Bird's-eye view
Having received the instructions for the Ark of the Covenant, the very throne of God, we now turn to the other furniture in the Holy Place. And what does a king have in his presence chamber? He has a table. This is not just any table; it is the Table of the Bread of the Presence. This piece of furniture speaks volumes about the kind of God we serve. He is not a distant, abstract deity. He is a God who desires fellowship, communion, and table fellowship with His people. The altar is where sin is dealt with; the table is where sons are fed. This entire passage is a rich Christological picture of our Lord Jesus, who is both the table and the bread on it, providing constant fellowship and sustenance for His people before the face of God the Father.
Every detail here is dictated by God, from the type of wood to the placement of the rings. This is because worship is not a human invention; it is a divine revelation. God tells us how He is to be approached, and in these details, He is telling us about His Son. The acacia wood points to Christ's incorruptible humanity, and the pure gold overlay points to His deity. The fact that the table is portable, carried on poles, shows us that God's presence is not static. He is with His pilgrim people on the move, leading them through the wilderness. And the central purpose, the bread that is always before Him, is a glorious type of Christ, our representative, who is ever before the Father's face, securing our acceptance and providing for our every need.
Outline
- 1. The King's Table (Ex. 25:23-30)
- a. The Mandate and Materials (Ex. 25:23)
- b. The Divine and Human Nature (Ex. 25:24)
- c. The Secure Provision (Ex. 25:25)
- d. The Pilgrim Furniture (Ex. 25:26-28)
- e. The Golden Service (Ex. 25:29)
- f. The Perpetual Fellowship (Ex. 25:30)
Context In Exodus
This section is part of a larger block of instruction (Exodus 25-31) where God gives Moses the detailed blueprint for the Tabernacle and its worship. We have just seen the instructions for the Ark, which resides in the Most Holy Place. Now we move out into the Holy Place, the chamber just before the veil. The first item described here is the table. Its placement in the Holy Place, along with the lampstand and the altar of incense, signifies the daily life of communion the priests were to have with God on behalf of the people. This is not the one-time-a-year access of the Day of Atonement, but the steady, ongoing fellowship that is made possible by the sacrifice. The table represents God's provision and the covenant meal He shares with His people.
Key Issues
- The Table and the Altar
- Christological Metals: Wood and Gold
- Pilgrim Furniture
- The Bread of the Face
- Key Word Study: Lechem Panim, "Bread of the Presence"
- Background Studies: Covenant Meals in the Ancient Near East
Beginning: The Table and the Altar
It is crucial to distinguish between the two central pieces of furniture in Israel's worship: the altar and the table. The altar is a place of death, of sacrifice, of propitiation. It is where the penalty for sin is paid. It is where blood is shed, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. The altar is where we are made right with God.
But the table is a place of life, of fellowship, of sustenance. You do not eat at an altar. You eat at a table. The altar makes the table possible. Because the demands of justice have been met at the bronze altar, the sons of God can be invited to feast at the golden table. This is the gospel in miniature. Christ is our sacrifice on the altar of the cross, which then makes it possible for us to feast with Him at the table of the Lord's Supper. One is about atonement; the other is about communion. Both are essential, and they must be kept in their proper order.
Christological Metals: Wood and Gold
Throughout the tabernacle instructions, we see this combination of acacia wood and gold. The acacia tree was a hardy desert wood, resistant to decay. In Scripture, wood often represents humanity. So here we have a picture of incorruptible, enduring humanity. This is a clear type of the Lord Jesus in His incarnation. He was fully man, yet without sin and not subject to the corruption of death.
But this wood is not left bare. It is overlaid with pure gold. Gold, in the Bible, consistently represents that which is divine, glorious, and heavenly. So, in the table, we have a picture of the hypostatic union. The one person of Christ is fully human (acacia wood) and fully divine (pure gold). His humanity is the foundation, but it is completely covered in divine glory. This is our mediator, the God-man, who alone can host this meal between a holy God and sinful men.
Pilgrim Furniture
Notice the recurring instruction for rings and poles. The ark has them, and now the table has them. Why? Because the Tabernacle was a tent, a mobile sanctuary for a pilgrim people. God was teaching Israel, and us, that His presence is not tied to a particular building or geographic location. He tabernacles with His people wherever they go.
This is a profound truth for the Church. We are sojourners and exiles. We are on the march through the wilderness of this world toward the promised land. And as we go, we carry the presence of God with us. The means of communion and fellowship, represented by this table, are not left behind. We carry the feast with us. The Lord's Supper is our pilgrim meal, strengthening us along the way. The poles remind us that we are not yet home, and that our God travels with us.
The Bread of the Face
The purpose of this table is made clear in the final verse: to hold "the bread of the Presence." The Hebrew is lechem panim, which literally means "bread of the face." This bread was to be set on the table before the face of God continually. There were twelve loaves, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. This means that the people of God, in their entirety, were perpetually represented before Him, in a state of acceptance and fellowship.
This points directly to Christ, who is the true Bread from heaven (John 6:35). He is our representative who stands always before the face of the Father. His presence before God is the basis for our constant acceptance. It is not intermittent. The bread was there "at all times." Our standing before God does not flicker. Because Christ our Head is always before the face of God, we, His body, are always accepted in the Beloved. This table is a declaration that God's people have a permanent place in His presence.
Key Words
Lechem Panim, "Bread of the Presence"
The Hebrew phrase lechem panim is significant. Lechem means bread, and panim means face or presence. This was not just any bread; it was bread that lived in the presence of God, before His very face. This signifies intimate fellowship. To be before someone's face is to have their attention and favor. The twelve loaves were a constant, visible sermon declaring that the twelve tribes of Israel were continually in God's sight and under His care. This is fulfilled in Christ, who "appears in the presence of God for us" (Heb. 9:24). He is our Bread of the Face, securing our place in the Father's house.
Context: Covenant Meals in the Ancient Near East
In the world in which Israel lived, sharing a meal was a profound act of peace, fellowship, and covenant. To eat someone's bread was to enter into a bond of loyalty and mutual obligation. Kings would ratify treaties and demonstrate their favor by hosting covenant meals. When God commands a table to be set in His presence with bread, He is using a powerful and universally understood symbol.
He is establishing a covenant meal with His people. He is the great King, and He is inviting His subjects, His children, to dine with Him. This is not the meal of a distant tyrant, but the provision of a loving Father. This act declares that Israel is in a covenant of peace with Yahweh. This theme of covenant meals runs through the entire Bible, from Melchizedek bringing bread and wine to Abraham, to the Passover, to the Lord's Supper, and culminating in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Application
So what does a golden table in a desert tent have to do with us? Everything. First, it teaches us the grammar of our relationship with God. Our fellowship with God is based on His provision, not our performance. He sets the table. He provides the bread. Our job is to come and eat. This is the heart of the gospel.
Second, this is a picture of the Lord's Supper. When we come to the Lord's Table, we are participating in the reality that this ancient table only pictured. We are having fellowship with the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. Christ is the true Bread of the Presence, and in the Supper, He nourishes us, assuring us of our constant acceptance before the Father.
Finally, this table reminds us of our identity as a pilgrim people. We have not yet arrived. We are carrying the feast through the wilderness. This world is not our home. But we do not travel alone or unfed. The God-man, Jesus Christ, is with us, and He provides for us a perpetual feast of fellowship before the face of God, all the way home.