The Bread of the Presence and the Shadow of Christ

In our last content, we explored how Jesus is the Bread of Life. Jesus used this analogy to teach the people following Him that they must depend entirely on Him. We must “consume” Him by faith — trusting in Him as our source of life. This analogy also stood in contrast to the people’s question, “What must we do to be saved?” Jesus declared Himself the Bread of Life to reveal the difference between grace and works. We are saved only by grace; no work can earn salvation. To “do the work of the Father” means simply to believe in His Son. You can read the full content here: The Bread of Life — Grace vs Works.

To fully understand this “Bread of Life” analogy, we will explore another usage of bread in the Old Testament — the Lechem HaPanim, also called the Bread of the Presence.

“Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf. Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold before the LORD. By each stack put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the LORD. This bread is to be set out before the LORD regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in the sanctuary area, because it is a most holy part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the LORD.”
— Leviticus 24 : 5–9 (NIV)
“Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.”
— Exodus 25 : 30 (NIV)

As Scripture declares, “the Law and the Prophets” all pointed to Christ. We are not bound to practice any part of the Law literally or symbolically because Jesus fulfilled it completely.

The Bread of the Presence as a Foreshadow of Christ.

• The Lechem HaPanim served as a memorial food offering to the LORD — a prophetic shadow pointing to Jesus, who would later offer Himself as the true sacrifice to God for our salvation.

“And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
— Ephesians 5 : 2 (NIV)

• The Bread of the Presence was continually set before the LORD in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. This constant presence prefigured one of Jesus’ divine ministries — His continual intercession before the Father. Not only was Jesus the perfect offering for our sins, but He also remains in God’s presence, interceding for us.

“Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
— Hebrews 7 : 24–25 (NIV)

“For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.”
— Hebrews 9 : 24 (NIV)

• Lechem HaPanim and the Everlasting Covenant

“… Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant.” — Leviticus 24 : 8 (NIV)

While many ordinances of the Torah were temporary, this “lasting covenant” symbolically pointed forward to Jesus — the true Everlasting Covenant.

“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will.”
— Hebrews 13 : 20–21 (NKJV)

• The Bread Belongs to the Priests
  

“It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in the sanctuary area.” — Leviticus 24 : 9 (NIV

The Bread of the Presence was eaten by Aaron and his sons — the priesthood of Israel. This foreshadowed our participation in Christ, the true Bread of Life. The Church, the spiritual and the rea Israel, partakes of His body by faith. And our role is simple; Belief in Jesus. (Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’” (John 6:29))

Jesus declared this before His crucifixion, foreshadowing His body given for us (as sacrifice and for consumption). Just as the Lechem HaPanim was made for Aaron and his sons, Christ’s body was given for all who believe.

“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’”
— Luke 22 : 19–20 (NIV)

The goal of this verse was not to instruct us to pretend as if we are actually eating the flesh of Jesus.

 In Conclusion: The Bread and the Sabbath

“Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and, taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat… Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.’”
— Luke 6 : 3–5 (NIV)

The Lechem HaPanim was the bread offered to God in the Old Testament — a shadow of Christ, who offered Himself to save us. It was continually placed before God, just as Jesus now stands continually in the presence of the Father, interceding on our behalf. The bread was eaten by Aaron and his sons;

David once ate that same holy bread  (against the law)— perhaps as a prophetic act of faith, foreshadowing the grace that would come through Christ.

The message remains the same throughout Scripture: we are saved only by believing in Jesus.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
— John 3 : 16 (NIV)

Note: We encourage you to do your own study on this topic and let the Holy Spirit be the teacher .