God's Instructions for the Table of Bread

“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. You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it. And you shall make a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and a molding of gold around the rim. And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs. Close to the frame the rings shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table. You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these. 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. And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly."

Exodus 25:23-30

This passage describes the specifications for the table for the bread of the Presence in the tabernacle. While this passage may seem pretty insignificant to New Covenant believers, the meaning goes beyond tabernacle specifications. 

The Lord commanded the people of Israel to create the table from the wood of the Acacia Tree. The table’s dimensions were to be very specific. By converting the height, length, and width from cubits to inches, the table was 27 inches tall, 26 inches long, and 18 inches wide. The table was to be coated in pure gold on top and around it. The people also were to fashion a 3 inch wide rim of pure molded gold to place on top of the table. This precision was necessary because an object that would be kept so close to God had to be made of the exact specifications and of only the finest materials. Four gold rings were to be fashioned to the sides of the table so that poles could be inserted as a way to transport the table without having to touch it. The poles were also to be made of Acacia wood and molded with gold. These poles were built so that the priests would not have to directly touch the table. Sinners must be very careful about touching what the Lord calls holy. The dishes used for serving the bread to the Lord had to be made of pure gold. The priests had to replace the bread each week, ensuring that the offering was always new and fresh for the Lord.

 

Just as the dimensions of the table had to be made to God’s exact specifications, so also must the people of God live according to His commands as prescribed by His word. If the people of Israel did not create the furniture of the tabernacle in the manner God had commanded, they would surely risk death. So also, the Lord’s people must strive to live according to the commands of His word. If we refuse to heed the instructions of the Lord, we are risking the wrath of the Lord (Romans 1:18).