Please do turn back in your Bibles to our second reading to Leviticus chapter 24, where we continue our studies in this book of the Bible. We come now to verse 5 of chapter 24 and we'll consider through to verse 9. These verses give us the instructions for Israel regarding providing the flour required for the showbread. saw last time the first part of verse 24 regarding the oil for the tabernacle lamps so that the lamp in the tabernacle could continue to burn daily. And now we come to Israel's responsibility to provide the grain and the flour so that they can continually be bred in the holy place. We might think that these Instructions are quite randomly placed, but there's actually much logic and order to where they are positioned in Leviticus. They come just after 23, which is the instructions for all the various feasts and festivals in Israel's calendar year. And these feasts and festivals are based around the harvest time, when the various harvests were brought in of the various crops throughout the year. And so now these instructions come for some of the furniture within the tabernacle, but it's very much to do with the harvest that's been brought in, the oil for the lamps and the flour for the bread. Within the tabernacle, these items of furniture, the lamp and the table that the bread was on, they are in the holy place. So you have the most holy place, the Holy of Holies, which only the high priest went into once a year on the Day of Atonement. And there you have the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat, the lid of it, where the blood was sprinkled. And then, so if that's the inner inner chamber, then you have the next one, which is the inner chamber, which is the holy place. And that's where we're considering this evening. And only the priests could enter in here. And there were three items of furniture in the holy place. We've read of two of them here in chapter 24 of Leviticus. There's the lamp and there's the table, but there's also an altar of incense as well. And then, of course, you have the outer court of the tabernacle where the altar of sacrifice was, where the burnt offerings were made. And so we have here the Lord's instruction that Israel will provide all the flour required so that there might be 12 loaves of bread in the holy place throughout the year continually. And this bread would be changed every week on the Sabbath day. We'll come to that. And it was the responsibility of the people to provide for that. It's called various things throughout the Old Testament and the New as well. Often it's called the bread of the presence because the point of the tabernacle, it's where the presence of God was, but an English word we often use that's in our authorised versions was actually invented by William Tyndale, and it's the showbread, as we find that that came from his translation of the Bible, which was kept in the subsequent King James Version. The showbread, which was always to be present in the tabernacle. In 2 Chronicles 2, Solomon describes it as the continual showbread. because it was always to be there. And these were ring-shaped loaves. They were to be baked by the Levites, so not the priests, but the Levites who were the attendants and ministers around the tabernacle, but didn't go in as the priests did. And we're told in 1 Chronicles 9 that actually within the tribe of the Levites, it's the line of the Kohathites that took responsibility for baking this bread. the bread would most likely be unleavened. It wouldn't have any yeast in it. First of all, it would need to last a week. It would need to spend a week in the tabernacle, and then the priests were to eat it. So there couldn't be anything in it that could cause it to mold quickly. But also there wouldn't be any leaven in the holy place anyway. And so these 12 loaves would be unleavened. And of course, what they're doing, as is everything in the tabernacle here, is symbolizing the covenant relationship that exists between God and his people. We thought about that last time when we first saw these items of furniture with the lamp. You have God as the light shining, and 12 loaves, 12 tribes of Israel, the church, they're in the presence of God, the light of his countenance shining upon them. And you also have the altar of incense in there as well. And incense is usually an illustration in scripture for prayer, for the prayers of God's people going to him and being accepted by him in Christ. And so you see this communion that God's people have with him, even in the furnishings in the holy place of the tabernacle. But as we think of the bread in particular, There can be no doubt about it that these 12 loaves are representing the 12 tribes of Israel. We have here a picture of Israel and the Old Testament church. But I think we should also see it that it is Christ constantly representing his people before his father's presence. If you think of the priest and the various or the high priest and the robes that they had to wear, it included the 12 stones representing the 12 tribes. And we have a similar picture here of the 12 tribes together in the same way. And of course, throughout the scripture, we see that Christ is described as bread as well. He is the bread of life. He is the spiritual food that our souls need for spiritual life. And so that's what we have a beautiful picture of here of Christ and his people. bringing his people, his church, into communion with God, into fellowship with the Almighty. And so we can see in the showbread, it symbolizes God's presence with his people, God's provision for his people, and God's preservation of his people, because that's what God is doing