The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 24:5-9,
"Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf. Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. By each stack put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the Lord. This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in the sanctuary area, because it is a most holy part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord."
Here is a part of the instructions the Lord gave Moses for setting up the tabernacle and the worship that was to take place there. This passage speaks of the showbread or, "bread of the presence". 12 loaves, made with 7 pounds of flour each were to be stacked on the table situated for that purpose in the tabernacle. Two stacks of six each. The 12 loaves are thought to be a reference to the 12 tribes of Israel.
The bread was to be exchanged with fresh bread on each sabbath, with the older loaves shared among the priests to be consumed on the tabernacle premises. Historical records of Israel indicate a bit of a ceremony that was followed when the bread was changed each week, with the result that there was never a minute when bread was not present before the Lord.
I can't help but think of Jesus Christ as I read of these loaves. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35. He explained that he was the "bread" that God the father had sent from heaven that gives life to the world, verse 33. In verse 51 he further explained, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
When Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples (the last supper), we read, "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'" Matthew 26:26. This speaks of the spiritual reality that when we embrace Jesus Christ in faith, we partake of his body that gave he up on the cross, paying the penalty for our sins-- creating the opportunity for us to have that payment for sin credited to our account with the Father.
"Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf. Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. By each stack put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the Lord. This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in the sanctuary area, because it is a most holy part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord."
Here is a part of the instructions the Lord gave Moses for setting up the tabernacle and the worship that was to take place there. This passage speaks of the showbread or, "bread of the presence". 12 loaves, made with 7 pounds of flour each were to be stacked on the table situated for that purpose in the tabernacle. Two stacks of six each. The 12 loaves are thought to be a reference to the 12 tribes of Israel.
The bread was to be exchanged with fresh bread on each sabbath, with the older loaves shared among the priests to be consumed on the tabernacle premises. Historical records of Israel indicate a bit of a ceremony that was followed when the bread was changed each week, with the result that there was never a minute when bread was not present before the Lord.
I can't help but think of Jesus Christ as I read of these loaves. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35. He explained that he was the "bread" that God the father had sent from heaven that gives life to the world, verse 33. In verse 51 he further explained, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
When Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples (the last supper), we read, "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'" Matthew 26:26. This speaks of the spiritual reality that when we embrace Jesus Christ in faith, we partake of his body that gave he up on the cross, paying the penalty for our sins-- creating the opportunity for us to have that payment for sin credited to our account with the Father.
Jesus Christ: the Bread of Life
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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