Exodus 25:23

The Bible says in Exodus 25:23-30, “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 alway.” The important thing about this table is what was placed upon it. The “shewbread” was placed upon the table. The word that is translated “shewbread” is the simple word for “bread.” A loaf of normal, ordinary bread was placed upon the table. The table was very beautiful. Just like the ark, it was overlaid with pure gold. But on the table was a lump of ordinary bread.

The bread symbolized first of all that God would give to us our daily bread. Jesus told us to pray in Matthew 6:11, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Bread gives life. We die if we do not eat. We are unspiritual and unthankful to our Provider if we do not recognize that our daily bread comes from God. Physical bread gives physical life, and spiritual bread gives spiritual life. Jesus said in John 6:31-36, “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.”

There is an important event concerning the bread that was placed each day into the tabernacle. No Israelites were permitted to eat that bread. It was reserved for the priests. But when David was hungry, he entered into the tabernacle and took the bread for himself in order to be strengthened while he was fleeing his enemies. Jesus was condemned for taking grain out of the fields on the Sabbath day in order to eat, and the Bible says in Mark 2:23-28, “And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” God made the rules, so He owns the rules, and He can set them aside whenever He so chooses. He is the Lord of the Sabbath, and the Lord of the tabernacle, and the Lord of the Ten Commandments. He knows which of these things are permanent and which ones are temporary. The tabernacle of the Old Testament was temporary. It was symbolic of God’s presence wherever the Israelites went. Today each believer is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is in us and with us wherever we go. There are no holy places. There is no physical location such as some supposed holy place in the Middle East, and there is no building such as a church building that represents the presence of God on earth. The body of each believer in Christ represents the presence of God on earth.

The Bible says in Exodus 25:31-40, “And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers. And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick. Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold. And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it. And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels. And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.” These verses are all about another very important object that was placed inside the tabernacle: the candlestick. The candlestick had seven branches and therefore, seven lights. It is interesting to consider what the seven lights represent. In the book of Revelation in the New Testament we are also told about gold candlesticks with seven lights. In the book of Revelation we see that the seven lights represent the seven churches mentioned in Revelation chapter 2. It is very possible that God was looking ahead and thinking of the seven Christian churches of the book of Revelation when God told Moses to place a golden candlestick within the tabernacle. Jesus has a plan and everything: past, present, and future fits into that plan.

The Bible says in Revelation 1:11-13, “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.” It also says in Revelation 1:19 through 2:5, “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

The light of the candlesticks is symbolic of spiritual light. Jesus is the spiritual Light of the world. It says about Jesus in John 1:9, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Believers are also supposed to be lights, but we can only be lights as we draw close to Jesus and He shines through us. The tabernacle represented the presence of God, but for the tabernacle to perform its purpose, a light needed to shine. God wants the truth to spread from us to others. Jesus used the example of a candlestick and said to His believers in Matthew 5:14-16, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Exodus 24:40 makes a point that we have stated regarding some previous verses about the tabernacle. It says, “And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.” Before Moses constructed the tabernacle spoken of in Exodus 25, Moses had been shown another tabernacle when he was up in the mountain. What tabernacle was Moses shown in the mountain when he was alone up there with God? Probably it was the tabernacle that exists in heaven. We know there is a tabernacle in heaven because it says in Revelation 15:5, “And after that I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.”

Concerning the actual putting together of the tabernacle, God said to Moses in Exodus 26:1-5, “Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them. The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure. The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another. And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another.” These details about the construction of the tabernacle go on for many, many more verses: all the way to end of chapter 27. God gave very detailed instructions about the tabernacle. One spiritual meaning to this is the fact that God is interested in and involved in the details of our lives. God wants to be a part of all the details of our lives. God certainly knows all about your life and everyone else’s life since He knows everything. Jesus said in Matthew 10:29-30, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” There is nothing too small in our life that God is not interested in. He loves you, and He is involved in everything about you. It is wonderful to be saved. Eternity awaits us, but until that time comes, God is involved in all the details of our life on this earth.

___________________________________________________