Exodus 25:23 - Meaning and Application

Here was a table made of wood overlaid with gold. It stood, not in the most holy place, where only the ark and its sacred items were kept, but in the outer part of the tabernacle, called the sanctuary or holy place (Hebrews 9:2, Hebrews 9:23). It also had the usual tableware, such as dishes and spoons, all made of gold (Exodus 25:29).

This table was to be kept always spread and supplied with the showbread, or “bread of the Presence” (Exodus 25:30). There were twelve loaves, one for each tribe, set in two rows of six. The law about this bread is given in Leviticus 24:5 and following. Since the tabernacle was God’s house, where he said he would live among them, he showed that he kept a royal house. A king’s palace should have a royal table.

Some understand the twelve loaves as representing the twelve tribes, set before God as his people and as “the grain of his floor” (Isaiah 21:10). The ark showed that God was present with them, and the twelve loaves showed that they were presented to God. This bread was meant to be, first, a thankful way of admitting God’s goodness in giving them daily bread, manna in the wilderness, where he prepared a table for them, and later the grain of the land in Canaan. By this, they confessed that they depended on God’s care, not only for the grain in the field, which they thanked him for when they offered the first sheaf, but also for the bread in their homes, so that, when it came in, God did not withhold his blessing from it (Haggai 1:9). Christ teaches us to ask each day for the bread we need that day.

Second, it was a sign of their fellowship with God. The bread on God’s table was made from the same grain as the bread on their own tables. In this way, God and Israel, as it were, ate together as friends and partners. He dined with them, and they dined with him.

Third, it pointed to the spiritual provision made in the church through the gospel of Christ for all who are made priests to our God. In our Father’s house there is enough bread for everyone, a loaf for every tribe. All who come to God’s house will be fully satisfied with its goodness (Psalm 36:8). The comforts God gives are a constant feast for holy souls, even though some people despise the Lord’s table and its food because it is only plain bread (Malachi 1:12). Christ has a table in his kingdom, where all his saints will one day eat and drink with him forever (Luke 22:30).