(Exodus) Exodus 25:23-28

Now, we come to the table of showbread, and there are seven articles of furniture in the tabernacle. If you find out where they're placed, it'll sure be helpful. There were three sections or compartments of the tabernacle.

We are moving, as the Bible moves, from the inside where God was. The tabernacle proper was 30 cubits by 10 cubits by 10 cubits. And that was divided into two compartments, the Holy of Holies, 10 by 10 by 10, and in it, it had the Ark and the Mercy Seat.

We saw that last time. That Mercy Seat with the cherubim overshadowing it, it is the most ornate part of the tabernacle. There's no idol in there at all.

These two cherubim look down upon the top where the blood was placed. Did you know that was the same thing Adam and Eve saw when they looked back at the Garden of Eden when God put them out? They looked back, and they saw cherubims keeping the way of life. They saw the blood of the animals.

They were wearing the skins. And the cherubim were looking down. That kept the way of life open.

God wasn't blocking them from coming into the Garden of Eden. He was keeping the way open for them to Himself. And when Moses made this, it was a replica of the same thing Adam and Eve had seen.

Now, it looks into the future. It speaks of the fact that Christ today has made a Mercy Seat for us. That is, the throne of God has become a Mercy Seat.

He died down here, took His blood up there, and the throne of God today is a place where a holy God can extend mercy to you and to me. Then when you come into the outer court here, which is the tabernacle proper, the holy place, it has three articles of furniture. The altar of incense, the golden altar, and then the golden lampstand and the table of showbread.

And this was the place of worship. It speaks of worship of God. It's very important.

Then in the outer court, you have two articles of furniture, a laven, a brazen altar. And here's where the sin question was settled. These two articles of furniture speak of Christ as He settled the sin question.

In the holy place, it's worship. The sin question has to be settled before you can worship God. Now, we have the instructions here for the table of showbread.

And it's showbread because the table had on it loaves of bread. They were arranged in two rows of six each. Now, there are different explanations of just how they were arranged, and I must confess I can't tell from reading this just how they were.

I just feel like it was very simple. There were two rows on top of the table, six in this row, six in that row, and each speaking of a tribe of Israel. In other words, God was providing equally for all.

Now will you notice, I'm reading, "...thou shall also make a table of chitim wood. Two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof." Now, you'll notice that the table of showbread, it's two cubits long, and it is a cubit wide, twice as long as it is wide, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. It's the same height as the mercy seat or the ark.

"...and thou shall overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about." That is a border or sort of a sideboard around the table, keep the bread, of course, from falling off. Verse 25, "...and thou shall make unto it a border of a handbreadth round about, and thou shall make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. And thou shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof." And again, this was staves were to be put through these rings, and on the wilderness march it was carried on the shoulders of priests.