Exodus 25:23 – 30 “You are also to make a table of acacia wood two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. Also make a rim around it a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim. Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners at its four legs. The rings are to be close to the rim, to serve as holders for the poles used to carry the table. Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them. You are also to make the plates and dishes, as well as the pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold. And place the Bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.”
When we lived in one town in northern Ghana, we began noticing that on certain days, there were large numbers of buzzards hovering over one part of the town. Puzzled, we sought information from our local friends, only to learn that those were the days on which fetish worshipers would leave food offerings for their gods in traditionally designated places. All the buzzards had to do was to watch and wait and presto! they got a free lunch!
Making food offerings to idols was quite common in the ancient world. But in the Israelite sanctuary, the parts of the sacrifices designated “for God” were burned in the sanctuary courtyard. This table played no role in the sacrifices but had enormous symbolism. The “Bread of the Presence” has also been referred to as the “Bread of Display” because it was left on the table for an entire week. When the week was completed, the priests were then allowed to eat from God’s table in an action completely opposite of the pagan ones. While pagan gods demanded that their followers feed them, the One True Living God wanted to demonstrate that it was He who was feeding His people and who was the Source of all nourishment. The Bread of the Presence was also left to indicate that God was not limited by a physical body and therefore did not need food from his followers.
The construction of the table was similar to the construction of the ark. The table was obviously designed in such a way that it could easily be carried as the Israelites traveled. But what about the pitchers and bowls? In the Israelite temple, these vessels were empty. Why?
When we first came to Ghana, one of the rituals we observed repeatedly was the pouring of libation to the gods. This ceremony was done regularly at funerals and at public ceremonies. There was – and still is – great controversy within the Christian community as to whether or not Christians should pour libation. Those supporting the pouring of libation tried to defend it as merely a way of honoring the ancestors. But those opposing the pouring of libation emphasized that this act was a form of sacrifice to unknown gods and therefore spiritually dangerous. Most deeply committed Christians we knew refused to take part in pouring of libation.
The vessels in the Israelite temple remained empty because God had – and has – no need for any kind of drink offerings. God wants our love and our devotion. The only time the Bible mentions a drink offering positively is when David expressed a longing for water from the well at Bethlehem while the Philistines were controlling it. Three of David’s best warriors broke through the Philistine defenses and brought back water from that well for David. David was so overwhelmed that he poured it out to God, feeling that water represented the life blood of his friends. (2 Samuel 23:13-17) At that moment, that water was the most precious thing David possessed and he wanted to offer it to God to honor Him.
APPLICATION: The message of the table of the Bread of the Presence is this:
Today, God is not demanding sacrifices of animals or of bread from us. But just as in the time of the Israelites, God is still the Source of life and of all nourishment. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that “God is a spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)
Liturgical worship is a form of worship that involves a set pattern with certain statements that are repeated each time worship takes place. There are those who criticize liturgical worship because they feel that it is too easy to just go through the motions. On the other hand, those who want to have worship with very little form may find themselves wandering off on tangents. Forms of worship are very important because they allow us to approach God as a group in an orderly fashion. I have experience with a wide variety of worship services. Countless times, I have begun the Confession of Sins in a liturgical church, only to have those well – worn words pull me up short and force me to confront my own spiritual failures.
The best worship is a blend of both forms, but no matter how you choose to worship, one thing is clear: your heart must be open to God for you to be able to worship Him. If you attempt to approach a Holy God with sin in your heart and without confessing that sin, you are going to feel as if there is an impenetrable wall between you and God. That is why confession must be part of the preparation for worship, whether you do it privately at home or in a congregation.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us! Thank you for being the Source of all light and life, of all nourishment, of the flow of the water of life. Lord, help us to open our hearts to you and to worship you in spirit and in truth. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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