The bread of the Presence, also known as the showbread or shewbread, was a special type of bread that was commanded by God to be continually present before Him in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and later the Temple. Here is an overview of what the Bible teaches about this unique bread:
It was made from fine flour
God instructed that the bread of the Presence was to be made from fine flour (Exodus 25:30, Leviticus 24:5). This distinguished it from coarser grains and signified purity and excellence, as fine flour was more labor-intensive to produce. The flour was likely wheat flour.
It was baked in specific ways
The Bible gives some instructions on how the bread was to be prepared. Leviticus 24:5 states that it was to be baked with twelve loaves per batch. Verse 7 says that pure frankincense was to be put on each row of bread. It was called the “bread of the Presence” because it was perpetually in God’s presence (Exodus 25:30).
It was arranged in two rows on a golden table
The loaves were placed on a specially constructed golden table known as the table of showbread or table of the Presence (Exodus 25:23-30). The table had a gold molding around the edge and golden rings through which poles could be inserted for carrying. The loaves were arranged in two rows of six loaves per row (Leviticus 24:6).
It was changed weekly on the Sabbath
Every Sabbath day, the priests were commanded to change the loaves that had sat for a week with fresh new ones (Leviticus 24:8). The old bread was then to be eaten by the priests only in a holy place (Leviticus 24:9). This showed reverence and care for things consecrated to God’s service.
It was a perpetual covenant
God told the Israelites that the bread of the Presence was to be kept always before Him as a perpetual covenant (Leviticus 24:8). It represented God’s constant provision for their nourishment. The changing of the bread weekly was to be done “forever” (Leviticus 24:3).
It was a memorial offering
In Leviticus 24:7, the bread is said to be a memorial offering made by fire to the Lord. It was like other grain and food offerings in being an offering of gratitude and dependence on God’s provision. However, the bread of the Presence was unique in being in God’s presence perpetually.
It was a sign of God’s covenant blessing
Being in the presence of the bread of the Presence signified being in God’s presence and enjoying covenant blessings. This is seen in God promising David: “Behold, I will build you a house. […] I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son [….] And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:11b-16).
It was made by the Levites
The responsibility for baking the bread each week fell upon the Kohathites, a division of the Levites (1 Chronicles 9:32). Preparing the bread of the Presence was an important task the Levites were privileged to perform in serving God’s tabernacle and later the Temple.
Only the priests could eat it
As mentioned, the old bread removed each week once new loaves were set down could only be eaten by the priests and only in a sacred place (Leviticus 24:9). No one else was permitted to eat this holy bread. When David was on the run from Saul, he received some from the priest under exceptional circumstances (1 Samuel 21:1-6).
Jesus’s disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath illustrates freedom from old constraints
In Mark 2:23-28, Jesus defends His disciples who plucked heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. He references how David was given the old consecrated bread from the tabernacle to eat in his time of need. Jesus says the Sabbath was made for man’s benefit. As Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus transitioned many ceremonial laws like the showbread to new meanings for a new covenant.
Jesus is the ultimate bread of life from heaven
When Jesus feeds the 5,000 miraculously, He connects Himself to the true bread of life that comes down from heaven (John 6:22-59). While the old bread of the Presence sustained the priests physically, Jesus is the living bread who satisfies spiritually and gives eternal life. He supersedes temple rituals. Through His body broken for us, Jesus is the bread of God’s presence now with God’s people.
It foreshadowed Jesus as the bread of life
The bread of the Presence symbolized God’s provision for Israel. It had to be perpetual and constantly renewed. In this way, it pointed toward the coming of Jesus Christ, the true bread from heaven who gives life to the world (John 6:33). The changing out of the old loaves weekly foreshadowed how Jesus would offer His body once for all time for the life of the world (Hebrews 10:10).
It recalled the manna God provided in the wilderness
Just as God had provided manna from heaven to feed Israel after the Exodus, the bread of the Presence reminded them of God’s faithful provision in the wilderness. Though the manna ceased when they entered Canaan, God still nourished them, now from crops in the promised land. The bread offering maintained connection to God’s past provision.
It was an act of consecrating one’s labor to God
Baking the fresh loaves weekly required time, effort, and talents consecrated to God’s service. The bread did not miraculously materialize, but was produced through the diligent labor of the Levites. It reflected offerings brought sincerely from one’s livelihood and the firstfruits of harvest God had blessed.
