MEMORY VERSE: ‘Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts.’ Jeremiah 15:16.
STUDY HELP: Testimonies, volume 6, pages 573-579.
LESSON SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 8:1-3.
LESSON AIM: To study the first of the three means of sanctification symbolised in the Holy Place, the Bread of Life.
‘The heart needs a power that is found only in the Word of God. This power is the bread of life, which, if a man eat thereof, he shall live forever. He is not merely to taste occasionally of the bread which comes down from heaven. He is to live on the words which are spirit and life to the receiver. The earnest grasp of truth, the personal appropriation of the words of Christ, works a transformation in the character.’ Mind, Character & Personality, volume 2, page 783.
NOTE: ‘The showbread was kept ever before the Lord as a perpetual offering. Thus it was a part of the daily sacrifice. It was called showbread, or “bread of the presence,” because it was ever before the face of the Lord. It was an acknowledgment of man’s dependence upon God for both temporal and spiritual food, and that it is received only through the mediation of Christ. God had fed Israel in the wilderness with bread from heaven, and they were still dependent upon His bounty, both for temporal food and spiritual blessings. Both the manna and the showbread pointed to Christ, the living Bread, who is ever in the presence of God for us. He Himself said, “I am the living Bread which came down from heaven.” John 6:48-51. Frankincense was placed upon the loaves. When the bread was removed every Sabbath, to be replaced by fresh loaves, the frankincense was burned upon the altar as a memorial before God.’ Patriarchs & Prophets, page 354.
NOTE: ‘In the first apartment, or holy place, were the table of showbread, the candlestick, or lampstand, and the altar of incense. The table of showbread stood on the north. With its ornamental crown, it was overlaid with pure gold. On this table the priests were each Sabbath to place twelve cakes, arranged in two piles, and sprinkled with frankincense. The loaves that were removed, being accounted holy, were to be eaten by the priests.’ Patriarchs & Prophets, page 348.