Category: Table of Showbread



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The Table of Showbread

In our last few post we introduced the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and proclaimed that it is prophetic of Christ Jesus.

Jesus, Moses and the Tabernacle

Jesus, Moses and the Tabernacle

Today we are going to investigate one of the objects found in the Holy Place, namely the Table of Showbread.

The Table of Showbread

The Table of Showbread

We are going to look at the attributes and functionality of this Tabernacle object and then in subsequent posts, compare them to the attributes and functionality demonstrated in the life of Jesus. By making these comparisons we hope to demonstrate that Jesus is our Table of Showbread. In addition, we hope that each of you will gain a better understanding of who Jesus is, so that we may be able to better imitate our Lord and Savior.

Inside the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

Inside the Holy Place of the Tabernacle


Showbread means, “Bread of face” as it was to be continually presented before God as a meal offering from the twelve tribes of Israel. The table is made of pure gold and is covered by a blue cloth upon which the loaves rested. In addition, the bread is arrayed on the top of the table in the form of two rows of six loves, each loaf representing one of the tribes of Israel. Each of the loaves is also covered with Frankincense, which was considered a precious perfume.

God did not eat the bread but rather, it remained before the Lord (or shown) for one week. On each Sabbath the priests would replace the loves with fresh ones. Once removed, the bread would be eaten by the priests and their families who perceived it to be spiritual food.

The Table of Showbread is symbolic of man communing with God in a way that is similar to the way that a family communes over the dinner table. It therefore represents the establishment of a close and personal relationship with the Father. In addition, the bread is also symbolic of Gods provision, of which we are forever grateful.

In the postings that follow, we will proceed by making the scriptural correlations between Jesus and the Table of Showbread. We will demonstrate that the Table of Showbread prophetically points to Jesus as the Christ. We plan to demonstrate that He is our Bread of Life and our daily provision of whom we are forever grateful.

I have attached some scripture concerning the Table of Showbread here for your reference:

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. 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. 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. Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me always. (Exodus 25 23-30)

And a second scripture from Numbers:

And shall put thereon the covering of badgers’ skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof. 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: 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. (Numbers 4:5-8)



Jesus Is The Holy Place

In our last posting we presented a scripture from Exodus that helped to introduce us to the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle. We also demonstrated that the components of this chamber are predictive of the life of Jesus.

We will now continue by starting where we left off in the Exodus scripture. In doing so we will present an overview of the Holy Place and then communicate how it is also predictive of the life of Jesus. We start by presenting a portion of the Exodus scripture:

You shall bring in the table and arrange the things that are to be set in order on it; and you shall bring in the lampstand and light its lamps. You shall also set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the Testimony, and put up the screen for the door of the tabernacle

The preceding passage identifies the objects found in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. This chamber is entered by passing through the doorway called “the Truth” and this is a direct correlation to Jesus’ claim to be the Truth.

The table mentioned in the above scripture is the Table of Show Bread. The loaves of bread offered by the tribes of Israel were continuously presented on this table. This bread, which is also called Show Bread, was displayed as a symbol of the familial relationship of God and His people. It represented a relationship like that of a close family that continuously shares meals together at the dinner table.

The Show Bread was presented before the Lord for an entire week before it was replaced with fresh. The priests who removed the loves would eat them as they considered it spiritual food.

The Lampstand identified in the above scripture is also known as the Golden Lampstand. Its purpose was to illuminate the Table of Show Bread and the other objects found in the Holy Place. It should be noted that the Lampstand burned olive oil and this is symbolic of Gods anointing of His people. The lamp itself is symbolic of the illumination of the things of God.

The Golden Altar is the third object found inside the Holy Place. Its placement was directly before the semi transparent veil called “the Life,” which happened to be directly before the Mercy Seat where God dwelt. Only the transparent veil separated it from the Most Holy place of God. Only sweet incense was burned on the Altar which produced smoke and a sweet aroma before the place where God dwelt. This smoke and aroma was symbolic of the prayers of the nation going up before God and into heaven where they would become effective in bringing down the forces of evil.

How Jesus becomes our Holy Place

Jesus is the fulfillment of “the Truth” because by entering into Him by way of our prayers, we find that our steps become enlightened, our ministry becomes empowered and the forces of evil are defeated.

Jesus is our Table of Show Bread in that He has become the Bread of Life for us. By eating His body and drinking His blood we become one with Him and the Father. If we have achieved this then we have achieved a very intimate relationship with God.

Jesus is our Golden Lampstand in that He has become the light of the world for us. By coming to Him in prayer our pathways are illuminated and our mission is clear. Only then can we become the light of life for others.

