TABLE OF SHEWBREAD

Again, get your Bible out. Get your journal out. We're going to take a deeper step into um the tabernacle as we have been doing since the first of the year. The tabernacle was God's plan for humanity. Uh I I trust that since January, you have enjoyed the note takingaking, enjoyed the the study and the different prospects and different things going on in the word of the Lord, trying to help us to grow, draw closer to him in this hour. I think the church has to be the church. And in order to be so, we have to understand more about God's plan for us. We got to live past the heebie-jebies and the goosebumps.

We got to live past the the things that God does that makes us smile, our happiness, and all of that. We got to look past all of that. And we have to discover a relationship with God. We do that by Wednesday nights. We go into the word. I I honor uh Pastor Sam, Pastor Dan for their study and their instruction last month. Brother Dan talked about the curtain of separation. Wonderful job talking about how the outside, the inside, God had distinctions there. Um, God spoke to Moses, we have discovered, on Mount Si, and gave every detail and every specific thing that he was to do in order to have communication with him.

Exodus 25, let's begin there. Exodus 25:1, the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, this is interesting here, speak unto the children of Israel. Notice what God tells Moses to tell them. That they bring me an offering. Tada. Speak unto the children of Israel that they bring me an offering. Ready? Of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart. Ye shall take my offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them. This is what they're going to bring. They are going to willingly bring from their heart gold and silver and brass and blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen and goats hair, ramkins dyed red, badger skin, shidamwood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil or for sweet and for sweet incense, onx stones, stones to be set in ephod and in the breastplate.

And let them make me a sanctuary. Tell them, "Bring an offering, and make a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them, according to all that I shoe thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, the pattern of the instruments thereof. Even so shall you make it." First Moses, tell them to bring an offering, and tell them all the things that they need to bring. Don't tell them, don't tell them to bring whatever they just kind of feel like. I need gold, silver, bronze. This is the items I need. Let them bring it to you. and then with that make me a sanctuary. Now the reason this is important is because go again you know we live in 2025 things are looked at differently.

If we can give of our tithe and we can give an offering in the offering plate or a coin we drop in a token that says that we gave then we can feel fulfilled when the fact remains is that we still even today are required to bring him an offering. Now, please don't get sidetracked thinking that pastor's lost his mind and simply wants my money. That's not God. That's not what God is saying. What God is saying is willingly look at what you possess and bring that. And when you bring that, if it's proper, I will accept it. You as a new man or a new woman in Christ, you now have to decide how much you worship the God that just saved you.

How much do you want to really please him? If you want to worship God and you want to please him and you want to make a connection with him and a relationship with him, bring an offering. Now, follow me again. Please get that out of your mind. That pastor saying it cost me a hundred bucks to get here. That's not what I'm saying. And I'm saying an offering that could be done in such multiple things, multiple ways. Now in this example that we read, there was specifics that God said, gold, silver, bron. This was specific because God was telling them, "Make me a sanctuary." Now, out of the stuff that you bring, out of the items that you take from your possession and you offer to God, those are going to be used specifically to build a sanctuary for the most high.

Today, 2025, again, we are the church. We are the called out ones, the clelesia. We are the ones that have come from this and we're going to that. It still cost us. There are still things that we bring now because we are the church physically. We have to have we declare within ourselves. We agree amongst the church that we need a place to do that. God's not asking for us to bring the gold, silver, bronze, scarlet, linen, the onyx stones for the ephod. He's not asking for that today. But what he's asking for is that we continuously search ourselves to bring him something. Now, God said, "I need a sanctuary."

That's a place where you can come and I can come. It's a place set apart for the sole purpose of worshiping God. Listen to me carefully, please. It's not a place to run and play. It's not a room to for the desires of man, but it's a place set aside for a time that can be used in worshiping God. That's what we are looking at here at CAC. The measurements, the materials, the methods, the things that we are assembling, if you will, for our church facility, they're there for us to have a place to gather together to encourage one another. Ecclesia, that's the group of called out ones. When they were first called Christians at Antioch, the Bible says it's because they were a group that believed the same thing.

That's that's us today. Now, the purpose that God had for Moses at that time was sin has come. Transgression is here. I can't spend time with you. But if you will do this, I will give you the plan. I will give you the materials. I'll give you the wisdom and understanding on how to do it. You bring the offering. You bring the items. Then I'll help you with the wisdom, the physical to be able to put it together, but you've got to do the work. Now, if I may, side note, God could have simply said, "Let there be a sanctuary." And there would have been a sanctuary. But that's not what God did. God said, "Man, do this."

