This is the continuation of the foregoing message on the table of the bread of the Presence.
The table of the bread of the Presence was made of acacia wood (25:23). Acacia wood here signifies that Christ’s humanity is the basic element for Him to be our feast. It is significant that both the ark of the testimony and the table were made of acacia wood, signifying Christ’s humanity.
Exodus 25:24 says, “And you shall overlay it with pure gold.” The fact that the table was overlaid with gold signifies the expression of God, Christ’s divinity. Within Him, Christ’s humanity is the basic element for our enjoyment, and upon Him is His divinity as the expression of God. If we enjoy Christ, we shall express God. This means that as we enjoy the Lord Jesus as the supply with which to serve God, the outcome will be gold, Christ’s divinity as the expression of God. This is very meaningful, and I trust in the Spirit to reveal more to the saints concerning it. From our spiritual experience we know that the more we enjoy Christ as the basic element of our feast, the more we express God. This is the significance of the table being overlaid with gold.
Verse 24 also says, “And make for it a rim of gold round about.” The rim of gold around the table signifies that the expressed glory of Christ’s divinity becomes the keeping power and holding strength. We have previously seen this with respect to the rim of gold around the ark of the testimony. With both the ark and the table, the significance of the rim of gold is the same.
According to verse 23, the table was two cubits in length and a cubit in width. Here we have two units of measure, each one cubit square, or two square cubits. In the Bible the number one signifies a complete unit, a unique unit. Furthermore, for something to be square indicates that it is perfect and without bias or defect. Thus, the two square cubits signify the perfect and complete life supply of Christ to issue in a testimony.
The enjoyment of Christ is perfect, represented by a square. It is without bias or defect. Eventually, this enjoyment makes us a testimony. This two-square enjoyment issues in a testimony. No words are adequate to explain this. But if we consider the picture of the table, we shall gain a proper understanding of it.
We know from verse 23 that the table of the bread of the Presence was a cubit and a half in height. This signifies that the standard here is up to that of the ark of the testimony. The nourishment of Christ to us as serving priests matches the standard of God’s testimony. If our enjoyment of Christ does not come up to God’s testimony as signified by the height of the ark, then our enjoyment is not perfect. It is in some way defective and below the standard.
Today Christians everywhere read the Bible and study it. But is the standard of their enjoyment up to the standard of God’s testimony? In the vast majority of cases it is not up to God’s standard. Along with the study of the Bible, some Christian groups use worldly music. The use of such music lowers the standard to a very great degree. On the one hand, these Christians have the Bible; on the other hand, they have things which lower the standard.
As we consider the picture of the ark of the testimony and of the table of the bread of the Presence, we see that the height of both the ark and the table is the same—one and a half cubits. This indicates that the ark and the table are on the same level. This reveals that our enjoyment of Christ must match the standard of God’s testimony. Our enjoyment of Christ through the Word must be very high. No place should be given to any gimmicks which lower the standard.