Jesus is our Golden Altar in that prayers in His name become sweet incense that comes before the Father and is strong in bringing down the forces of evil in the world. For a more detailed explanation of “Jesus the Truth”

If you are interested in reading more about Jesus the Way, consider reading the following postings on this subject:

http://possesosthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/passing-from-the-way-and-into-the-truth/

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/2007/11/14/entering-the-truth-of-the-tabernacle/

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/passing-from-the-way-and-into-the-truth/jesus-the-table-of-showbread/

To find out more about the Table of Show Bread follow these links:

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/passing-from-the-way-and-into-the-truth/applying-the-attributes-of-jesus-our-table-of-showbread/

To read about the Golden Lampstand follow these links:

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/passing-from-the-way-and-into-the-truth/jesus-is-the-light-of-the-world/

To learn about the significance of the Golden Altar of Incense reference these links:

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/passing-from-the-way-and-into-the-truth/jesus-the-golden-altar-of-incense/

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/passing-from-the-way-and-into-the-truth/jesus-is-the-golden-altar-of-incense/

To learn about the significance of coming to Jesus our Golden Altar and to better understand the impact of spiritual warfare read these postings:

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/passing-from-the-way-and-into-the-truth/jesus-heals-the-sick-and-the-lame/

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/passing-from-the-way-and-into-the-truth/jesus-casts-out-demons/

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/passing-from-the-way-and-into-the-truth/jesus-is-victorious-over-an-evil-establishment/

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/passing-from-the-way-and-into-the-truth/jesus-is-victorious-on-the-cross/

https://possessthevision.wordpress.com/seeking-jesus/passing-from-the-way-and-into-the-truth/the-victory-of-jesus-empowers-us/


Jesus The Holy Place Of Empowerment And Truth

We now have completed our section on Jesus “The Truth”, so let’s summarize the things that we have covered prior to moving on to the next section which is entitled, Jesus “the Life”.

Jesus proclaimed to be “the Truth” and this section was a search to find out what this actually means. It just so happens that the name, “the Truth”, is also used to identify the entrance into the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. In the days of the Tabernacle only the priest could pass through the Truth and enter into the Holy Place. Even then entry into God’s house was a serious thing and required preparation to become worthy of entry (see postings on the Way). Entry was momentous as it signified the establishment of a closer relationship with the all mighty God. The Holy Place was sacred. It was the place of empowerment and bring down the forces of evil through prayer before God.

So with all of this understood, we can come to understand what Jesus meant when He said “I am the Truth”. He is saying that by coming through Him in prayer, that we can find the empowerment necessary to reach the spiritual maturity necessary to attain our mission on this earth.

In the Holy Place we find the Golden Altar which enlightens those in the Holy Place to the presence of the Table of Show Bread and the Golden Altar of Incense. We find that in Jesus we have a far better replacement of all of these things.

We find that in Jesus our Golden Altar, that we are enlightened by the “Light of the World” to understand our purpose and the steps we must take to be effective in ministry. This light was displayed at the Transfiguration on the Mount before His disciples and revealed who Jesus is. Jesus calls each of us to be a light of His Truth to others.

We find that in Jesus our Table of Show Bread, that we develop a close and personal relationship with “the Bread of Life”. This relationship helps us to understand that all of our provisions come from Him and that without Him we can do nothing. Jesus the Bread of Live was revealed when He multiplied the loaves and the fish for the five thousand who were hungry. Jesus calls us to be the bread of life for others by feeding them the truth of who He is.

We find that in Jesus our Golden Altar, that we are empowered for spiritual warfare through our prayers that go up to heaven. This empowerment comes through the examples of Jesus praying prior to taking action in ministry. His prayers in the garden for example, delivered instructions that were hard to accept and yet, were exactly what was needed to accomplish His mission on earth. Jesus demonstrated this empowerment by healing the sick, raising the dead, confronting an evil establishment and raising Himself from the dead. Jesus asks us to enter into His spiritual warfare by revealing the truth of Him to others and by taking action to support the direction He has given.

Putting it all together, Jesus is the truth about our relationship with the Father. He is our Lamp that will enlighten our mission and pathway toward God. He is our empowerment that comes to us in the form of the Holy Spirit and guides us to bring down the forces of evil in this world.

In our conversation of the Truth, we saw examples of these things in the life of Jesus. Miraculous things like the casting out of demons, healing the sick, confronting evil religious leaders and even dying on the cross for us. From all of this we can conclude that spiritual warfare requires action that is based upon our prayer life. For example, Jesus prayed in the garden prior to taking the action (He went to the cross for us). Jesus was enlightenment in the Transfiguration (the Golden Lamp Stand) with the truth about His identity (the Son of God). More importantly, Jesus had a close personal relationship with the Father (the Table of Showbread) that gave Him the perfect faith to know that the His actions would be supported by the Father in miraculous ways.

