The Table of the Bread of the Presence
I belong.
I am filled with awe and wonder that the God who said, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Gen. 1:3), says I belong with Him.
He longs for us to be in His presence.
I am filled with awe and wonder that the God who cares about the tiniest and most minute details created me and says I am His.
From the very beginning, the Lord has longed for His people to know that they belong to Him and with Him and that they can be near to Him. One of the pictures God gave to show His desire for us to experience Him and to let us know that we belong with Him is a table found in the Holy Place in the tabernacle, the temple.
The Holy of Holies was the innermost, most sacred room in the tabernacle. God established His presence in that place. Separated by a veil from the Holy of Holies was the only other room in the tabernacle called the Holy Place (Exodus 26:33).
The Table of the Bread of Presence (Exodus 25: 23-30) in the Holy Place of the tabernacle was one of the many ways God showed us that He wanted everyone to experience Him. The table upon which the bread was placed was made of incorruptible acacia wood, which is a picture of Jesus who was tempted in all points as we are but was without sin. The wood was overlaid with pure gold, and the tabletop had a crown of pure gold round about, which reflects Jesus, the King of Kings.
God commanded twelve loaves of bread to be placed on this table, representative of the twelve tribes of Israel, and by extension, all people in covenant relationship with Him, which is now available to everyone through Jesus. The Hebrew phrase, “lechem panim,” literally translates to “bread of faces.” When Exodus was written, the only way to see a face was to actually be present in the same room with that face—no Zoom, no video calls, no TV. So, the word “face” in Hebrew is also used to communicate being in one’s presence. In the Holy Place, on that table, the bread always experienced the presence of God.
The Table (Jesus) holds the bread (us) in the presence of God. The Table of the Presence demonstrates to us that God values and desires us to be near Him, and it is the King of the universe’s declaration over us that we belong with him.
The table was placed in front of the veil, a piece of cloth called the Testimony of the Presence of God. The bread placed on the Table of the Presence experienced a continual testimony of the One who says, “you belong here before Me!”
Our Father in heaven is always calling to us: “I desire your presence; you belong with Me.”
Any who trust in Jesus have the promise of the Table of The Bread of Presence. No matter what anyone else says, the King of Kings says we belong with Him!
By Sheila Sandler – Sheila and her husband, Abraham, are life and ministry partners serving the King of Kings through Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages) Messianic Jewish Congregation in leadership and missions. Sheila officially served Alliance Women as Pittsburgh, PA’s area director and treasurer from 2012-2020. Sheila holds a master’s degree in health administration and loves to share that “ten out of ten Jewish doctors recommend Jesus, the Great Physician.”