for his people throughout Scripture. Old and New Testaments. He is present with them, shown in the lamp shining upon the bread. He provides for them. The fact they were offering bread to God this Thanksgiving is because he provided all their needs. He provided all their grain, their harvests year by year. All their food is provided by him. And of course, in doing this, he is preserving his people. And of course, that's true for us as believers today as well, that God provides the nourishment his people need. He provides our physical nourishment. Every mouthful of food we take is ultimately from him. It's all from his hand, but also the spiritual nourishment we need in Christ. God has provided that for us as well. And he sustains us and preserves our spiritual lives as we feed on Christ in the scriptures. And so supplying grain for the showbread was to be an expression of Israel's gratitude to all that, for all that God had done for them. We see that the bread was set on a table and we have, we read first of all in Exodus 25 where we have the description of the table. It was a relatively small table, approximately three feet long by one and a half feet wide. It was made of wood and it was to be plated with gold. But we also saw in Exodus 25 that it wasn't just the bread on the table, but the table was to be furnished with golden dishes, spoons and bowls and cups. So you have bread on this ornate table and you have all these ornate dishes as well, made of precious metal. What's it really a picture of? It's a picture of a banquet. It's a feast being symbolized for us. And it's interesting that in ancient times and Old Testament times, covenants that people made between each other when individuals or families or tribes made an agreement, where they bound themselves to one another in an agreement, they would often seal the deal with a meal. They would eat together in order to show their loyalty to one another. And so here we see this sealing of God's covenant with his people with a meal. I think it's likely that when we turn to the book of Revelation and we see that picture of the marriage supper of the lamb there, is it not drawing on this Old Testament imagery of the Lord's covenant meal with his people. And that's what the Lord's people are. They're a people invited to his table. We have that now in our own time as well with the Lord's Supper, of course, where Christ invites his people to come and sit with him and to remember his death, which is the source of our life. I'm sure we all think of that lovely verse in Song of Solomon 2, where the church says, about her husband, he brought me to the banqueting house and his banner over me was love. And so you have here more expression, more illustration of God's covenant with his people. And that meal, although Israel and I are not going into it and eating at this table, but still it's showing the loyalty and the friendship that exists between God and his people. And so the people come to thank God and acknowledge that he's provided for them. Israel did this as a whole as they provided the grain for the showbread that was continually in God's presence. In those days, many pagan religions in Egypt and Babylon, they would make daily offerings of bread to the temples of their so-called deities. Why? What did they think they were doing? They thought that they were feeding their deity. This was food that their deity needed them to provide for them. It's complete nonsense, of course. But you see how it's the opposite with Israel, who worship the true God. They're not providing for God. God needs nothing from them, as he says so in Psalm 50. the cattle on a thousand hills are his. He does not need anything they can give him, but it's a reminder that he provides for them. And what an amazing thing that is. Even before we get to spiritual blessings that Israel have, even before we get to salvation in Christ, every temporal thing, We have the food that God provides for us. Isn't that amazing that we're sustained each day, that we have what we need? Remember what Adam was told when he and Eve fell into sin, that the ground would be cursed, there'd be a toil to get food, but yet God in his mercy, he provides for a sinful, undeserving people. And that's just the temporal, then there's every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places that are ours in Christ, that have all been given, the storehouse, the treasure that's in heaven given to God's people, not because we've earned it, but because he loves us and has chosen to give us all things through Christ and then crucified. So here we see a people in the presence of God, a people provided for by God, a people preserved by God, symbolised in the 12 loaves. But we see that also the bread was to be accompanied with incense as well. There was to be frankincense on this table as well. Now, it's unlikely that the frankincense was sprinkled on the bread because, well, the priests had to eat this bread. And so the incense wouldn't be on it. We're also told the incense would be an offering made by fire to the Lord. So this incense would be placed in the cups next to the bread and then would be sprinkled on the altar. This was the Jewish tradition, according to the historian Josephus. And of course, frankincense burned as a fragrant incense, and it signifies God's acceptance of Israel. And of course, how did this acceptance come? Well, to get to the altar of incense, you have to go past the altar of sacrifice in the outer court. And that's how our prayers and our worship are accepted by God. Remember that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, but through Christ, through his