Movatterモバイル変換

1 Corinthians 14:40
Let all things be done decently and in order.

pure

Exodus 25:23,24
Thou shalt also make a tableof shittim wood: two cubitsshall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof…

Exodus 37:10-16
And he made the tableof shittim wood: two cubitswas the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof: …

Exodus 39:36
The table,and all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread,

on the table of pure gold
The table of pure gold signifies the holiness and purity required in the presence of God. Gold, a precious and incorruptible metal, represents divinity and the eternal nature of God. The use of gold in the tabernacle and later the temple underscores the sacredness of the space where God dwells among His people. This table, located in the Holy Place, was part of the tabernacle's furnishings, which included the lampstand and the altar of incense, all pointing to the heavenly realities and the coming of Christ, who fulfills these symbols.

before the LORD
Placing the bread before the LORD indicates that it is offered directly to God, emphasizing His centrality in worship. This phrase highlights the concept of living in the presence of God, a theme that runs throughout Scripture. The bread's continual presence before the LORD serves as a reminder of God's constant provision and the need for His people to live in a state of perpetual worship and dependence on Him. In the New Testament, Jesus refers to Himself as the "bread of life" (John 6:35), fulfilling the symbolism of the showbread as the true sustenance and presence of God among His people.

Leviticus 24:5–9 introduces the “bread of the Presence.” God instructs Moses to have twelve cakes baked from fine flour. Verse 6 then directs, “and set them in two rows—six per row—on the table of pure gold before the LORD”. Earlier,Exodus 25:30 had already commanded, “You are to set the Bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.” By repeating and expanding the instructions here, God underscores the ongoing covenant fellowship between Himself and the twelve tribes of Israel, represented by the twelve loaves (cf.Numbers 7:12–89).

• The table itself (Exodus 25:23–24) was overlaid with pure gold, signifying holiness and divine glory (cf.Revelation 21:18).

• Its placement “before the LORD” in the Holy Place (Hebrews 9:2) reveals the constant accessibility and watchful care of God toward His people.

• Gold’s incorruptibility mirrors God’s unchanging covenant faithfulness (Psalm 111:5).

• The loaves are not piled randomly; they are arranged intentionally. The neat rows highlight order and clarity in worship (1 Corinthians 14:40).

• Two rows emphasize balance: six on one side, six on the other, echoing how the tribes camped on different sides of the tabernacle (Numbers 2).

• The priestly duty to arrange the bread “in two rows” shows that obedience in detail matters to God (Leviticus 10:3).

• Twelve loaves = twelve tribes, each tribe perpetually remembered before God (Isaiah 49:16).

• Bread points to provision; God alone supplies what sustains physical and spiritual life (Deuteronomy 8:3).

• “Before the LORD” conveys fellowship: God invites His people to share His presence, foreshadowing Christ, “the living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:51).

• The weekly replacement (Leviticus 24:8) suggests continual renewal, anticipating the New Covenant in which believers enjoy unbroken communion with Christ (Hebrews 10:19–22).

• Orderly, reverent worship remains vital; we approach God on His terms, not ours (Hebrews 12:28).

• The bread’s position “before the LORD” reminds us that Christ ever lives to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25).

• Just as priests ate the replaced loaves in a holy place (Leviticus 24:9), believers now partake spiritually of Christ in ongoing fellowship (1 Corinthians 10:16).

• The pure gold table invites us to guard the purity of our own worship and lives (2 Corinthians 7:1).

Leviticus 24:6 commands that twelve loaves be arranged “in two rows—six per row—on the table of pure gold before the LORD.” Literally and historically, the instruction ensured that every tribe was continually represented in God’s presence. Symbolically, it speaks of God’s unbroken provision, order, and fellowship, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, the Bread of Life, through whom believers today enjoy constant access to the Father.

Upon the pure table.--According to the interpretation which obtained during the second Temple, this denotes that the cakes are to be put upon the table itself, and not upon the hollow golden rods which were on the table to allow the air to pass through to prevent the shewbread becoming mouldy during the week. These hollow tubes are to be placed between the cakes, whilst the cakes themselves are to be put on the table itself and not on the tubes, so as to be raised above the table.

Before the Lord.--That is, the table which stood before the Lord, for it was placed in the sanctuary. The cakes, therefore, which were thus ranged upon it were constantly before God. Hence, not only is the table called "the table of His Presence" (Numbers 4:7), but the cakes are called "the bread of His Presence" (Exodus 25:30;Exodus 35:13;Exodus 39:36). The rendering of the Authorised Version, "table of shewbread," and "shewbread," is taken from Luther, and does not express the import of the names. The names, "the bread set in order," "the sets of bread," and the "table set in order," which were given to the cakes (1Chronicles 9:32;1Chronicles 23:29;2Chronicles 13:11;Nehemiah 10:33) and to the table (2Chronicles 29:18) in later times, and which are unjustifiably obliterated in the Authorised Version, are derived from this verse where the cakes are ordered to be ranged in two "sets." . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...