Exodus 25:23-40 NKJV
After the ark, which resided in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle, Moses was commanded to make a table and a lampstand. These holy objects would reside in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. The table—made of the same lumber as the ark and overlaid with gold—was for the showbread, or “the Bread of the Presence,” since it was set in God’s presence in the Holy Place. The showbread consisted of twelve loaves of bread, one for each tribe of Israel. These loaves served as a perpetual offering to the Lord, not to eaten by the Lord, but by the priests on the Sabbath when new loaves were presented. The lampstand was for giving light to the Holy Place. Three branches came out of both sides of the lampstand so that the lampstand consisted of seven lights. These lamps were to burn and give light continually (Lev 24:2), even at night when the priest did not enter.
Like the Tabernacle and the Ark, these appointments signified the coming Christ and His ministry. Christ presented Himself as the bread of life. “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). We eat of Christ’s flesh when we believe His gospel. His forgiveness and the promise of everlasting life nourishes our souls. He also gives us His very flesh to eat in the bread of the Lord’s Supper, where believers eat Christ’s body and drink His blood sacramentally for the forgiveness of sins.
Christ also says, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Christ illuminates our hearts and minds through His teaching. His light shows us our sins so that we repent them and believe His gospel. Walking in the light of Christ, “we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). His light also guides our steps so that we walk in the newness of life and willfully live according to God’s commandments.
Let us pray: We give You thanks, O Bread of Life and Light of the Word, for the nourishment and illumination You bring to us through Your gospel. Grant that we may ever feast on You and walk in Your light by faith. Amen.