In the Holy Place of Jesus we are enlightened with spiritual truth, we receive our communion with God and we exercise our power over evil everywhere.


Applying The Attributes Of Jesus Our Table Of Showbread

In our previous posting we presented the correlation between the attributes of the Table of Showbread and the words and actions of Christ Jesus.

To summarize, the bread placed on the Table of Showbread represented the twelve tribes of Israel, and symbolically represented an offering of God’s people to God. The bread on the table suggested an intimate relationship with God, one in which the people would commune with God just as they did with their family over a meal. The Showbread would be displayed for seven days after which it would be replaced with fresh loaves. The removed bread would then be eaten by the priests who perceived it to be spiritual food.

We then correlated the above attributes of the Table of Showbread to the words and actions of Jesus. We used Jesus’ statement, “I Am the Bread of Life” as a key connection to the Table of Showbread. We then introduced the scriptures of the multiplication of the loaves and fish as a validation to His claim to be the Bread of Life. Next we introduced the scripture in which Jesus proclaimed that anyone who ate the Bread of Life would live forever. This statement was later validated when Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven. Therefore, the Bread of Life has the power to overcome death and live with God forever. Consequently, is it certainly a spiritual food, just like the loaves eaten by the Tabernacle priests were.

Applying the Principles of Jesus the Bread of Life

In the Lords prayer, it states that the Lord’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven[i]. Therefore, lets do as our Lord Jesus has commanded us to do by eating His body and drinking His blood symbolically by partaking in the bread and wine as they did at the last supper.

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19)

We should honor Jesus by doing as He requested in remembrance of Him. We should take His real body and real blood in the communion as He prescribed, eating the bread and drinking the wine of the new covenant, knowing that we are eating spiritual food, and knowing that we are taking Jesus into ourselves in the process.

More that this however, through this physical act we must seek to develop the spiritual body and blood of Jesus in ourselves. This is because our spiritual body needs both nutrition and exercise to properly develop, just as our physical bodies do. We can accomplish this by reading the words of Jesus, and making them a part of us. We can then use His words by asking the Holy Sprit to make them live in our hearts, so that the Word of God becomes a part of us. By doing this we will have achieved the communion with the Lord that was prophesized at the Table of Showbread. The body and blood of Jesus will have set us free[ii] and shown us the “Way” to God, the “Truth” about God and the path to “Life” with God forevermore. Lets us therefore seek Him will all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, with all of our strength, and with all that we are.

In doing these things we come to Jesus, the Truth, who sets us free from the bondage of our sinful ways. Our journey through the Truth brings change into our lives:

till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ; from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” (Ephesians 4:13, 5-1)

So, we as imitators of God seek to become more like Jesus who is the Bread of Life, our Table of Showbread, in the following ways:

Eat the Body and Blood of Jesus

Eat the body and blood of Jesus in the way that our Lord prescribed at the last supper. Remember that His body is food indeed and His blood is blood in deed. Also eat the body and blood of Jesus spiritually, by absorbing the scriptures about Jesus into you heart.

Seek a Spiritual Relationship with Jesus

Seek Jesus in your prayer time and He will be manifest to you through the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will enlighten you in all things so take the time to listen for His voice. Also remember to listen for the Lord’s voice and His knocking at your door.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (Revelation 3:20)

It is only when we open the door called “The Truth” that we can honestly eat the Bread of Life.

Become the Bread of Life for Others

As we eat the Bread of Life and grow in the Lord we will be led to say and do the things that Jesus did. As our overall behavior changes, others will be able to see the goodness of Life that is in us. By the power of the Holy Spirit the intent of the Father will come through us and be deposited in others around us. We therefore are agents of Jesus who are carrying on His mission until His return at the second coming.

In our next post we will introduce the Golden Lampstand. If you have any questions please make a comment. I look forward to hearing from you.

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be will all of you.

Joe Gordon



[i] Matthew6:9-11 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

[ii] John 8:35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.


Jesus The Table Of Showbread

In our last few post we introduced the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and proclaimed that it is prophetic of Christ Jesus. Today we are going to investigate one of the objects found in the Holy Place, namely the Table of Showbread. We are going to look at the attributes and functionality of this Tabernacle object and then compare them to the attributes and functionality demonstrated in the life of Jesus. By making these comparisons we hope to demonstrate that Jesus is our Table of Showbread. In addition, we hope that each of you will gain a better understanding of who Jesus is, so that we may be able to better imitate our Lord and Savior.

