Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20070321.htm

EXODUS: FUNCTIONING WELL IN A HOPELESS GROUP ASSIGNMENT
Part II: God's Sustainment Of Israel In The Wilderness Amid Humanly Helpless Trials
M. God's Establishment Of The Tabernacle Of Meeting
2. The Focus On The Important Articles Of The Tabernacle
b. The Table Of Shewbread: God's Sustaining His People Through Christ
(Exodus 25:23-30 et al.)
  1. Introduction
    1. We need God's constant and reliable provisions for both our spiritual and our physical needs in life.
    2. Yet, due to sin, mankind's acquisition of food from the earth was made hard in judgment, Gen. 3:17-19.
    3. However, in grace, God by Christ faithfully meets all our living needs as noted in the table of shewbread:
  2. The Table Of Shewbread: God's Sustaining His People Through Christ, Exodus 25:23-30 et al.
    1. The table of shewbread was smaller than the ark with its mercy seat (cf. Ex. 25:10a,b with 25:23a,b), but both furnishings (a) were the same height (b) and built of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold with (c) a rim of gold running around the lid for focusing on what was on top of both, Ex. 25:10-11 with 25:23-24.
    2. As such, both furnishings picture the Incarnate Lord Jesus Christ: the acacia wood depicts His humanity and the gold His deity, with the table of shewbread signifying the sustenance of God for the believer based on Christ's atonement by way of the blood that was placed upon the mercy seat [of the ark].
    3. Like the ark, the table of shewbread was holy, to be carried by staves put through its rings, Ex. 25:26-28.
    4. On top of the table of shewbread, the utensils and plates used were to be made of pure gold, picturing the deity of Christ used in divinely sustaining His people in His oversight of us, Ex. 25:29; 1 Peter 2:25b.
    5. On these plates were to be set 12 loaves of nearly a gallon's worth of fine flour per loaf (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to Lev. 24:5) for each of Israel's tribes, and they were placed in 2 piles of flat, unleavened loaves stacked 6 loaves high per pile, Lev. 24:6; Ex. 25:30; A. Edersheim, The Temple, 1975, p. 184-185.
    6. Each Sabbath Day, the old bread was to be replaced with fresh loaves, and the priests were to eat the old bread in the Holy Place, Lev. 24:8-9. This depicted the faithfulness of Christ's provision for His people.
    7. So great was the emphasis of the shewbread to be on the faithfulness of God's sustaining His people that EVEN as the table of shewbread was being covered to be moved in the wilderness journeys, God directed that the loaves STILL BE KEPT ON THE TABLE WHEN IT WAS CARRIED, Num. 4:5-7 NIV, ESV!
    8. Then, the faithfulness of God's sustenance in the history of the shewbread ministry itself is amazing:
      1. The Koathites of the tribe of Levi who were responsible to make and set out the shewbread each Sabbath Day (1 Chron. 9:32) were to own no land for growing grain, but to possess only pasture lands, Num. 35:2-3 NIV. Thus, the grain for the shewbread was to come from the tithes that the people of the other 11 tribes in Israel gave to the tribe of Levi as unto the Lord, cf. Numbers 18:21, 24.
      2. However, these shewbread loaves were to be perpetually put before the Lord's presence, and each Sabbath Day the old loaves were to be eaten by the priests, the descendants of Aaron, Leviticus 24:8-9.
      3. So, God perpetually provided the wheat crop for the 11 tribes, then perpetually motivated them to tithe their yield to the tribe of Levi so that the Kohathite family of the Levites could have grain to make the loaves, and then He perpetually motivated the Koathites to make and set the loaves for the priests!
      4. Even more amazing to consider is God's provision in the wilderness journeys: Israel then possessed no land to raise grain, so manna was used in the shewbread, Ex. 16:1-5! Yet, manna left overnight rotted (except the day before the Sabbath when it lasted 2 days, Ex. 16:19-24), and the shewbread was to sit out all week long before being eaten (Lev. 24:8-9)! Thus, in the 40 years He gave manna, over 2000 times, God supernaturally kept the manna-based shewbread from rotting all week long, Exodus 16:35!
    9. In application for our era, we identify from other Scriptures the faithful provisions of Christ for His own:
      1. Christ provides for the material livelihood needs of His people as they do His will, Phil. 4:18-19.
      2. Christ provides for spiritual livelihood needs of His own: (1) He sustains the believer's human spirit by the nurture of invaluable insight from His written Word, Deut. 8:3. (2) He provides cleansing from sin via confession, 1 John 1:9; 2:2 and help for the believer's weaknesses via prayer, Hebrews 4:15-16.
Lesson Application: The table of shewbread pictured the faithful, ample provision of God for the needs of His people's lives. May we trust in Him to supply all we need for our spiritual and physical needs!