Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 24:5
And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.
5. twelve cakes ] Though probably alluding in the Jewish ritual to the number of the tribes, the original reference in the corresponding Babylonian rite was doubtless to the signs of the zodiac. See Zimmern, Beitrge zur Kenntniss d. Babylon. Religion, p. 94, for a Babylonian parallel.
cakes ] most probably unleavened (Jos. Ant. iii. 6. 6). They were of flour, the fineness of which was secured by sifting eleven times ( Menaoth, 76 b). In the time of the Chronicler (1Ch 9:32) this was done by the Levitical guild called ‘the sons of the Kohathites.’ The cakes in the early times of the Jewish monarchy were placed hot upon the table (see 1 Sam. above). The rite in its form is probably a survival from a pre-Mosaic stage of Hebrew religion.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
5 9. The ordering of the shewbread
Cp. Exo 25:30; Exo 37:10 ff.; Num 4:7. The ‘twelve cakes’ are not here given this name. For its origin and for parallels to the custom in other religions, see Driver, Exo 25:30, and HDB. s.v. The undoubtedly correct rendering is presence-bread (lit. bread of the countenance [of God]), as in R.V. mg. there, i.e. bread which was placed as an offering in the presence of the Lord. Cp. the expression used of this bread in the story of 1Sa 21:6 [Matthew 7 ], ‘taken from before [from the presence of] the Lord.’ The LXX. mostly render by , loaves of the setting forth (or, before [ God ]).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 5. Bake twelve cakes] See the whole account of the shew-bread in Clarke’s notes on “Ex 25:30“; and relative to the table on which they stood, the golden candlestick and silver trumpets carried in triumph to Rome, See Clarke on Ex 25:31.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thou shalt take; by the priests or Levites, whose work it was to prepare them, 1Ch 9:32.
Twelve cakes, representing the twelve tribes.
Two tenth deals, i.e. two omers. See Lev 23:13.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5-9. take fine flour, and baketwelve cakesfor the showbread, as previously appointed (Ex25:30). Those cakes were baked by the Levites, the flour beingfurnished by the people (1Ch 9:32;1Ch 23:29), oil, wine, and saltbeing the other ingredients (Le2:13).
two tenth dealsthatis, of an ephahthirteen and a half pounds weight each; and on eachrow or pile of cakes some frankincense was strewed, which, beingburnt, led to the showbread being called “an offering made byfire.” Every Sabbath a fresh supply was furnished; hot loaveswere placed on the altar instead of the stale ones, which, havinglain a week, were removed, and eaten only by the priests, except incases of necessity (1Sa21:3-6; also Luk 6:3;Luk 6:4).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And thou shalt take fine flour,…. Of wheat, and the finest of it:
and bake twelve cakes thereof; answerable to the twelve tribes, as the Targum of Jonathan, which were typical of the spiritual Israel of God;
two tenth deals shall be in one cake; that is, two tenth parts of an ephah, which were two omers, one of which was as much as a man could eat in one day of the manna: so that one of these cakes was as much as two men could eat of bread in one day; each cake was ten hands’ breadth long, five broad, and seven fingers its horns, or was so high g.
g Menachot, c. 11. sect. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The preparation of the shew-bread and the use to be made of it are described here for the first time; though it had already been offered by the congregation at the consecration of the tabernacle, and placed by Moses upon the table (Exo 39:36; Exo 40:23). Twelve cakes ( challoth , Lev 2:4) were to be made of fine flour, of two-tenths of an ephah each, and placed in two rows, six in each row, upon the golden table before Jehovah (Exo 25:23.). Pure incense was then to be added to each row, which was to be (to serve) as a memorial ( Azcarah , see Lev 2:2), as a firing for Jehovah. to give upon, to add to, does not force us to the conclusion that the incense was to be spread upon the cakes; but is easily reconcilable with the Jewish tradition (Josephus, Ant. iii. 10, 7; Mishnah, Menach. xi. 7, 8), that the incense was placed in golden saucers with each row of bread. The number twelve corresponded to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. The arrangement of the loaves in rows of six each was in accordance with the shape of the table, just like the division of the names of the twelve tribes upon the two precious stones on Aaron’s shoulder-dress (Exo 28:10). By the presentation or preparation of them from the fine flour presented by the congregation, and still more by the addition of incense, which was burned upon the altar every Sabbath on the removal of the loaves as azcarah , i.e., as a practical memento of the congregation before God, the laying out of these loaves assumed the form of a bloodless sacrifice, in which the congregation brought the fruit of its life and labour before the face of the Lord, and presented itself to its God as a nation diligent in sanctification to good works. If the shew-bread was a minchah , or meat-offering, and even a most holy one, which only the priests were allowed to eat in the holy place (Lev 24:9, cf. Lev 2:3 and Lev 6:9-10), it must naturally have been unleavened, as the unanimous testimony of the Jewish tradition affirms it to have been. And if as a rule no meat-offering could be leavened, and of the loaves of first-fruits prepared for the feast of Pentecost, which were actually leavened, none was allowed to be placed upon the altar (Lev 2:11-12; Lev 6:10); still less could leavened bread be brought into the sanctuary before Jehovah. The only ground, therefore, on which Knobel can maintain that those loaves were leavened, is on the supposition that they were intended to represent the daily bread, which could no more fail in the house of Jehovah than in any other well-appointed house (see Bhr, Symbolik i. p. 410). The process of laying these loaves before Jehovah continually was to be “an everlasting covenant” (Lev 24:8), i.e., a pledge or sign of the everlasting covenant, just as circumcision, as the covenant in the flesh, was to be an everlasting covenant (Gen 17:13).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Verses 5-9;
The “Shewbread,” literally “bread of presence,” was to be placed upon the table designed for it, Ex 25:23-30; 37:10-16. This was to be twelve loaves of unleavened bread, each containing about six pounds of finest flour. These loaves were placed in two rows upon the altar. Two cups or vials of frankincense were either sprinkled upon the loaves, or were placed between them.
The loaves were to be changed each Sabbath Day. The loaves which were replaced were the priest’s portion to be eaten within the Tabernacle. The entire quantity consisted of over seventy pounds of bread per week. At the time the bread was changed, the frankincense was to be burned on the golden Altar of Incense, Ex 37:25-28.
The Shewbread might be a symbol of the Word of God, upon which the people of God are to feed.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
We now come to the third part of the external service of God, which will bring us to the end of our exposition of the Second Commandment. We have, then, now to treat of the sacred oblations, the first place amongst which I have thought it best to give to the loaves, which had their peculiar table opposite the candlestick on the north side, as we saw in the construction of the Tabernacle; for although the mention of them will recur elsewhere, yet, since they were offered separately, and placed before the Ark of the Covenant, as it were in God’s sight, they must not be treated of apart from the sacrifices. I have already explained that this was no ordinary symbol of God’s favor, when He descended familiarly to them, as if He were their messmate. They were called “the bread of faces,” (227) because they were placed before the eyes of God; and thus He made known His special favor, as if coming to banquet with them. Nor can it be doubted but that He commanded them to be twelve in number, with reference to the twelve tribes, as if He would admit to His table the food offered by each of them. The “two tenths” make the fifth part of the epah. And it is plaia indeed that this rite was thus accurately prescribed by God, lest diversity in so serious a matter might gradually give birth to many corruptions. In the word “tenths,” He seems to allude to the tax which He had imposed on the people, that thus the holiness of the loaves might be enhanced. But why He required two “tenths” rather than one I know not, nor do I think it any use more curiously to inquire. I refer to the frankincense the words, “that it may be on the bread for a memorial:” as if it were said that the bread, seasoned by the smell of the incense, would renew the memory of the children of Israel, so that they should be of sweet savor before God. Others translate it “a monument” instead of “for a memorial,” but with the same meaning. But although some think that the bread itself is called a memorial, it is more applicable to the frankincense; for it is afterwards added, that the incense should be at the same time a burnt sacrifice, viz., because in it the bread was, as it were, offered in burnt sacrifice.
(227) לחם-פנים “ panes facierum.” In Exo 25:30, as in several other places, the shew-bread of A. V. is a translation of these words. — W
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
b. THE SHOWBREAD 24:59
TEXT 24:59
5
And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth parts of an ephah shall be in one cake.
6
And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before Jehovah.
7
And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
8
Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before Jehovah continually; it is on the behalf of the children of Israel, an everlasting covenant.
9
And it shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire by a perpetual statute.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 24:59
567.
How much flour was in each cake by our measurement? Were these cakes unleavened or leavened?
568.
Were these cakes in piles or rows?
569.
What is meant by calling the table pure?
570.
Where was the frankincense? Why use it?
571.
How often were the cakes to be changed?
572.
In what sense was the observance an everlasting covenant on behalf of the children of Israel?
573.
Who was to eat of this showbread? Where?
PARAPHRASE 24:59
Every Sabbath day the High Priest shall place twelve loaves of bread in two rows upon the golden table that stands before the Lord. These loaves shall be baked from finely ground flour, using a fifth of a bushel for each. Pure frankincense shall be sprinkled along each row. This will be a memorial offering made by fire to the Lord, in memory of His everlasting covenant with the people of Israel. The bread shall be eaten by Aaron and his sons, in a place set apart for the purpose. For these are offerings made by fire to the Lord under a permanent law of God, and most holy.
COMMENT 24:59
Lev. 24:5-6 We must read Exo. 25:23-30; Exo. 37:10-16 for comparative descriptions. The amount of flour used to produce one loaf, i.e. about one-half peck (or six quarts) would present a very large loaf. The top of the table of showbread was 18 inches wide and 36 inches long. If these loaves were placed in rows they probably covered the top of the table, or if they were piled on top of each other, they made sizeable piles.
The term showbread means presence bread or bread of faces. This refers either to the fact that the bread was baked in square or six-sided pans to provide several faces on the bread, or because the bread was placed in the presence of God (or before the face of God) in the Holy Place. We prefer the latter interpretation.
The number twelve indicates the priest would be eating this sacrifice on behalf of the united nation. It is probably true that these loaves were unleavened since no leaven was allowed on the altar. However no direct statement is made. The table is called pure because it was cleansed by the sprinkling of blood. The total concept of these twelve loaves that were kept continually before Jehovah in the Holy Place was of a perpetual cereal offering. The whole nation of Israel were saying by these loaves that they were daily grateful before God for all His benefits. Here is a continual consecration sacrifice.
Lev. 24:7 The location of the frankincense has been a question. Was it sprinkled on the bread and burned there? Or was it placed in containers beside the bread: Josephus tells us that the incense was placed in golden saucers with each row of bread. He also indicates that the incense was burned upon the altar on the Sabbath at the time the bread was changed. Cf. Exo. 37:16; Exo. 25:30; Exo. 35:13; Exo. 39:36; Num. 4:7; 1Ch. 9:32; 1Ch. 23:29; 2Ch. 13:11; Neh. 10:33; 2Ch. 29:18.
Lev. 24:8 Aaron was to carry out this instruction as indicated in Lev. 24:3. The priests were to attend to this duty every sabbath throughout the year. Four priests according to Jewish tradition enter, two of them carrying the piles of bread, and two of them the cups of incense. Four priests had gone in before them, two to take off the two old piles of showbread, and two to take off the cups of incense. Those who brought in the new stood at the north side facing southward; those who took away the old, at the south side, facing northwards. One party lifted off and the other put on, the hands of one being over against the hands of the other, as it is written, Thou shalt set upon the table bread of the Passover always before Me. The loaves that were removed were delivered to the priests for their consumption within the tabernacle, the whole quantity amounting to seventy-five pounds per week. (Meyrick)
Lev. 24:9 From what has been said it becomes apparent that this bread could have provided a substantial part of the food for several priests. Ginsburg observes: Of the many things connected with the national service which became prerequisites of the priests, there were eight only that had to be consumed within the precincts of the sanctuary, and the showbread was one of them. The others were: (1) the remnant of the meal offeringLev. 2:3; (2) the flesh of the sin offeringLev. 6:26; (3) the flesh of the trespass offeringLev. 7:6; (4) the lepers log of oilLev. 14:10; (5) the remainder of the omerLev. 23:10-11; (6) the peace offering of the congregation; (7) the two loavesLev. 23:19-20.
FACT QUESTIONS 24:59
583.
How much flour for each loaf? Why such large loaves?
584.
Was the table large enough to hold the bread?
585.
What is the meaning of the term showbread?
586.
Why twelve loaves? Were they leavened?
587.
What is the basic teaching of this table?
588.
Where was the frankincense? When burned?
589.
In what manner was the bread changed? Why? How often?
590.
Where was the bread to be eaten? Name five other items to be eaten in the Holy Place.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(5) And bake twelve cakes.The next order is about the preparation of the shewbread, and the use to be made of it. It was made in the following manner. Twenty-four seahs of wheat, which were brought as a meat offering, were beaten and ground, and after passing through twelve different sieves each finer than the other, twenty-four tenth-deals of the finest flour were obtained. The dough was kneaded outside the court, and after it was put into a golden mould of a definite size and form to impart the prescribed size and shape to each cake, was brought into the court. Here it was taken out of the first golden mould, and put into a second of the same material and form, and baked in it. As soon as it was taken out of the oven the cake was put into a third mould of the like description, and when it was turned out of it the cake was ten handbreadths long, five broad, one finger thick, and square at each end. Each cake, therefore, was made of two omers of wheat, or, as it is here said, of two tenth-parts of anephah, which is the same thing. (See Lev. 14:10.) As an omer is the quantity which, according to the Divine ordinance (Exo. 16:16-19), supplies the daily wants of a human being, each of these cakes represents the food of a man and his neighbour, whilst the twelve cakes answered to the twelve tribes of Israel. Hence the ancient Ohaldee version has, after the words twelve cakes, according to the twelve tribes. The baking of these cakes took place every Friday afternoon, or Thursday if a feast which required Sabbatical rest fell on Friday. According to the testimony of those who were eyewitnesses to the baking, these cakes were unleavened.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
ORDINANCE OF THE SHOWBREAD, Lev 24:5-9
This had already been offered at the dedication of the tabernacle, and placed by Moses upon the table. Exo 39:36; Exo 40:23. The quantity of the material and the number of the loaves are here specified, also their arrangement on the table and the period of their renewal.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5. Twelve cakes The number of the tribes of Israel.
Two tenth deals See Lev 23:13. According to the lowest estimate, that of the rabbins, there would be ten and a half gallons required for the twelve loaves.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Showbread ( Lev 24:5-9 ).
The showbread consisted of twelve large cakes placed on the table in the Holy Place. It was the responsibility of the sons of Kohath (1Ch 9:32). The number twelve suggests that the cakes represented in one way or another the twelve tribes of Israel. But the fact that they are eaten by the priests is against literal identification with the twelve tribes (although the argument could be used that once the new replaced the old the symbolism ceased for the old so that they could be disposed of conveniently).
To interpret their significance we need to look at the situation carefully. They were twelve, they were placed on the golden table, they were before Yahweh for seven days, part was then offered as a sacrifice made by fire (and thus had not ceased to be symbolic), and the remainder was eaten by the priests.
Twelve connects them with the twelve tribes, their being brought in and placed on the golden table suggests that they were a kind of grain offering, that they were before Yahweh for seven days (a divine period) suggests that they were being drawn to His attention, that part was offered as an offering made by fire confirms that they are an offering, and that part is eaten by the priests as most holy confirms His acceptance of that offering. It would appear then that we are to see in these twelve loaves a symbol of the whole of God’s physical provision for His people, and of the people’s gratitude for it, a perpetual grain offering before Yahweh. As ever the eating is not even hinted at as being intended to be by God, it is by the priests.
But we need not doubt that they would also be a reminder of the Manna. That was the bread on which God had fed His people continually. Pieces of it lay within the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh (Exo 16:33). Here in the ante-room, as with the light, was its visible reminder.
Lev 24:5-6
“And you shall take milled grain, and bake twelve cakes with it: two tenth parts of an ephah shall be in one cake. And you shall set them in two rows, six on a row, on the pure table before Yahweh.”
Like the lampstand the table is also ‘pure’ (compare 2Ch 13:11). It receives on God’s behalf this continual offering of the twelve baked cakes which symbolise God’s provision for His people in the grain, the people’s activity in the milling and the baking, and their worship in the frankincense. They are a continual grain offering, and are a continual reminder to Him of His people.
Lev 24:7
“And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire to Yahweh.”
On the bread is placed the frankincense. This is primarily intended to be a pleasing odour to Yahweh, an act of worship and homage (compare Psa 141:2; Mal 1:11; Jer 6:20; Jer 18:15), but it may also represent the outside world from which it comes (this is not the product of His people, but of Arabia – Jer 6:20) who are also to be seen as under His overlordship. See notes on Lev 2:1-2. It is a memorial to be offered by fire to Yahweh while the bread will be eaten by the priests.
Lev 24:8
“Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before Yahweh continually; it is on the behalf of the children of Israel, an everlasting covenant.”
Again the continuity of time is emphasised. It is to be set before Yahweh every Sabbath day, it is set on behalf of the children of Israel, and it is for an everlasting covenant. It represents the oneness of Yahweh with His people in their lives in continuity and emphasises their covenant responsibility. The aim is a continual act of worship and that it will result in His provision of their needs as promised in the covenant, for ever.
Lev 24:9
“And it shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place, for it is most holy to him of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire by a perpetual statute.”
And in the end, like all grain offerings, once the memorial has been offered by fire to Yahweh, the remainder is for the priests as a most holy thing. It is indeed the most holy of the offerings made by fire to Yahweh. And this too is for a perpetual statute like the non-eating of fat and blood (Lev 3:17); the priesthood (Exo 29:9); and the sprinkling of the water of purification for those who have been in contact with a dead human being (Num 19:21).
So the stress with regard to the lampstand and the showbread is on their continual nature day by day and Sabbath by Sabbath before Yahweh, representing Yahweh’s presence with His people as their covenant God and His continual dealings with them over time as His covenant people, and His continual provision for them, into the far distant future. But both depend on His people’s response.
But we who are more privileged enjoy a greater blessing. We walk in His light (1Jn 1:7) because we have the light of life (Joh 8:12) and have His light continually in our hearts. We are the children of light (Joh 12:36). And we partake continually of Him as the Bread of Life (Joh 6:35).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Lev 24:5. Bake twelve cakes thereof The order given, Exo 25:30 respecting the shew-bread, is here repeated more particularly. The cakes were to be twelve in number, representing the twelve tribes, as is generally observed; each consisting of two tenth-deals, i.e. two omers, or two tenth parts of an ephah, which make about six quarts of English measure: so that they must have been of very considerable size. They were to be placed in two rows or heaps, (Lev 24:6.) six in each: and upon the top of each row was to be set (Lev 24:7.) a golden dish, with a handful of the best frankincense therein; which frankincense was to be burnt upon the altar at the week’s end, instead of the bread for a memorial, i.e. in honor of God, and to commemorate his name. See ch. Lev 2:2. The bread itself was to be eaten by the priests, Lev 24:9 and, as the frankincense and bread made but one offering, therefore, a part being put for the whole, the bread is called most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire. It is most probable, while the Israelites were in the wilderness, that these cakes were made of the manna. See Wall.
Note; 1. They who would enjoy the light of the gospel should gladly support a godly ministry. 2. They who serve in God’s sanctuary must be careful not to adulterate the oil of divine truth, but make the light shine bright in the fervency of their ministrations, and the exemplariness of their own conduct. 3. They who come to God will find a table spread for them even in the wilderness. 4. They who eat of his bread should remember their obligations to serve him. 5. Every sabbath-day, ministers must provide fresh food for the souls of the people, and not lazily put them off with stale discourses.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 139
THE SHEW-BREAD
Lev 24:5-9. And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth-deals shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two rows. six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord. And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord. Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. And it shall be Aarons and his sons; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire, by a perpetual statute.
WHEN God appointed a dwelling-place to be erected for him in the wilderness, he ordered it to be furnished with such appendages as are common in the dwellings of men. There was in the sanctuary, as St. Paul observes, a candlestick, a table, and bread, called the shew-bread [Note: Heb 9:2.]. But there was an infinitely higher purpose to be answered by these things, than a mere accommodation of them to the habits of men: they were typical; every one of them was typical; they were shadows of good things to come. The mystical import of some is much clearer than that of others. Where the writers of the New Testament have explained them, we are able to speak with confidence: but where they are silent, we must proceed in our explanation of them with fear and trembling. The mystery of the shew-bread is applied by some to Christ, who called himself the true bread, and, at the institution of his last supper, took bread, and brake it, and said to his disciples, Take, eat, this is my body. The New-Testament writers give us little, if any, insight into this subject: but they speak so fully and plainly on the subject of the candlestick, that we can easily by analogy trace the import of the shew-bread also. It has been shewn, that the candlestick represented the Church, and that the priests who trimmed the lamps represented Christ [Note: See the preceding Discourse.]. The same might therefore well be supposed in relation to the shew-bread: and the circumstance of the flour being taken from all the children of Israel, and made into twelve cakes, gives us sufficient reason to conclude, that those cakes did represent the twelve tribes, that is, the Church of God. Nor can we adopt a more satisfactory method of explaining the whole mystery, than that used in reference to the candlestick. Agreeably to the plan then which we pursued on the former subject, we observe, that the shew-bread shadowed forth the people of God,
I.
In their privileges
To elucidate this, consider what is here spoken respecting the twelve cakes;
1.
Their solemn presentation before God
[They were consecrated to God in an orderly and solemn manner, and deposited on his table that they might be always before him. Being piled one upon another in two rows, frankincense was placed on each row, which at the appointed time was burnt for a memorial, as an offering made by fire unto the Lord. Here we see the Church and people of God consecrated to him according to the terms of his everlasting covenant, to be unto him a holy and peculiar people. As such they are esteemed by him; and his eyes are upon them day and night for good: and, as the frankincense was to God an odour of a sweet smell, so their persons and services shall be accepted by him True it is that they are mean and worthless in themselves; yet, being set apart for him [Note: Psa 4:3.], he will acknowledge them as his, and look upon them with complacency and delight.]
2.
Their periodical renewal
[Whilst one generation of men is passing away, another arises to fill their place; and amongst them all, God will have some, who shall be objects of his peculiar regard. The change of the loaves every Sabbath-day was intended to illustrate this: arid in reference to it they were expressly called the continual bread [Note: Num 4:7.]. The regard shewn by God to those who were first brought out of Egypt, shall be perpetuated to the end of time: never shall any be removed but others shall be ready to succeed; nor shall there ever be a period when God will not have a people truly and entirely consecrated to his service. Sometimes, as in the primitive ages, his saints maybe swept away by thousands at a time, so as to threaten their utter extinction: but others shall always be found ready to be baptized for (that is, in the room of) the dead, as soldiers instantly come forward, to fill up the ranks which the devouring sword has thinned [Note: That is most probably the true meaning of 1Co 15:29.]: nor shall the power of men or devils ever be able to extirpate the Christian name: the Church is built upon a rock; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it ]
3.
Their ultimate destination
[The loaves at the close of the week were the property of the officiating priests ; and were to be eaten by them in the holy place, as being in themselves most holy. Now we are sure that the priests who attended on the lamps, prefigured Christ: and therefore we have no doubt but that he was equally prefigured by those who attended on the bread. Here then we see, that the saints, when they have abode their appointed time an earth, are the property of Christ: to which purpose it is written in the book of Deuteronomy, The Lords portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance [Note: Deu 32:9.]. This is the high destiny of all who have given up themselves to God. Happy they are in the place which they are allowed to occupy in Gods temple below; but happier far at their removal hence, when Christ shall claim them as his peculiar treasure, and enjoy them for ever as his purchased possession ]
We may further contemplate the shew-bread as representing the Lords people,
II.
In their duties
Well may this ordinance teach us,
1.
To consecrate ourselves entirely to God
[Let us contemplate the state of those loaves: they were taken from the children of Israel, made on purpose for God, and presented to him that they might be wholly and for ever his. And what says God respecting us? This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise [Note: Isa 43:21.]. Yes; we should every one of us subscribe with our hands, and say, I am the Lords [Note: Isa 44:5.]. We should give up ourselves to him by a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten [Note: Jer 50:5.]. We should consider ourselves as separated from mankind for this very purpose [Note: Lev 20:24.], that we may be wholly sanctified unto him, in spirit, soul, and body [Note: 1 These. 5:23.]. This St. Paul declares to be our reasonable service [Note: Rom 12:1.]. Not that we are to be inactive in the common duties of life, or to spend our days in nothing but contemplation and devotion: this would be to strain the parallel too far: but, in the spirit and habit of our minds, we are to be entirely given up to God, so that whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we should do all to his glory [Note: 1Co 10:31.] the Sabbath especially should this dedication of ourselves be repeated and confirmed. We should come up to the house of God with the same mind as the priests who brought the loaves: their purpose was known and fixed; and they went into the sanctuary determined not to leave it till they had executed their high office. O that we might go to Gods house on purpose to consecrate ourselves to him afresh; and never leave our work dubious or incomplete! ]
2.
To be much occupied in prayer and intercession
[The loaves were, so to speak, representatives of the tribes of Israel; and the frankincense ascended up as a memorial to God for them. Thus should we consider ourselves interested, not for ourselves only, but for all the Church of God. As for ourselves, we are commanded to pray always, to pray without ceasing, and to offer unto God the sacrifice of praise continually, giving thanks to his name; so, for others are we required to make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for all men. Moreover, this duty is inculcated on all: the prophetic declaration is, that, wherever God is known, from the rising to the setting sun, even there shall incense he offered unto his name, and a pure offering [Note: Mal 1:11.]: all who make mention of the Lord, will be thus occupied; they will not keep silence, nor give God any rest, till he establish his Church, and make it a praise in the earth [Note: Isa 62:6-7.]. How prosperous would individuals and churches be, if such a spirit prevailed more amongst them! O that God would pour out upon us more of a spirit of grace and of supplication! We should not long remain without manifest tokens of his approbation and love ]
3.
To wait patiently for our removal hence
[The loaves were left in the sanctuary till the time appointed for their removal. Thus we should abide with God, performing diligently the work assigned us, till he shall be pleased to dismiss our souls in peace. Our week of life at all events is wearing fast away: but, whether its close be somewhat earlier, or later, than we expect, we should say, like Job, All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. If there were no future state of existence, we might wish to have our present lives terminated or protracted, according as our sorrows or joys abound: but as death will introduce us into the more immediate presence of our God, and into a more perfect union and communion with Christ, we may well be contented either to live or die. In some sense indeed we may rather desire to depart; yea we may be looking for, and hasting to, the coming of the day of Christ: but as it respects impatience or discontent, we may well tarry the Lords leisure, doing and suffering his holy will, till he shall take us hence, to rest from our labours. and to be for ever with the Lord ]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
The order for keeping the LORD’S table always furnished with bread, was appointed in Exo 25:30 . And no doubt this was a sweet type of him who is the bread of life, which came down from heaven, implying that there is no famine where JESUS is; but he that eateth of him shall live forever. Well may we be ever using the apostle’s prayer, Joh 6:33-35 . Observe, the number of loaves, or cakes, was twelve; implying, no doubt, thereby, that there was one for each tribe of the house of Israel. And it is yet worthy of further observation, that even after the defection of the two tribes, this service of the show-bread was continued, 2Ch 13:11 . Perhaps a remnant of each tribe remained, or if not, the LORD’S mercy is not straitened by man’s undeservings. The apostle reasoneth very sweetly upon this, Rom 11:1-5 . Two tenth deals, in point of quantity, was two omens. Exo 16:22 . How precious is the thought, that JESUS is both the altar and the show-bread; and all that come to GOD by him, find him as a table spread with living bread, every day, and all the day, even in this wilderness. The frankincense for a memorial, is no unapt representation of the fragrance of his merits. Rev 8:3 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lev 24:5 And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.
Ver. 5. Twelve cakes. ] See Trapp on “ Mat 12:4 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
two. Only one required for the ordinary meal offering (Exo 29:40. Num 15:4; Num 28:9, Num 28:13, &c).
tenth deals. See App-51.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
The loaves of bread which the officiating priest placed every sabbath day upon the golden table in the Sanctum, before the Lord, were twelve in number, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The loaves must have been large, since two tenth deals – about six pintsof flour were used for each, Lev 24:3, Lev 24:6, Lev 24:7. They were served up hot on the sabbath day in the Sanctum, when the stale ones, which had been exposed the whole week, were taken away, and none but the priests were allowed to eat them. In an extraordinary extremity, David and his men partook of the shew-bread – see note on 1Sa 21:6, the urgent necessity alone justifying the act. The Hebrew signifies bread of faces, or, of the face. Exo 25:30, Exo 40:23, 1Ki 18:31, 1Sa 21:4, 1Sa 21:5, Mat 12:4, Act 26:7, Jam 1:1
Reciprocal: Exo 24:4 – according Exo 25:29 – to cover Exo 35:13 – General Exo 40:4 – the things that Lev 5:15 – in the Num 4:7 – the table 1Ki 7:48 – the table 1Ch 9:32 – to 1Ch 23:29 – for the showbread 2Ch 2:4 – the continual 2Ch 4:19 – the tables 2Ch 13:11 – showbread Neh 10:33 – the showbread Mat 19:28 – the twelve Mar 2:26 – which is not lawful Luk 6:4 – which Heb 9:2 – the table
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 24:5. Thou shalt take By the priests or Levites, whose work it was to prepare them, 1Ch 9:32. Twelve cakes Representing the twelve tribes. Two tenth-deals shall be in one cake That is, two omers, or two tenth parts of an ephah, consisting of about six quarts of English measure, Exo 16:36. So that they must have been of a very large size.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 24:5-9. The Shewbread (P).First mentioned in 1Sa 21:1-7 (cf. Mar 2:25 ff.), also 1Ki 7:48 (cf. Exo 25:30*, Num 4:7). Putting food before the gods (as distinct from offerings) is a not infrequent element in pagan rites; cf. the Roman lectisternia; twelve cakes of bread are offered in a Babylonian ritual (cf. Isa 65:11, Jer 7:18). Each of the twelve cakes is to be one-fifth of an ephah (cf. Lev 23:17). By the later regulation the bread was to be unleavened (leaven coming to be looked on as a symbol of corruption, cf. Lev 2:4, Lev 6:9, Lev 7:12, etc.); the incense placed by the bread (Lev 24:7) is then burnt on the altar. The bread is offered on the Sabbath and then eaten by the priests.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
24:5 And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two {c} tenth deals shall be in one cake.
