The Tabernacle Template for Prayer - Table of Shewbread
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Text: John 16:13
Intro: As we talked about last week it is with the Spirit of God’s illumination that we turn to the Table of Shew bread. We have been emptied of ourselves, and filled with the Spirit and with the Spirits guidance that we now dive into the word of God.
This is the place in our prayer where we receive nourishment and equipping!
As on one side of the room we see that it is characterized by light, this side of the room we see is characterized by bread. Bread of course in the Bible is representative of the word of God
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
We don’t live by physical bread, but by every word of God!
A few aspects about the table of shewbread.
Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.
And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.
Now these cakes we would today refer to them as loaves of bread. There is 12 of them which undoubtedly, historically represents the 12 tribes of Israel. These loaves are laid out on a table and they are setting of pure gold, just think of that for a moment.
And he set the bread in order upon it before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses.
God had an order, like He has with everything in the Tabernacle. The details of this thing is incredible and the more I study it the more I realize that it is all here for a reason.
And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord.
And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.
And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon:
Here by its very name we get the idea that there is something about this table that God is looking to shew us…
As we have already established the bread is a picture or representation of the word of God.
And we have already seen that it is laid out in two rows of six.
God in our Bible represents deity, and here we have this understanding that the word of God did not come by the hands of man… But it was of divine origin and it came from non other than God Himself, and the reason that He wanted it laid out to this specific design is because this book is 66 books. We can’t come to this table and miss the connection of this thing representing the word of God.
This is the time in our prayer where practically we prepare ourselves to consume the word of God.
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.
This signifying to us as New Testament priest the daily, consumption of the word of God.
Jesus prayed in
Give us this day our daily bread.
We come to the table in the prayer of our heart that we might approach the word of God as Jeremiah did.
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
Oh Lord, may I find in the word, that which would be my joy and the rejoicing of my heart.
and like Job did...
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips;
I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
Lord, as I read your word today, help me to esteemed the words of your mouth, and as I eat physical food to sustain me, help me to see the necessity of my consumption of the spiritual food found in your word.
and like Paul as he instructs Timothy.
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
and we pray, Lord help me to be nourished up in the words of faith, help me to be equipped with the word of God, that as I go out, Lord you would lead and guide my life by it!
Altar of Incense:
Altar of Incense:
As we get to the Altar of Incense I wanted to share some thoughts that I had yesterday about this matter of prayer. This summer in July, I am coming up on 25 years since receiving Christ as my Saviour. In August, I it will make 21 years since I started preaching the word of God from behind a pulpit! I praise the Lord for that, and I am in aw… As I give consideration to the years that God has blessed me with! In 25 years of being saved and in 21 years of preaching I have learned a great deal about my Lord and Saviour, but do you know what else I have learned? That what I have learned has only scratched the surface in the depth of which He wants to lead me in a relationship with Him!
Over the years, something I have seen true in my life, and in the life of others as well. I think for the most part, Christians have a pretty good handle on the word of God. They read it everyday, they adsorb the truth, and they allow God to work in and through it in their lives. All of that is great, but do you know the area that is lacking in my life, and I believe is probably lacking in most of our lives? Is the matter of how we pray, and how we commune with God in true intimate prayer.
We are here in the Holy Place and there are three instruments or furnishings. All of which teach us about Christ and all of which teaches us about the Christian life. Through what we are learning we are trying to learn about prayer and apply this knowledge to our prayer that we might enter in and spend time with our God.
Left - Candlestick
Right - Table of Shewbread
Front- Altar of Incense
What is important that we see here is that these three instruments are the three instruments that are available to us in our pursuit of personal holiness. By it’s title, this room that we have entered into is called the Holy Place, and our time here, our time spent here in this place is what helps us, what helps our lives become a holy place unto the Lord.
These are the resources that God has given to us that we might be that Holy Place.
Holy Spirit- Candlestick
Word of God- Table of Shewbread
Prayer - Altar of Incense
My personal holy passage of Scripture, that God has used and uses daily in my life.
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
But this isn’t possible without the Spirit of God, the word of God, and prayers to God.
So we arrive at the Altar of Incense the Bible teaches us that this was the place where the High Priest would burn incense unto the Lord and that incense was a picture of prayer.
And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.
When the high priest would burn that incense what would happen is the smoke from that incense would fill the room, but not just the holy place but it would permeate through the veil and fill the most holy place also.
Something that we must remember as we are going through is that this is just a picture. The physical Tabernacle in the Old Testament, although it was real it was on a picture of a breathtaking reality which the Bible calls a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, which is in heaven. Heb. 9:11
Not only do we get to see the Tabernacle here on earth in great detail, but we also get a glimpse of the true tabernacle in heaven.
And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
We notice that in the true Tabernacle there is no mention of the Ark of the Covenant, that is because it isn’t there. That is because the Ark of the Covenant was just a picture of the throne of God! In the true Tabernacle, this isn’t a picture but it is a reality!
The prayers of the saints are kept in this golden censer and they are burned before the throne and they are in the nostrils of almighty God as a sweet smelling savor.
In our prayers, the Altar of Incense is the place of casting and requesting. When we entered into the gates we said back then that prayer was not about petitioning but praising but we also said that God affords us a place where we petition and this is it. It is as Peter spoke of us...
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
and as Paul says
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
What we are actually doing when we are praying, is we are depositing incense into the golden censer, and that angel comes before the throne and burns them and they are that which fills the nostrils of the God of heaven.
Is there something that you love to smell? When you smell it, don’t you just love it, and could just camp out in that?
When we pray, God looks to the Son, and the Spirit, and says, hmmm you smelling that! That is the sweet savour of the praying saints on earth!
That is how God views prayer...
Do you know how we view it?
Like a ball and chain… it is the necessary evil, that gives me a guilt trip every day because I never spend enough time here...
But when we get into this place, and we see how God views our prayers, and we see all of the intimacy of our relationship with God that we are actually missing out on, God uses this place to begin to change our mind and transform our thinking, and renews our mind and it is as if from the altar of incense that we hear the Lord Jesus...
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
And as if we can almost here God say to us in person as He did in...
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And we prayer and have a Saviour who was tempted in all points as we are, and He understands what we are going through and He is our help source and He is bidding us to come into this place and do what...
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
So we come to this blessed place of prayer to cast our cares upon Him, and to make our request known unto Him! And as we begin to understand this place of prayer we follow David...
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
and we join Him like he said in
Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense;
And the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
And we declare with Him...
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:
In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
He shall set me up upon a rock.
Do you understand what we are missing??? When we don’t go to this place of Tabernacle prayer…
We follow Paul to the altar of incense...
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
We follow Hannah...
And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.
Most importantly we follow our Lord Jesus Christ to this altar...
Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
And that is what the altar of incense is all about, it is that place on a daily basis that we come and we cast all of cares upon Him, and it is that place where we make all of our request known unto Him.
Closing:
We are going to end here today, but I hope your excited because next week we enter into the most special place that there is for us on this earth, and in heaven. The Most Holy place! The very presence of our God!