God broke a 400-year silence to say, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Although we haven’t read yet about the tabernacle’s layout, it helps to know there were three main parts. A large courtyard, surrounded by a high white linen fence, had only one gate. The tabernacle proper was 30 cubits (45’) long, 10 cubits (15’) wide, and 10 cubits (15’) high. It was subdivided by a tapestry wall, with the most sacred part, the Most Holy Place, being 10 x 10 cubits square, and the rest, called the Holy Place, being 10 x 20 cubits. The Ark was the only furniture in the Most Holy Place, but there were three pieces in the Holy Place. The first mentioned is this Table of Showbread. What was it for? Well, if this was God’s home-away-from-home, let it be known by all that He is hospitable! Every week the priests placed 12 loaves there in two rows of six. On top of each row was a golden dish with frankincense, which was burned before the Lord at the end of the week. I suggest this points to Christ’s sole desire to please His Father. The loaves were called “showbread” or, literally, “facebread.” Did they represent the 12 tribes of Israel? I think not! They pictured God’s wonderful provision for us in Christ, but the bread was “before” the Lord (Ex 25:30) for a whole week before the priests, representing the people, got to enjoy it. Does God need bread? We’ve seen that He doesn’t need fuel the way we do. But this bread spoke first of the Father’s satisfaction in His Son. If God wasn’t satisfied with Him, it wouldn’t matter if we were. The Lord Jesus, “the bread of God” (Jn 6:33), invites us to dine. Listen! “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (14:23). He wants real face-time now, before we enter our heavenly home!