blood's cleansing and covering us, through his righteousness given to us, all our worship is accepted. by God through him, our mediator and high priest. And so in Revelation 5, 8, we're told that the golden bowls of incense are the prayers of the saints. Make a pleasing aroma to God. So this was what was going on in the holy place where the priests ministered week by week in the tabernacle. And every Sabbath day, the priests had the responsibility of replacing the 12 loaves. They would eat the old loaves coming off. It was part of their sustenance. And they would put new loaves on. And it was the same pattern for Israel's worship. Remember how Israel symbolized in the bread. week by week on the Sabbath, Israel would present themselves before God once again. I think there's two lessons for our own worship that we can take from that. First of all, that fresh bread should be provided in God's house every Sabbath day. And that's the duty of the minister to, week by week, make those fresh studies and scriptures so that the people would be fed when they come to the house of God. But also, we think of the new bread coming in. That's what we must do as a people, week by week. Each Sabbath day, our thanksgiving to God and our dedication to God should be renewed. That's why I hope we come to church first and foremost is to worship God. I hope the biggest attraction about church to us is God himself and nothing else that's going on or anyone else that's there, but we come to meet with God. And that's what you're doing as you worship week by week. Not on the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday, but now on the Christian Sabbath, the Sunday. What are you doing? You're presenting yourself before God. Think of that bread and the light shining upon it. That's what you're doing. What a high calling, what a holy calling, to present yourself before God. And that should make us very much think about the spirit that we come in, the attitude we bring. that we're coming into the presence of a holy God through Christ, redeemed in Christ, righteous in Christ, but into the presence of a holy God and we present ourselves before him and we give ourselves to him. And this is what God desires of you, not anything ultimately you put in the offering plate or anything else, but you, your heart given to him week by week as you gather with his saints in his house. Just before we close tonight, just one final thing to think of, and that's how we find the showbread being used further on in the Old Testament and in the New Testament as well. And of course, that's to do with David and his men when they were on the run from Saul. We find this in 1 Samuel 21. I didn't read from this passage, but I'm sure you'll know the story how David comes to the priest and is is hungry, his men are hungry, and the priest gives them this bread. And of course, this is an example that Jesus draws on when he's disputing with the Pharisees about how the Sabbath was to be kept. the Lord's disciples were found picking grain on the Sabbath. And for the Pharisees, this was, they couldn't get over this. How could anyone do this? For them, the Sabbath day was a series of do's and don'ts, mainly don'ts. And they completely missed the spirit of the law. And so to show them how they'd reduced God's law to to a set of bare rules. Jesus draws on this example of David when the rule was that it was only the priests that could eat off the bread. But David and his men came, they were hungry, they were desperate. And the priest on duty saw that and they saw that this is the food he had and he gave it to David and his men. He saw it as a work of necessity and mercy. These men needed to eat. And Jesus is saying to the Pharisees that what should matter in our observance of God's law is common sense and compassion. These have to come into play as well, not just strict, unbending observance of the law. Although we should strive to keep the law and we should love to keep the law, but common sense and compassion must be at work as well as Jesus said to them, In verse six of chapter, or verse seven, I desire mercy and not sacrifice. Which was more pleasing to God for the priest in David's day to say to David and his men, I know you're hungry, I know you're starving, but no, this bread, it's only for the priest, you can't have that, there's nothing else for you, too bad. Or for the priest to say, ordinarily this bread, is only for the priests. But here you are, you have a great need, you're in a great and unusual situation. Here you go. Jesus is saying how important it is that we observe the law of God in that spirit as well. Not that we have license to break the law, and not that we should have an attitude of seeing how far we can go to the boundaries of God's commandments before we're stepping into disobedience. Not that we should be seeking to bend or break the rules, but there are circumstances where mercy and compassion and plain sanctified common sense must come into play as well. And so Jesus draws on the example of David and the showbread for this as well. And I hope that just reminds us that when we see the grandeur and just how daunting that the tabernacle is and Mount Sinai and the thunder and lightning upon it. And we see the glory of God in this. We see he is one who is to be feared and all-consuming fire. We have to remember that he is the one who is mercy and compassion and love. And these various aspects of God's character do not contradict one another, but they hold together in infinite perfection. in him, and that's illustrated very well in the showbread, only for the priests to eat. But here's someone in need. Here's an