#1. Concerning the Table of Shewbread, what picture or symbol do you see in the Priest's eating the bread?

-- Anonymous, October 28, 1998

Answers

Rob, Mark, Jenny, Lowell

Rob - I liked your comments. Indeed today our focus point for nourishment of God, for eternity is the Bread of Life.

Mark - Your follow-up was also good. You are correct in that there are many that find it too hard and perhaps too radical. And when it comes to Salvation, find it too easy. It's like there must be something else that I have to do (work for it).

Jenny - I also like your comment the Jesus is the complete fulfillment of the shewbread.

Lowell - Likewise, good comments.

So far everyone has focused on the Christ as the Bread of Life and certainly that is a picture of the Priest eating the bread. However, I had a slightly different thought in mind. I won't share it just yet. I would like for everyone to have a chance to share his or her thoughts. I will say that mine focuses more on the Priest.

-- Anonymous, November 04, 1998

Jim - Everyone

Jim - Good answer. I like the comment "This fellowship is wonderfully demonstrated in our observing the Lord's Supper, as we gather around another Table not unlike the table of shewbread and as New Testament Priets we fellowship in the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ."

What about the Priest? Is there any picture we can draw about the Priest?

-- Anonymous, November 09, 1998

Ok, here is my other idea.

Concerning the Priest's relationship to the Shewbread, it was their food. This bread was not the type of bread made for kings, it was unleavened and not the best tasting in the world. The Priests, regardless of their dignity, self-righteousness, or elcted position, were required to partake of the unleavened bread. All of them and to eat it.

It does not matter how good we think we are, our position in life, or how much money we have, we too must take Christ, the living word, into our hearts for salvation. His righteousness imputed to us, or charged to our account, is the only kind of righteousness God will recognize.

-- Anonymous, November 17, 1998

I think the best avenue, since Christ is our High Priest is to see in Scripture where Christ and bread are mentioned together. the obvious text is John 6.

John 6:25-29 "And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

We are to prusue Christ not for the food that perishes, which the Jews sought after in order to have their bellies filled and not their hearts. They were exhorted to labour for the meat or food which does not perish. That work if it were a heart regenerated by God would have to Necessarily a work of God in faith that he provides.

John 6:33-35 "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."

The focus point for nourishment of God which last for eternity is the Bread of Life, which is Christ. The Priest eating the bread as an imperfect person shows us that he must partake of the nourishment of God. So Christ, the bread of life may be partook of by His royal priesthood and peculiar people. The priest can be an illustration of this, not a type, but an illustration.

John 6:48-51 "I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

To wrap it up we can that by we aourselves partaking in this bread may have life and not die as Israel did in the wilderness because they did not have the true Bread of Heaven which the Father sent from heaven.

-- Anonymous, October 28, 1998

Great comments, Rob... I would like to continue on with the same passage-John 6. I love the discourse which followed Jesus' Bread of Life teaching:

52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. 59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

I think the Jews were aghast.."eat His flesh, drink His Blood????"

In verse 66, we are told that at this point, many of His followers turned back. Jesus said to His disciples (my paraphrase) well, are you going to leave too?

Peter answered and said: 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

Once we've eaten His flesh, we won't turn back. A lot of people will profess to love Him, to follow Him, to serve Him, but when it comes down to "eating His flesh and drinking His blood"...it's just too hard. It's too radical. When I think of the priest, coming to the table of shewbread, after consecrating himself, cleansing at the laver, having sacrificed the substitute at the brazen altar. Now is the point of no return...will he "eat His flesh", the very Bread of Life?

I haven't read the chapters yet, and it will bear more study, but it would seem to me that the eating the shewbread was the final sign of true committment. We can "play church" and say "Lord, Lord"...and still never really know Him. The question of the security of the believer is imbedded here as well (I believe)...once you've eaten His flesh,and drank His blood, you like Peter have NO ONE ELSE TO TURN TO< NOWHERE ELSE TO GO! Praise His Holy Name!

Blessings...Mark

-- Anonymous, October 28, 1998

The priests were the only ones that were able to eat of the shewbread that was placed on the pure table before the LORD. Levitus 24:5-9 "And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. And it shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute." (KJV))

It was suppose to be set before the LORD continually every Sabbath. It was to be taken from the children of Israel as an everlasting covenant. It was suppose to be eaten in the holy place made bythe fire by a perpetual statute.

As stated by the other two students before me. Jesus indeed called Himiself the "Bread of Life." John 6:35 says, "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." (KJV)

Frankincense was placed on the bread for a memorial. Frankincense was offered as a gift to Christ. Matthew 2:11 says, "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." (KJV)

Jesus is the Complete fulfillment of the shewbread. When you partake of Him you never hunger. We can partake of Him. 1 Peter 2:5 says, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (KJV)

We are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

David partook of the shewbread unlawfully, but Christ has an answer to the ones that asked Him.

Mark 2:25-28 says, "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." (KJV)

The Son of man is the Lord!

-- Anonymous, October 29, 1998

In the priest eating the shewbread I see the Lord Jesus Christ for he said he was the bread which, came down from heaven which gave life unto the world, so the priest ate of the shewbread, so we eat of the word of God and feed on the word of Jesus Christ. So we eat of the bread of life and he said, he that cometh unto me shall never hunger.

-- Anonymous, November 01, 1998

Sorry to be so late getting into the discussion. Obviously in John 6 we find a strong parallel with Christ as the Bread of Life. Let me add a little additional thought. At the last passover supper before Jesus dies the scripture says "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.." (Luke 22:19) throughout the Bible bread has always been a staple of life, from the manna given in the wilderness to the feeding of the five thousand men have sought bread. Not only did Jesus profess to be the bread of life, He became the broken bread. It is not surprising to find that the Table of shewbread in the Tabernacle was a place of fellowship for the priests, for we can only fellowship through the broken body of Christ, This fellowship is wonderfully demonstrated in our observing the Lord's Supper, as we gather around another Table not unlike the table of shewbread and as New Testament Priets we fellowship in the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. Who through His broken body and shed blood we have etrnal life.

-- Anonymous, November 04, 1998