than the angels; you crown him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: [8] Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 

1 Peter 5:4  - And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fades not away. 

Hebrews 7:1-2  - For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; [2] To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 

        There were three pieces of furniture that were crowned in the Tabernacle:

 

·         The Ark Of the Covenant

·         The Table of Shewbread

·         The Golden Altar of Incense

 

 

        The thought of the crown ends up in Revelation where we see the 24 elders casting their crowns before the feet of the Lamb. Christ comes the second time crowned with man crowns. At His first coming He came as the Man of Sorrows. At His second coming He is revealed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

 

Rev. 19:11-16  - And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. [12] His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. [13] And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. [14] And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. [15] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. [16] And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 

 

Four Rings Of Gold

 

        There were four rings of gold in the four corners of the Table on the four feet. The number FOUR is impressed here upon the Shewbread. Four is the number of earth including the thoughts of being worldwide or universal in influence. There are four seasons, four quarters of the moon and four corners of the earth. 

 

        The Table had:

 

·         Four Corners - This is significant of the fact that Christ is the TABLE OF SHEWBREAD to ALL the four corners of the earth. It is HIS worldwide ministry to feed the people as the Bread of Life. It points to the commission of our Lord to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20 and Acts 1:8) 

·         Four Feet - Feet are always significant of the earth-walk. The four feet here point to the four Gospels which set forth Christ in His earth walk. They reveal Him as the true Bread of Life who established the Table of the Lord before His ascension into heaven. Just as the four legs of the Table upheld the Bread on the Table, so Matthew, Mark, Luke and John uphold the true Bread in their accounts of the Messiah's life. 

·         Four Gold Rings - In these rings we see three particular symbols:

 

 

            a. Gold - This speaks of the Deity or Divine nature of the Lord Jesus Christ

            b. Rings - A ring is a circle that has no beginning or end. It is a common symbol to represent eternity of being. The Lord Jesus is from everlasting to everlasting.

 

            c. Four - As we have already noted there are FOUR descriptions of God in the Bible: God is LIGHT (1 John 1:5); God is LOVE (1 John 4:16), God is SPIRIT (John 4:24); and God is a Consuming Fire (Hebrews 12:29). These are the eternal attributes of God and the Son of God!

 

Staves Of Shittim Wood Overlaid With Gold To Bear The Table

 

        Again, here we have the thought of incorruptible wood (humanity) overlaid with the pure gold (deity). The purpose of the Staves was to carry the Table in the wilderness wanderings. The Staves also helped to keep and present a balanced Table speaking to us of the need for balance in our walk with the Lord. Balance is not unbelief or doubt. Balance is not cynicism! Jesus Himself was a "pilgrim" and a "stranger" here in His earth-walk. This points to the pilgrimage of the Church. We have no continuing city, but we are seeking one to come. At the present time Christ is wandering the Wilderness of this present age with the Church:

 

Hebrews 11:9-13  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: [10] For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. [11] Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. [12] Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. [13] These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 

Hebrews 13:14-  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. 

1 Peter 2:11 - Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 

 

The Table In Transit

 

Numbers 4:7-8  - And upon the table of Shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon: [8] And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in the staves thereof. 

In transit the Table was covered with the following cloths:

 

·         The Table was covered with a cloth of BLUE. The blue cloth is seen as a type of Holy Spirit who was upon the true Bread (Luke 4:18). The color of blue is also seen as the color of heaven which speaks of Christ as the Lord from Heaven:


1 Cor. 15:47  - The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 

Luke 4:18  - The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 

·         The dishes, spoons and bowls were next and had a covering of SCARLET upon them. Scarlet is typical of Blood Sacrifice and speaks to us of the central position of the Godhead. Jesus was the Sacrificial Lamb.

·         The final covering was BADGERS' SKIN. These are typical of God who is over all and speaks of a third aspect of Christ. For in Christ there is no natural beauty to the unregenerate man.

 

 

Isaiah 52:14-15; 1-3  - As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: [15] So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? [2] For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. [3] He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

 

The Dishes, The Spoons And The Covers

 

        There were several vessels used in connection with the Table. These are the vessels the prophet Isaiah referred to when he said "be ye clean, that bear the VESSELS of the Lord (52:11). There were three types of vessels:

 

·         Dishes - The Dishes or Charges were used for holding the food-bread (Numbers 7:13)

·         Spoons - The Spoons were hollow vessels of gold with incense in them. While the Priests ate at the Table of Shewbread, in the light of the Golden Candlestick, they burnt incense unto the Lord at the Golden Altar. Thus, the three articles were connected signifying to us that as we eat at His Table in the light of His Presence we send up INCENSE of prayer, worship and adoration to the Lord (Numbers 7:14)

Bowls and Covers - These are spoken of as "flagons" in the Septuagint version. It implies the thought of "cups." These bowls and covers contained strong WINE, which was poured out in connection with this Table as a libation before the Lord (Numbers 28:7). This was the DRINK OFFERING of outpoured wine. It was used solely in connection with the Table of Shewbread, not with any other articles in the Holy Place (Exodus 30:9). The symbolism here is obvious. In the Table of Shewbread, BREAD and WINE are brought together pointing to the NEW TESTAMENT Table instituted by our Lord Jesus. Jesus referred to the BREAD as "My Body," and the WINE He said was "My Blood of the New Testament