The beauty of that is this. He lets us be involved with it. He allows us the opportunity to be connected to it. In that friend is where we can draw soulless to say God you are holy high. You are exalted. You're mighty. You fill the earth and the heavens. You are so glorious. But yet you allow me to be a part of what you do. Thank you for that. That ought to humble us every day to know that God's moving in our lives. God's allowing us to be with him. The old-timers used to sing it song this way. He didn't have to do it. But he did. Huh? Why? He gave us an opportunity to know him, to serve him, and to love him.

So, we should be thankful for that every day. Let's move forward just a smidge if you would. We're going to spend this month of June examining the details of a piece of furniture that was in the holy place. It's the table of shoebre. Okay. When he came out of the ruckus and the noise and the the smoke and the ash and the embers and all the the bleeding of animals and all of the mooing of cows and all the stuff that went on in the outer court. When when you get past that and you draw back the curtain to come into the holy place. This is not the holy of holies. It's the holy place. That is a curtain as brother Gibson mentioned of separation from here to there.

I mentioned this Sunday. I think that there's something about that noise, distractions, ruckus, stuff going on that can cause us to be worried and fretful and fearful about what's happening out here. And we forget that that's not the destination. That's the start. The altar was meant to take the blood and the flesh and to burn it and to make it a perpetual something unto God. The water was there to wash and to cleanse to make sure that that junk didn't get into a holy place. But when we step beyond the curtain, I can only imagine the hush, the quiet, the peace, the solitude, if you will, the separation, no more distractions around.

Imagine the priest that came in saw this table of showbread instantly his countenance, his mindset would change to focus on God's blessing. Notice this table of shoebre was not a table to you be used to cut veggies and meat up to put in a stew. That's not what the table was for. It wasn't a table that was used to play Canasa or used to play Monopoly or anything like that. That's not what this table was for. But this was a gold layered table that would hold bread and frankincense as a memorial before the Lord God in the holy place. The priest, they understood fully what this meant for them. They were the ones that partook of the bread on this table of showbread.

Now, the bread was to be baked outside the holy place and exchanged every Sabbath. Okay? The Bible says, you can read it in Exodus, that this was to always be before the Lord. This bread was always to be there. The frankincense that was brought there, laid, set upon, the the instruments that were used on that table, they were all put there before the Lord as a memorial. The bread was always before the Lord because he always sustains. He always fills us. He always has sustenance for us. Historians re read or wrote this and and I did some research on it because as y'all know that's I enjoy doing that that there was a family that was given the responsibility for baking this shoebre.

Coronicles 1 Chronicles tells this of course that's the the king's writings. That's that's what tells first and second Chronicles is what tells things that went on the events. This is the the writing of things. 1 Chronicles 9:32. And other of their brethren and of the sons of the Kathites were over the shoebre to prepare it every Sabbath. So this family Kohath was the name of one of the three sons of Levi. This of course the sons of Levi. Levi was that Levitical tribe was the tribe that would be set aside for God to use that tribe. That group of people in the priesthood in the service of the Lord, the preparing of the things of God.

And Kohath is one of those sons of Levi. God gave him the skills, the skills needed, gave to that group what they would need to know about how to bake the shoebread. History declares that there was one family of the Kathites that made this and and and there came a time in history, the Talmet. In fact, if you go and you study that, I sometimes do because it interests me very much, that there was a family that was given this responsibility and their portion of the shoebre that was given to the service of God. They wouldn't let their kids eat any bread that was similar to they didn't want the rest of the people to think that their children were eating holy bread.

If if you know anything about biblical history, you know that that God actually called it an abomination because somebody took bread from the table to give to the troops, the warriors, and that was an abomination before God. That's how holy the table of shoebre is. So this particular group at one time got upset with this family of Garmu, this family that was under Kohath that was in that tribe of Levi. And so they got rid of them and they brought in workers from Alexandria, Egypt. They were bakers. They were good bakers. They were capable bakers. The history, this the reason this is intriguing to me is that history also says that they came in.

They were able to bake bread to put on the table of shoebre. Now again, this is in the temple, not tabernacle. I'm giving you some separation here so we understand what God has done in the tabernacle in the wilderness. When they brought these bakers out of Alexandria, something interesting happened. First of all, the bread that they baked would mold. It would get hard and stale and crusty and fall apart. It was unable to sit for more than a couple of days. Had no ingredients in there that would be leavened that would cause it to rise. That was God's plan. And so, they had to bring this family back that was of the tribe of Levi.