emergency situation. It gives us a glimpse into the heart of God. So these opening verses of chapter 24 of Leviticus, instruct us, or they instruct Israel on providing the oil for the lamp and the flour for the bread, which would be in the holy place. Light and bread, both ways in which our Lord Jesus Christ is described for us. Even in John's gospel, he's the light of the world. He's the light shining into the darkness. And in chapter one and chapter six, he is the bread of life. and it's Christ we need on all these Old Testament ordinances that we're working through. I hope we're seeing more of the types and shadows all pointing to Christ, and I hope we're seeing the beauty in it all as we see him prefigured there, and if you see the substance coming after the shadows in his person and work in the New Testament. It's interesting how the book of Revelation ends as well when we're given that picture The church is the holy city in the presence of God. Again, we're reminded of what we've read of here, of the light and the lamp and the bread as well, because we're told that there will be no need for sun, for a sun to shine there, because the lamb is the light. And we're also told about the saints In heaven they shall hunger and thirst no more. Why? Because Christ's there. We have Christ and he is all we need now and for eternity we shall be with him and that is what we look forward to as believers and we press on toward this goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and I hope we see him there in the objects in the tabernacle and I hope it will spur us on to our pursuit of him daily in our lives. Let us pray. Most gracious and merciful Father in heaven, it is with thanksgiving that we come before you once more this night, thankful for everything that you do for us day by day, and how you have provided for all our needs. We can say that as we rise and go to our beds each day, that you have met all that we need for our journey through this world. We thank you that you've met our needs for eternity as well, We are simply before you sinners with no righteousness of our own, deserving to perish for all our sins against you, deserving to be cast into hell and to be punished eternally. But in your eternal and unfathomable love and mercy, you have provided that sacrifice for our sins in the Lord Jesus Christ. we thank you for him and we pray that he would be our light and our bread and our life in each of us and that daily we would seek to feed upon him spiritually by faith and that we would seek to learn from him in the Scriptures, and we thank you that he has sent the Holy Spirit for this purpose, to dwell in our hearts and to teach us the things of your word, that we might live faithfully for you and be conformed to Christ's likeness. We pray that you would continue to do that for us in our congregation, that as your word is opened week by week, that you would take us into it and feed us on its mighty truths, that these indeed would be food to our souls would encourage us as we walk heavenward. We pray for all who've gathered tonight and every home and family represented. We once more bring before you the sick and the suffering. in our congregation and beyond. We thank you that you're the God who is all sufficient to meet our needs and we pray that your people going through much affliction and distress at this time might be really aware of your presence and your help. We give you thanks for our visitors. We ask your richest blessing upon them and their lives that you would go before them and guide them in all their ways. And we pray now that you would go before us and that you would write your word upon our hearts that we might take it with us and it might be of use to us in the days ahead. Please bless us now, pardon our sins and receive our worship in Jesus' name. Amen. We shall conclude by singing in Psalm 132 in the Scottish Psalter. Psalm 132, we'll sing the final few verses of the Psalm from verse 11 to verse 18. That's on page 423 of the Psalm books. Psalm 132, we sing from verse 11. The Lord in truth to David swear he will not turn from it. Eye of thy body's fruit will make upon thy throne to sit. My covenant of thy sons will keep, and laws to them made known. Their children then shall also sit forever on thy throne. For God of Zion hath made choice, there he desires to dwell. This is my rest, here still I'll stay, for I do like it well. Her food I'll greatly bless, her poor with bread will satisfy. Her priests I'll clothe with health, her saints shall shout forth joyfully. And there will I make David's horn to bud forth pleasantly, for him that mine anointed is, a lamp ordained have I. As with a garment I will clothe with shame his enemies all, but yet the crown that he doth wear upon him flourished shall. So let us stand and praise God in the singing of Psalm 132 from verse 11 to the end. The Lord is true, to David swear. He will not turn from it. Eye of thy bodies, flood will wake. upon thy throne to sit, mine covenant, will keep, and close to them midnight, their children they shall also to sit forever on thy throne. ♪ For God of Zion hath made choice ♪ ♪ That he desires to dwell ♪ ♪ This is my rest, here still I'll stay ♪ ♪ For I do like it well ♪ ♪ Her foods are greatly blessed ♪ ♪ Her poor with bread will satisfy ♪ The priests are clothed with her, the saints shall shout for joyfully. On their will I make David's oar, to bath forth pleasantly for him as my anointed is. Alleluia. Alleluia. As with thy garment I will clothe with shame his enemies all, but yet the crown that he doth wear upon him flourish. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.