90_A table of fellowship

Ex 25:23-30 “You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 24 You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it. 25 And you shall make a rim around it a handbreadth[d] wide, and a molding of gold around the rim. 26 And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 27 Close to the frame the rings shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table. 28 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these. 29 And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. 30 And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.

Lev 24:5-9 “You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. 6 And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. 7 And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the Lord. 8 Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the Lord regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever. 9 And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the Lord’s food offerings, a perpetual due.”

One winter evening, in a small town, a group of strangers was stranded at a train station due to an unexpected snowstorm. With no place to go, they gathered around a small table in the waiting area, sharing the food they had. At first, they ate in silence, but as the hours passed, conversations began to flow, and barriers of age, background, and nationality melted away. By the time the train arrived, they were no longer strangers but a close-knit group, bound by the fellowship of the table. This scene reminds us of what God intends for His people—a table of fellowship where unity, provision, and communion are found in His presence.

Like the ark of the covenant, the table of shewbread was made of acacia wood covered with gold. Though smaller and narrower, it stood as high as the ark, signifying its importance. This table was not just a piece of furniture in the Tabernacle; it signified our relationship with God. Throughout Scripture, a table represents fellowship and communion. Man was created in the image of God, enjoying unbroken fellowship with Him in the Garden of Eden. However, when Adam and Eve refused to trust God, and disobeyed him as a result, their relationship with him was shattered. They were cast out. This broken relationship between God and man quickly led to broken relationships among people. Cain, their first son, murdered his brother Abel through jealousy.

God’s mercy made a way to restore our lost relationship with him. In Christ, he made peace with us. 1 John 1:3,7 reveals, “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ… But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” The table of shewbread was placed in the holy place, always in the light of the lampstand. We too are called to remain in the light of God’s presence. When we walk in the light, our fellowship with Him and with one another remains unbroken.

The acacia wood of the table reminds us of the humanity of Jesus, who, though divine, took on flesh and learned obedience through suffering. Paul expresses his deep longing in Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.” True fellowship with Christ means sharing in His suffering, obeying God in faith despite opposition and trouble. In this way we experience the unshakable hope of sharing in His glory.

The table also speaks of God’s provision and protection. David, in Psalm 23, declares, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” He goes on to say, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Though David faced many adversaries, he was set in security, honour, and comfort at the Lord’s table. In God’s presence, no enemy can threaten us, for He is our host.

Upon the table were twelve identical loaves of bread, made from fine flour and arranged in two stacks. These loaves represented the tribes of Israel. Some tribes were larger and more powerful than others. One tribe held priestly privileges and another kingly rights. Yet, before God, all were equally represented. The table teaches us that in Christ, there is no distinction. We are all the children of God, created in His image, and redeemed by the blood of His Son.

The bread, known as the bread of the presence, represented the people of God in unity. Each loaf was made of two omers of flour. One omer was the measure of manna prescribed for each person, the daily portion of food. This signified that each loaf could sustain two people. Our lives, labor, and sustenance come from God and are meant to be shared. The loaves remained before the Lord from sabbath to sabbath, replaced weekly in a holy act of worship. The frankincense on the stack of bread produced a pleasing aroma to God. This reminds us that our labor, our daily lives, and even our joys should be presented before the Lord in holiness.

The table of shewbread also portrays the unity of God’s people. Though Israel was later divided into two kingdoms, God always saw them as one people, his people. In Ezekiel 37:16-17, God instructs the prophet to take two sticks, representing the divided kingdoms, and join them as one, signifying their union. Christ himself broke down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, making one new people in Himself. John 17:11 records his prayer, “That they may be one, even as We are one.” Paul urges us in Ephesians 4:3 to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” We cannot and need not create unity, for it is the work of God, but we must diligently maintain it. The pure frankincense placed on the loaves represents the sweet-smelling fragrance of our unity before the Lord.

Like the ark, the table had a gold rim on all sides to prevent the bread from slipping off, signifying the security we have in Christ. Jesus reassures us in John 10:29, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” In Christ, we are protected and preserved.

Finally, Aaron and his sons were commanded to eat the bread in a holy place, for it was a most holy portion of the Lord’s offerings. We also, as God’s royal priesthood, live by him and in His presence. No part of our life should be lived apart from God. The Lord’s table is holy to us because it represents and reminds us of him. When we gather at the Lord’s Table in communion, we proclaim the death and resurrection of Christ, which restored our fellowship with God and with one another.

Let us give thanks for our fellowship with God and His people. Let us present our lives daily before Him who sees us and provides for us. Let us commit our work to Him, for it is sanctified by his presence. Let us cherish and maintain the unity of the Spirit, so that we may display the beauty of God’s redemptive plan. Let our lives, like the bread on the table, be a continual offering, pleasing and acceptable in His sight. God bless.