Showbread means, “Bread of face” as it was to be continually presented before God as a meal offering from the twelve tribes of Israel. The table is made of pure gold and is covered by a blue cloth upon which the loaves rested. In addition, the bread is arrayed on the top of the table in the form of two rows of six loves, each loaf representing one of the tribes of Israel. Each of the loaves is also covered with Frankincense, which was considered a precious perfume.

God did not eat the bread but rather, it remained before the Lord (or shown) for one week. On each Sabbath the priests would replace the loves with fresh ones. Once removed, the bread would be eaten by the priests and their families who perceived it to be spiritual food.

The table of Showbread is symbolic of man communing with God in a way that is similar to the way that a family communes over the dinner table. It therefore represents the establishment of a close and personal relationship with the Father. In addition, the bread is also symbolic of Gods provision, of which we are forever grateful.

In the following sections, we will proceed to make the scriptural correlations between Jesus and the Table of Showbread. We will demonstrate that the Table of Showbread prophetically points to Jesus as the Christ. We plan to demonstrate that He is our Bread of Life, our daily provision of whom we are forever grateful.

Jesus is The Bread of Life

Support for the proposition that Jesus is the Table of Showbread can be found by examining the statements and actions of His life. In the following scripture Jesus proclaimed to be the Bread of Life which is a parallel to the loaves of showbread. This proclamation is then followed with supporting signs and miracles that reinforce His statement. These signs and miracles do not simply display the power and mercy of God, but rather directly support Jesus’ claim to be the Bread of Life. The following passage taken from the book of John captures Jesus proclamation of being the Bread of Life:

Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” and Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:30-35)

In this statement Jesus claims that He is everything necessary to sustain life for those who come to Him. Shortly after His proclamations signs and miracles followed. Examine the following scripture for an example:

Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.” So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 15:34-38)

This miracle substantiates Jesus’ claim of being the Bread of Life. Those who came to Him that day did not hunger or thirst. Jesus demonstrated that He is the Bread of Life by feeding the multitude with vastly insufficient resources. The power of God reinforced Jesus’ claim precisely.

Here is another example: Jesus is the living Table of Showbread that came from heaven to earth. If we eat of Him who is the Bread of Life we will live forever:

Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever. (John 6:54-58)

Some say that we are what we eat. By eating the Bread of Life we become the bread of life for others, just like Jesus did for us. We eat the Bread of Life by reading the Word of God, and in doing so we take Jesus into ourselves. In this way we become more like Him. We also eat the Bread of Life when we partake in the communion sacrament as Jesus commanded us to do in remembrance of Him.

Of course Jesus’ claim that we should eat His flesh is a spiritual statement proclaiming everlasting life by becoming one with Him in the sprit. Think about the story of how God created the world. God spoke, his Word went out, and His Word accomplished God’s desire. Here is a passage from Genesis that proves the point:

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)

The same principle is true of the words spoken by Jesus. After all, Jesus only spoke about the things that He saw and herd from the Father. So, it works the same way in our example. Jesus spoke the words the Father gave Him and those things came to pass. Jesus said He was the Bread of Life and His spoken Word accomplished God’s desire. In this case it was manifest in the feeding of the multitude and communicating His own identity.

Jesus is the Bread of Life. This statement is true both physically and spiritually. It is true that we who come to Jesus will not hunger or thirst in the flesh. It is also true that Jesus is the spiritual Bread of Life and those who follow Him will not hunger or thirst in the spirit but will have life everlasting. We eat the Bread of Life when we read about Jesus’ words and actions in scripture. When we read the words that He spoke we are literally taking the Bread of Life into ourselves and it becomes a part of us. When we receive the words that Jesus spoke they accomplish their desire in us. We eat the Bread of Life and we become what we eat. God’s Word is planted in us and we begin to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. The more we take into ourselves, the words of the Father and the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit, the more we are transformed into God’s purpose for our lives.

Once this has transpired, we obtain the ability to speak God’s Word into the lives of others. We speak to others of what God has placed into our hearts by way of the Holy Spirit. We speak the things that we hear Him speak and we do the things that we see Him do, and in the process, others come to eat the bread of life also. They take the Bread of Life from us and integrated it into themselves, and God’s Word is achieved in them.

Jesus left all things in our hands until His return. He said the things that I do, my followers will also do, and even greater that these things will they do. We become the Way and the Truth through our actions and words.

In our next posting we will look at the ways in which we can become the bread of life to others. If you have any comments I would love to hear from you. Until next time, may the love of God be with you.