The First Table. Exodus 25:23-30 A table is designed to support and elevate above the earth, protecting its contents from contamination. The first mention of a table in the Bible refers to a table used to hold the "bread of exhibition (showbread)," sometimes called “the bread of the Presence,” which symbolizes our Lord Jesus Christ in His perfect character—pure, holy, and balanced with a sense of evenness. The table measured three feet long, eighteen inches wide, and two and a quarter feet high—matching the height of the grate in the brazen altar and the mercy seat.
There was also a fragrance at that table because of the frankincense on the bread. The twelve loaves were a pound each, so they might have been round in shape and stacked to fit on the table, or made of a specific size and shape, including thickness. Each represented one of the tribes of Israel and illustrated the orderliness God expects from His community and unity with them. This also serves as a shadow of how believers today are connected in holy fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ.
The table should be considered in these verses because it symbolizes our Lord Jesus Christ. We are separated from the world by Him. We "are in the world, but not of the world." The wood and the gold represent the humanity and deity of our Lord. The table indicates the need for and blessing of fellowship with Him to receive the spiritual nourishment from God that we need. The three-inch crown around the edge of the table would prevent everything on the table from falling to the ground. The "border of a hand-breath" would keep each loaf in place and orderly. Each Israelite tribe was represented individually, and each touch the other loaves beside it.
Each person was different yet similar. Their testimony lies in what they share, not in their differences. The table teaches us that the One who has saved us and separated us from the world has given us His divine nature. His life is our life. We have been granted eternal life. The crown around the table reminds us that we are secure and need not think "any man will pluck us out" of His and the Father's hands. He is holding us safely until we reach home.
The "border of a handbreadth" must have kept each loaf in place and in contact with the ones next to it. The blessing of the table could only be experienced inside the Holy Place. The bread is called "cakes" (pierced cakes), probably a practical way to hasten the baking process. Our Lord Jesus was pierced when He suffered, and there was a fragrance on Him and in Him that could not be mistaken. The bread is called the "shewbread" or "bread of presence," indicating a special beauty in the order and the nourishing spiritual significance of the bread.
The table on the north side of the Holy Place was raised so that the bread could be easily seen and then eaten by worshipping and serving priests once a week. In other places, it is called "continual bread." It was always there, even when traveling, although it was covered with blue. The dishes and other items placed on the table were covered with scarlet, and the scarlet was covered with a badger's skin. The table was neither accessible nor open to anyone who was not a true priest or any priest who chose to do things his own way.
When David ate the bread from that table of shewbread, the ark wasn't there. Ahimelech could give that to those who were not priests because the presence of God had been removed from that place. A form can be followed today in many places that look similar to what God intended but are not of any value because God is not there. In some places, the ordinance that is supposed to be the Lord's Supper is open to anyone who wants to partake of what speaks of Christ, but He is not there. Some take the bread thinking their sins will be forgiven. Others have different reasons that are not biblical.
For seven days, the twelve loaves rested on that table where God could look upon them and be satisfied with the testimony they gave. After that, the loaves that satisfied God's heart, which had been there for seven days and were then removed and replaced with twelve new loaves, were given to the priests to eat in that place to meet their needs. The bread made of fine flour was the very best available. The priests could take the same food that pleased God in relation to the perfections of Christ and make it their own.
The risen and glorified Christ is symbolized in the table. We are raised and glorified "together with Him." He fulfills God's requirements and supports His people. We share fellowship, are nourished, and are sustained in God's sanctuary by the Bread of God. Fellowship and communion must be our careful focus because divine growth follows the new birth we have experienced. These loaves of bread were eaten in that special, chosen place. To enjoy Christ, we need to be in fellowship with Him. In our communion with Him, our souls are fed by His Word, and thoughts that nourish my soul from the scriptures strengthen me to live for Him and witness about Him. His perfection has brought us to God, and it is His perfection that keeps our communion with God.
To summarize, the first two pieces of furniture in this chapter, in the Tabernacle, were the ark, signifying the presence of God with His people. This is the key point of the entire structure being made and placed in the middle of the camp of Israel. The table of showbread signified the people of Israel being presented to God. God had been good to them in providing food on a “table in the wilderness.” Later, they would eat “the old corn of the land when they reached the promised land.” A table indicates communion with God and spiritual provision for us today, which has been given through the message of the Gospel.
The shewbread table lifts us from the dissatisfaction of the world to a place where we have communion and fellowship with God because of our position in Christ. We then feed on Him and are given the sustenance to maintain an ongoing testimony each week. As the bread is changed weekly, we are strengthened and built up in our faith each week as our communion and fellowship with the saints of God continue.