We are in chapter twenty-five of Exodus with our word for today which is a phrase. לֶ֥חֶם פָּנִ֖ים bread of presence. It is used 9 times in the Old Testament. Let’s look at our uses starting with our chapter since it is the first time it is used in the Bible. Exodus 25:23, 30 You shall make a table of acacia wood … And you shall set the לֶ֥חֶם פָּנִ֖ים bread of the Presence on the table לְפָנַ֥י [literally face or in my presence] before me regularly. A good example of this is later in Exodus where it is just translated before instead of presence but it is the same phrase. Exodus 40:23 And arranged the לֶ֖חֶם לִפְנֵ֣י bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. Because the purpose of the table was to present this bread to God in his presence the table itself was also called the bread of presence or the table of the bread of presence. We see this with our next use of our phrase. Exodus 35:10-14 Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded: the tabernacle ... the table with its poles and all its utensils, and the לֶ֥חֶם הַפָּנִֽים bread of the Presence; the lampstand also for the light. So from the context we can conclude that the craftsman are not making the bread of presence because that is something that the Levites were to prepare and bake. It is another way to say the table referring to it just as the bread of presence. We see this same thing in the next use that records the table was made as God instructed (Exodus 39:36). Here are a couple of examples that point out the purpose of the table with our phrase. 1 Kings 7:48 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: the golden altar, the golden table for the לֶ֥חֶם הַפָּנִ֖ים bread of the Presence. Did you notice the word for? This shows purpose. Also in 2 Chronicles 4:19 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the golden altar, the tables for the לֶ֥חֶם הַפָּנִֽים bread of the Presence. We know this is bread that is edible because David and his men actually did this. 1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the לֶ֤חֶם הַפָּנִים֙ bread of the Presence, which is removed מִלִּפְנֵ֣י from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. Did you notice that our phrase is also referred to as holy bread? What makes it holy is that it is presented to YWHW at the place where he makes himself know in a special way in the holy of holies. This is interesting that this bread that the priest even refers to as no ordinary bread earlier in 1 Samuel chapter 21 is given to David to eat as common ordinary bread. We see Jesus himself make a reference to this very event. Jesus words are recorded in three out of the four gospels so this is an important point God is making. Let’s look at Marks account. Mark 2:23-28 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” This is a great reminder that because of Jesus everything has changed. Even though our sin has separated us from God because of Jesus work on the cross we can now be in his presence. I’ll close with this great reality as believers in Christ. John 7:38-39 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive.