Bible Pathway - Feb. 10, 2010
Highlights:
The Tabernacle, olive oil Candlestick, Shewbread; penalty for blasphemy; Sabbath Year; Year of Jubilee; laws concerning the poor and redemption of property.
Verses for Today:
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. . . . And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof. . . . And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure Table before the Lord. . . . Every Sabbath he (Aaron, the high priest) shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant (Lev. 24:1-2,5-8).The term Shewbread (Ex. 25:30) literally means "bread of the face." The loaves of bread were put in the "presence of God," signifying that He and His Word sustained their very lives. As the priests ate the holy bread, they confirmed Israel's dependence upon Him. The 12 loaves contained no leaven (symbolic of sin). They were made of fine flour — these loaves represented Christ, the perfect One, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners (Heb. 7:26).
Pure frankincense was put on each of the two rows of bread. The frankincense was symbolic of prayer. This revealed how closely the bread and the altar of incense were united. The incense on the bread signified the importance of prayer in making the bread acceptable for the priests. The 12 identical loaves were a reminder that the Lord was the Satisfier and Sustainer of all 12 tribes. The loaves also pictured Christ, who would endure the fierce oven of affliction and crucifixion to come forth as the Bread of Life. Jesus declared: He that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst (John 6:35). For the Bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world (6:33).
Just as the priests ate the shewbread, we are to partake of spiritual food by reading the Word of God, but it must be accompanied by prayer. Through prayer and the Word, the Holy Spirit gives us strength which we could not otherwise have. The power of the Word, released by believing prayer, transforms our lives to be like the image of the Son of God.
As the light of the Golden Candlestick shone upon the sacred Shewbread, it typified Christ. As we read His Word, the indwelling Holy Spirit provides His Light from His Word revealing the moral and spiritual truths of life.
Thought for Today:
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matt. 5:16).
Christ Portrayed:
By the kinsman-redeemer (Lev. 25:47-55). Christ is our Savior and Redeemer (Is. 60:16) who made us His kinsmen: The Spirit Itself (Himself) beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God (Rom. 8:16).
Word Studies:
24:4 order the lamps =see that they are continually supplied with oil and kept in trim; 24:19 blemish =injury; 25:35,39 be waxen poor =has become impoverished; 25:36 usury =interest on loans; 25:39 bondservant =slave; 25:43 rigour =harshness, severity.
Prayer Needs:
Pray for International Broadcasts sponsored by Iva Jo Swinsburg • Staff: Dan Murton • Government Official: Rep. Walter Jones, Jr. (NC) • Country: Uzbekistan (24.4 million) central Asia • Major languages: Uzbek and Russian • Limited religious freedom due to Islamic influence • 68.2% Muslim (largely Sunni); 4.4% Russian Orthodox; .2% Roman Catholic; .2% Protestant; .5% Jewish; .5% Other; .2% Baha'i; .3% Buddhist; 25.5% non-Religious/Other • Prayer Suggestion: Ask, seek, and knock through prayer, knowing God promises to answer (Matt. 7:7-8).
Optional Reading: Mark 13
Memory Verse for the Week: Exodus 20:7-11