(c) That is, two omers, read Exo 16:16.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
THE “BREAD OF THE PRESENCE”
Lev 24:5-9
“And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth parts of an ephah shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord. And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord. Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before the Lord continually; it is on the behalf of the children of Israel, an everlasting covenant. And it shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire by a perpetual statute.”
Next follows the ordinance for the preparation and presentation of the “shew bread,” lit., ” bread of the Face,” or “Presence,” of God. This was to consist of twelve cakes, each to be made of two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour, which was to be placed in two rows or piles, “upon the pure table” of gold that stood before the Lord, in the Holy Place, opposite to the golden candlestick. On each pile was to be placed (Lev 24:7) “pure frankincense,”-doubtless, as tradition says, placed in the golden spoons, or little cups. {Exo 37:16} Every sabbath (Lev 24:8-9) fresh bread was to be so placed, when the old became the food of Aaron and his sons only, as belonging to the order of things “most holy”; the frankincense which had been its “memorial” having been first burned, “an offering made by fire unto the Lord” (Lev 24:7). Tradition adds that the bread was always unleavened; a few have called this in question, but this has been only on theoretic grounds, and without evidence; and when we remember how stringent was the prohibition of leaven even in any offerings made by fire upon the altar of the outer court, much less is it likely that it could have been tolerated here in the Holy Place immediately before the veil.
This bread of the Presence must be regarded as in its essential nature a perpetual meal offering, -the meal offering of the Holy Place, as the others were of the outer court. The material was the same, cakes of fine flour; to this frankincense must be added as a “memorial,” as in the meal offerings of the outer court. Such part of the offering as was not burned, as in the case of the others, was to be eaten by the priests only, as a thing “most holy.” It differed from those in that there were always the twelve cakes, one for each tribe; and in that while they were repeatedly offered, this lay before the Lord continually. The altar of burnt offering might sometimes be empty of the meal offering, but the table of shew bread, “the table of the Presence,” never.
In general, therefore, the meaning of the offering of the shew bread must be the same as. that of the meal offerings; like them it symbolised the consecration unto the Lord of the product of the labour of the hands, and especially of the daily food as prepared for use. But in this, by the twelve cakes for the twelve tribes it was emphasised that God requires, not only such consecration of service and acknowledgment of Him from individuals, as in the law of chapter 2, but from the nation in its collective and organised capacity; and that not merely on such occasions as pious impulse might direct, but continuously.
In these days, when the tendency among us is to an extreme individualism, and therewith to an ignoring or denial of any claim of God upon nations and communities as such, it is of great need to insist upon this thought thus symbolised. It was not enough in Gods sight that individual Israelites should now and then offer their meal offerings; the Lord required a meal offering “on behalf of the children of Israel” as a whole, and of each particular tribe of the twelve, each in its corporate capacity. There is no reason to think that in the Divine government the principle which took this symbolic expression is obsolete. It is not enough that individuals among us consecrate the fruit of their labours to the Lord. The Lord requires such consecration of every nation collectively; and of each of the subdivisions in that nation, such as cities, towns, states, provinces, and so on. Yet where in the wide world can we see one such consecrated nation? Can we find one such consecrated province or state, or even such a city or town? Where then, from this biblical and spiritual point of view, is the ground for the religious boasting of the Christian progress of our day which one sometimes hears? Must we not say, “It is excluded”?
Typically, the shew bread, like the other meal offerings with their frankincense, must foreshadow the work of the Messiah in holy consecration; and, in particular, as the One in whom the ideal of Israel was perfectly realised, and who thus represented in His person the whole Israel of God. But the bread of the Presence represents His holy obedience in self-consecration, not merely, as in the other meal offerings, presented in the outer court, in the sight of men, as in His earthly life; but here, rather, as continually presented before the “Face of God,” in the Holy Place, where Christ appears in the presence of God for us. And in this symbolism, which has been already justified, we may recognise the element of truth that there is in the view held by Bahr, apparently, as by others, that the shew bread typified Christ Himself regarded as the bread of life to His people. Not indeed, precisely, that Christ Himself is brought before us here, but rather His holy obedience, continually offered unto God in the heavenly places, in behalf of the true Israel, and as sealing and confirming the everlasting covenant; -this is what this symbol brings before us. And it is as we by faith appropriate Him, as thus ever presenting His holy life to God for us, that He becomes for us the Bread of Life.