It resembled meals shared in God’s presence
Sharing meals together often represents friendship, closeness of relationship, and fellowship. Though no one ate the bread of the Presence except the priests, it signified the people of Israel being nourished eternally in God’s presence. God wanted a close relationship with His people to bless and sustain them.
It was bread, representing simple nourishment
Bread was a dietary staple, simple food that fueled people’s daily lives. As an offering of bread, the showbread represented submitting even one’s most basic needs to God’s care and provision. Just as God called the people to depend on Him for literal bread from the ground, the showbread reminded them to rely on God more fully.
It reminds us our lives are to be lived wholly before God
For the priests to eat the bread in a holy place reinforced that all of life is to be lived before the face of God in worshipful reverence. The showbread did not just represent physical nourishment, but total spiritual nourishment with God at the center. Our lives today are to be wholly dedicated to God as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).
It prefigured the Lord’s Supper meal instituted by Jesus
Bread being central to a sacred meal pointing to God’s provision of eternal life reminds one of the Lord’s Supper that Jesus instituted. As often as we eat the bread and drink the cup remembering Christ’s sacrificial death, we proclaim it until His return (1 Corinthians 11:26). The remembrance is made possible through His body given for us.
It was a communal offering representing all of Israel
The showbread was offered on behalf of Israel as a whole, baked by Levites who represented the people before God. Despite being eaten only by priests, it was an offering for the entire covenant community. Just as all Israel was nourished by one bread, in Christ we are one body (1 Corinthians 10:17).
It was an expression of thanksgiving and devotion to God
The showbread was part of Israel’s worship and expression of gratitude to God for His blessings. Placing bread continually before God demonstrated their devotion, dependence, and thankfulness. So too should our lives be filled with constant thanksgiving for all He has done.
It required diligence, order, and care to prepare
From harvesting the grain to grinding fine flour to baking unleavened bread, making the weekly fresh loaves took diligence, order, and care. Likewise, maintaining a close walk with God requires discipline, vigilance, and thoughtfulness. Our devotion to God should not be careless but carefully tended.
It was holy and sacred, set apart for God’s purpose
The bread of the Presence was holy and sacred, set apart exclusively for God’s service in the tabernacle/temple. The utensils used to prepare it were likewise sacred. This offers a picture of holiness – set apart unto the Lord for His divine purpose. Though we live amid the mundane world, we are called to be holy as He is holy.
Only God’s presence could make it holy
It was being continually in God’s presence before the Ark of the Covenant that made the bread holy. Things associated with worshiping Yahweh became sacred in proximity to His glory. So too we only become holy by being in Christ through the Spirit, in God’s presence.
It was served alongside other sacred offerings
The bread of the Presence was part of a larger tableau of sacred offerings including light from the golden lampstand, altar of incense, and Ark of the Covenant. Together these comprised the holy ritual worship of God in the tabernacle and temple. The showbread did not stand alone but worked in concert with other forms of devotion.
It required consecration for handling
Only the consecrated priests could properly handle, eat, and dispose of the holy bread. Any lay people who touched sacred objects devoted to God’s service could die (2 Samuel 6:6-7). Proper respect was required for things made holy to the Lord. We too must honor what is consecrated to God with careful reverence.
The tabernacle held together God’s presence and His provision
The original tabernacle joined the Ark of the Covenant representing God’s presence and the table with showbread representing His provision. God’s nearness and God’s nourishment go hand-in-hand. We need both to walk with Him – awareness of His presence and grateful reliance on His constant spiritual nourishment.
It reminds us we do not live by bread alone
When Moses charged the Israelites with God’s laws, he reminded them man does not live by bread alone, but by every word from God’s mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3). Physical bread is not enough; we need spiritual nourishment from obeying God’s Word. The showbread pointed to our deeper need beyond material needs.
It foreshadowed the Messianic banquet at the end of the age
As a simple meal of bread continually provided, the showbread also pictured the great Messianic banquet foretold for the future. When God consummates His kingdom, He promises to provide an abundant feast for His people (Isaiah 25:6). This sacred meal will be enjoyed in God’s presence forever.
Conclusion
The bread of the Presence was a significant part of Israel’s sacred worship, filled with spiritual symbolism. It reflected God’s constant faithful provision, the consecration of the people’s work to God, the call to live wholly before Him, and trust in Him alone. It also pointed forward to Jesus as the living bread from heaven and the Messianic age when all God’s people will feast joyfully face-to-face with Him.