When they began to bake the bread again, it was right again. The interesting thing also that I discovered through reading history and reading how this all began, the table of shoebre the the stories that you read in history says that the recipe that was used for this bread is no no longer found. History for those who like it uh we understand that Jerusalem burned in 70 AD. Most likely that recipe was part of what was destroyed in that fire. There have been multiple multiple multiple times that people have tried to remake it and redo it and so forth. The fact remains while God was providing the wisdom, the knowledge and understanding to the people, Moses was instructing them, this is what God said.

Then God began to give wisdom and insight to those who were specifically doing jobs in the tabernacle table of shoebread. Isn't it interesting that God did not simply concern himself with an altar? He didn't simply concern himself with a labor, but every detail down to what incense was to be burned, how the oil was to be prepared for the candlestick, and how the recipe was to be put together for the table of shoebre. All of that was perfectly organized and orchestrated. That is such an incredible detail of how much God cares. Now for those who who who again want to dig deeper, the things of God are perfect.

We as humans, we we are the ones that can fail, can falter, can lose our way. And many times, allow me to to simply help us here. Many times we can lose the vision and the desire that God has for us. None none of us really are quite worthy of the goodness and mercies of God. Agreed. And every day they're new because it's a new reminder to us of God's blessings. Question in your journal. Why did God require the priest to change the bread on the Sabbath? Old, new? Another st two stacks of six and six. Frankincense, the instrument, everything put there. Why the Sabbath? Because God required that every day provision be made and every week they remember that it comes from the hand of God.

You and I today 2025, man, we can get so sideways sometimes on our emotions and our feelings and I'm just not happy. I don't feel joy. Things like that. And we can blame God for that. That if there was really a God that that cared, if there was really a God that was concerned, then surely I wouldn't hurt. Surely there wouldn't be sickness and disease, and there wouldn't be trials and and things happen in my life. When the fact remains, what the table of shoebre indicates to us as we study and look into it deeper is that every day provision is made. Every moment of every day, there is something there that we can dig into.

The Bible refers to the word of God as bread. And I know that's an easy connection. Bread of life, the word of God is bread. That shoe bread, we can connect all of that. Here's the value of that reminder is constantly it's always a memorial before the Lord. It sets on that table for a purpose. It doesn't mold. It doesn't spoil. It doesn't get hard and crusty. It is usable every day. And then on the Sabbath when we keep it holy and we remember the good things of God and we understand the blessings and the the goodness of the Lord in our lives, then we are reminded again. Friend, I I want you to understand and Midweek University is about studying the the good things and applying the good things of God to our lives.

Please understand God wants us to live a healthy, fruitful, and multiplied life. But if we don't understand the altar and we don't comprehend the labor and we don't get the curtain of separation and we don't truly wrap our minds around the table of shoebread and what it's for, then we will miss the details that are so applicable to our lives even today. I'm thankful for an altar and I know you are as well. I'm thankful that I decided I needed cleansing. I repented. I made a physical change and I came and I brought a sacrifice. I died there. I killed that indication. And then ministry took over and began to make that sacrifice presentable to God.

And then I was washed in the labor of water. My sins, my transgressions were were washed and and and I was made new creature in him. But I did not listen to me. I did not get out of the labor. I did not get out of the water and turn and walk right back out, go about my business thinking that all had been accomplished. The altar and the labor simply brought me to the presence of God. And in the presence of God, I can be sustained. The table of shoebre was there. It was gold over it was shidum wood overlaid gold on it and it had a had a had a rim around the top. Had a hands breath had a had a ledge so the the vessels wouldn't fall off so that the bread wouldn't fall to the ground so that the frankincense wouldn't tip over.

All of the things needed right there was indication. I'm not even talking yet. We're not even into the golden candlestick. That's a study for next time. Not even into the altar of incense. That's a study for next time. Not even into the holy of holies and the ark of the that's for the next time. But I'm simply talking about the substance that God gives us daily. Give us this day our daily bread. Please don't turn that into something to eat with soup, but turn that into something that means I remember the provision and the blessings of God daily. The table of shoebread was for that. As we study and as we we make oursel available through this study, a couple things I want you to understand.

The purpose of God in the tabernacle was to build and develop relationship and and communication with humanity. Otherwise, transgression and sin would have separated us. God would have washed us off. In fact, God even told Moses, "Move out of the way. I'll kill everybody and I'll restart." But when the man of God stepped in the way and began to make himself available to God, before you kill them, take me too. God said, "Okay, I repent of that. I turn from that." And because of that, God began to establish the plan for humanity. You and I in 2025, we can still receive the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost.

