April 30


And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always. Exodus 25:30


This showbread is a picture of Christ, the bread of life. There are two words used for it in the Old Testament. The first, used here in this verse, means literally, ‘the bread of the Presence’. The second word, in Leviticus 24:5, indicates that the bread has been pierced or, literally, ‘wounded’. Putting the two words together, we have ‘the pierced bread of the Presence’. At its simplest level, this is yet one more proof of God’s plan that through the crucifixion of His Son the world should be saved. God caused these hidden details to be written into the weave of Israel’s life and history. At its most sublime level, these words indicate that we can nourish ourselves by letting the Presence of Jesus fill our hearts and lives. This is only possible because He was wounded for us. As we approach God, emptying ourselves of pride and independence from Him, we are able to let that precious Presence wash over us, fill us, refresh and heal us. As we abide in that Presence, we abound in health – mental, physical and spiritual. Abiding in His Presence, we worship and are made whole. God ordered the showbread to be always fresh before Him in the Tabernacle, because this alone can teach the truth that Christ is always fresh and new in mercy and nourishment as we let Him fill us and feed us.