Commentary - Exodus 37:10-16

Bird's-eye view

In this section of Exodus, we are not receiving the initial blueprint from God on the mountain, but rather we are watching the faithful execution of that blueprint on the ground. Bezalel, filled with the Spirit of God, is not an innovator here. He is an obedient and skilled craftsman. His task is to build the furniture of God's house precisely as he was commanded. This is not drudgery; it is high worship. The construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings is a central part of God establishing His presence with His people. He is not a distant God, but a God who tabernacles among them.

The piece of furniture described here is the table of showbread, or more accurately, the table of the bread of the Presence. This table was not for show in the sense of being merely decorative. It was for the "showing" of the bread before the face of God. This table is a type, a foreshadowing, of the fellowship and communion God's people have with Him. It is a covenant meal table, a precursor to the Lord's Table, where God Himself provides the sustenance for His people. Every detail, from the type of wood to the overlay of gold, is pregnant with theological meaning, pointing us ultimately to the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Outline

Commentary

10 Then he made the table of acacia wood, two cubits long and a cubit wide and one and a half cubits high.

The construction begins, and the first thing to note are the materials. Acacia wood was common to the desert wilderness, but it was also a hard, durable, and rot resistant wood. In Scripture, wood often represents humanity. So here we have a picture of a sturdy, incorruptible humanity. But this is not just any man, this is a picture of the Man, Christ Jesus. The dimensions are precise because God is not a God of sloppy sentiment, but of divine order. This is a real table, for a real purpose, in a real place. The measurements define it, set it apart. This is not just any piece of furniture; it is God's table.

11 He overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding for it all around.

The acacia wood, representing Christ's humanity, is completely covered with pure gold. Gold in the Bible consistently represents that which is divine, pure, and glorious. So we have here a perfect picture of the incarnation: the humanity of Christ (wood) united with the deity of Christ (gold). You could not see the wood for the gold, and yet the wood was the essential structure. So it is with Christ. He is truly man, yet He is truly God, and His glory shines forth. The gold molding is a crown. This is a royal table, a king's table. We are not invited to a potluck with a paper tablecloth; we are invited to the table of the King of kings.

12 He made a rim for it of a handbreadth all around and made a gold molding for its rim all around.

A rim, or a border, was made for the table. This has a practical function: it keeps the bread from falling off. The theological significance is just as straightforward. God secures His own. The bread of the Presence, representing God's covenant people, is kept secure on the table of His fellowship. He who brings us to the table will not let us fall away. We are kept by His power. This rim defines the space of communion. There is an inside and an outside. Not just anyone could waltz up and partake. Fellowship with God is on His terms, within the boundaries He sets.

13 He cast four gold rings for it and put the rings on the four corners that were on its four feet. 14 Close to the rim were the rings, the holders for the poles to carry the table.

This table was made to be mobile. The rings and poles were for transportation. This is crucial. The presence of God and the fellowship He offers were not tied to one geographic location. The tabernacle was a tent, and the whole assembly was on a pilgrimage. God's presence went with them. This is a picture of the church militant. We are on the move, sojourners and exiles, and the Lord's Table, the place of our communion with Him, travels with us. Wherever two or three are gathered in His name, there is our Lord, and there is His table.

15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table.

Once again we see the pattern: acacia wood overlaid with gold. The very means by which the table of fellowship is carried through the wilderness is a picture of the God-man, Jesus Christ. He is the one who bears us up. He is the one who carries us through our pilgrimage. He is the means by which the fellowship of God is brought to us and sustained among us.

16 He made the utensils which were on the table, its dishes and its pans and its offering bowls and its jars, with which to pour out drink offerings, of pure gold.

Every accessory, every utensil associated with this table was made of pure gold. The dishes that held the bread, the jars for the drink offering, everything was of the highest value and utmost purity. This points to the fact that our communion with God is a holy communion. The elements themselves, and the way we partake, are to be set apart. This is a rich provision. God does not provide for His people meagerly. The bread speaks of Christ, the Bread of Life, and the drink offering points to His blood, the wine of the new covenant. The provision is complete, perfect, and altogether glorious.

Key Issues

The Typology of the Table

The Table of Showbread is a rich Old Testament type of Christ and the communion believers have with Him. The table itself, made of incorruptible wood covered in divine gold, represents Christ in His two natures. The bread placed upon it, called the "bread of the Presence," represents both Christ as the Bread of Life and His people, who are presented holy and blameless before God's face through Him. The table was located in the Holy Place, a place of priestly service, reminding us that our fellowship with God is an active service of worship. This entire setup is a profound foreshadowing of the Lord's Supper, the covenant renewal meal of the New Covenant people of God.

Application

The construction of this table was an act of precise, Spirit-filled obedience. Our worship must be likewise. We do not have the liberty to invent our own furniture for God's house or to set our own terms for fellowship with Him. God has given us the blueprint in His Word, and our task is to build faithfully.

This table reminds us that God is a provider. He sets a table for us in the presence of our enemies. He gives us the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, as our sustenance. When we come to the Lord's Table, we are not coming to a somber funeral, but to a royal feast. It is a table of fellowship, life, and victory.

Finally, the mobility of the table teaches us that our faith is not a static, private affair. We are a people on the march, carrying the presence of God and the reality of our communion with Him out into the wilderness of this world. Our fellowship with God is what equips us for our pilgrimage, and it is the central reality we proclaim as we go.