Last week, in The Heavenly Temple, Part 7, we saw that if we want to know God’s glory, we must look to Jesus, to the many images of Him that we are given in the New Testament, for God’s glory is written on the face of Christ Jesus.
This week brings us to the study of one piece of furniture that was in the Earthly sanctuary that does not seem to have any mention in the Heavenly Sanctuary as it is described in the book of Revelation: The Table of Shewbread.
Why would this be? If the earthly sanctuary is patterned after the Heavenly one, then you would think that there should be a table of shewbread.
But is there really no table of shewbread?
Let’s take a look at what we know about the table of showbread. It was referred to as the “table of the Presence,” and the 12 cakes spoke of God’s people who were one with Him as the priests joined together for the fellowship of eating the bread and becoming one. (see Lev. 24:7-9).
In His mission here on Earth, Jesus referred to Himself as “the Bread of Life:”
“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 6:35);
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. 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.” (Jn 6:51-58);
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (Jn 6:63).
Jesus says that in eating of this bread, we will live forever. Let’s remember that just as the Table of Shewbread speaks of fellowship and communion, so the Table of the Shewbread points to Jesus. But Jesus’ work as a high priest is finished. With His great cry, “It is finished,” He left the
“altar” of Calvary and sat down at the right hand of God (See Heb. 12:2). He has made a covenant with us, built on better promises. He has provided a blood covenant meal for us to partake that we might all be one in His Spirit.
Though there is no mention of a “table of shewbread” in the book of Revelation, the book centralizes around the Lamb. In fact, the Lamb is mentioned more than 25 times in the book: The Lamb, worthy, stricken, raised to life: Jesus, the “Bread of Life!”
Friends, there is no “table of shewbread” in the heavenly Sanctuary because Jesus, the Lamb of God, our Bread of Life, is there. We must partake of Him for our sustenance. We must look to Him for our unity and for our communion and fellowship. He is our table of shewbread, and there is no need of another!
Please join us next week for the final part of The Heavenly Sanctuary, Part 9: the Final Temple.
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
(To access the entire “The Heavenly Temple” mini-series, please click here.)