We can go past the altar. We can go past the labor. We can go right into the holy place if we submit ourselves to each part of that plan. Don't think that you can walk. Follow me. Don't think that our world around us is going to allow us. Don't think that the word of God is going to permit us to walk past the altar, past the labor, past the curtain, past the table, past the cold candlestick, past the altar of incense into the holiest of holies and simply say, "God, give me." That is not the way it works. God sits on the mercy seat. He's the one that sustains. The table of shoebread was used to help us to understand, to help humanity to recognize and to realize God's provision is constant.

It's a memorial every day to remember the good things and the blessings of God. We're going to study it through the next several weeks on Midweek University. We're going to look deeper into the the purposes and the meanings and how history reveals to us the glory of God in the table of Schubert. In your journal right now, if you would write, I've been talking for a moment. I want you to write down three things that God has provided for you. You asked for them and God made a way. Write down beside them why you think God cared enough to permit those things to come into your life or to permit those things to be removed.

I I don't know what your petitions were. And then lastly, along with those three in your journal, write down how thankful you are and how that that understanding and that memorial has changed your relationship and your walk with God. I had this, I asked, God answered, and this is how it changed my life. Three things. That's all I'm asking. There could be a thousand. There could be one. I want you to take some time though to remember it. Please understand the purpose in the journal was not simply to give you something to doodle on on Wednesday night or Sunday, but it's to help you draw draw from the fountain of God and the word of God to become part of who you are and the texture and the fabric of your life.

So before I close out here, I I want to take us just one more step closer. It is not an accident to get into the holy place. It is not by happen stance that you just showed up and you're looking at the table of provision. You've had to accomplish so many other things to get here. I I know that we live in a in a cliche environment in our world and and and God wants you to come as you are. True. God God wants you. He knows that you can be found in all types of places in our current world and all types of mindset. That's true. But the fact remains that there is still a process to get to God. Can you call on the name of Jesus and he be there?

You better believe it. But understand that he might be there, but he owes you nothing. Listen to me. Because he's already paid it all. He has already paid it all. He owes you nothing. So it only stands to reason that if we don't allow conviction, if we don't allow the impressing word and method and motive of God to work in our lives, we are simply going to have a a an idea. We're going to look at it. We're going to try to understand it. And without the spirit of God, we're going to walk away and we're going to miss the holy place. Stay with us. Stay connected with us. We are studying. We've been through the altar.

We've been through the labor. We've been through the curtain. We've been through the outer court. And now we're into the holy place. It's getting good. We're into the holy place. This is where we're going to discover the spirit of God working. The spirit of God moving, the power of God glowing in the glory of the holy place. friend, if if you've got somebody in your life, family member, co-orker, loved one, whatever, that that's struggling, has got all kind of issues and stuff that's just falling apart, don't fix them. Bring them to Jesus. Let him uh love them, care, but but understand that all of this plan of the tabernacle, all of the plan if I can for us today, CAC is ecclesia, the called out from one place to another.

That is for us to simply say to somebody, listen, he is the answer still. This is not out of the box yesterday. This was established from the foundation. There's an altar, there's a labor, and there's the presence of God. Let's pray together that God will help us and lead us down the path that will show us the glory of God as we walk in and we approach the table provision. Lord, I am so thankful that you care about us. I am so thankful, God, that your word is ever true. So thankful, Lord, that you're powerful. You're righteous and glorious. I'm thankful that I have an opportunity, God, to study the word and understand it.

the spirit can speak into my life. Thankful, Lord, that the power of the cross still works today. For those who have gathered in this midweek university, Lord, our hunger and our desires to draw closer to you, to have a a developed relationship with you, not just something that we do on a pass by, not just something we do when it's feels good or when we're falling apart, but it's something we develop and grow with every day. I thank you for the bread of life that is provisioned for us. thankful that it doesn't grow moldy or stale. I'm thankful that it's forever there. I pray God a blessing upon each one.

Let every home and every heart be blessed. Let every family, every friend, Lord, be be blessed, dear God, this week as we draw closer to you. Give us, Lord, what we need this day and let us ever grow closer to you. I love you, Lord. And I thank you and I thank you and I thank you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. I love all of you. I believe in you. Have a wonderful, wonderful week in the Lord. Be safe. Be kind to people. Love folk. Tell somebody about what God's doing in your life. And next week at Midweek University, we'll come together again and go to the word. God bless all of you.