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203 The Tabernacle of His creatures. In the Garden of Eden, before sin entered to mar God's perfect creation, He talked with man, hold- ing communion with Adam, who was made in His "image and likeness." But sin entered; and sin put man at an aw- ful distance from God. It caused him to turn away from his Creator in fear, hiding himself among the trees of the garden; for the unregenerate sinner can not bear the presence of a holy God. Thus Adam acknowledged, by his actions, that there was no common ground for fellow- ship with the Lord; that he had forfeited the right to talk with H im, holding communion with Him. And Adam tried to hide from God! He ran away from the Lord! This is still the picture of the godless world-running away from God, having no desire for fellowship or com- mun ion with Him. But not so the church, the bride of Christ. Once "dead in trespasses and sins," walking in time past "according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (even Satan himself); yet now the church has been "made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:1, 2, 13). No longer afraid of God, the blood-bought bride of Christ finds joy and fellowship in communion with Him before the table which He has "prepared," even Jesus, the "Bread of Life." The Table Overlaid with Gold-The Place of Fellowship It is of this fellowship and communion between Christ and His church that the table of shewbread speaks; for the priests, as we have already observed, were typical of believer-priests today, members of the bride and body of Christ. (See I Peter 2:9; Heb. 13:15; Rom. 12:1, 2; Rev. 1:5, 6.) The table is the place of fellowship. What well ordered
The T abernaclt ship with Jehovah, his daily sins had to be confessed and put away by faith in the blood of the coming "Lamb of God." That cleansing having been accomplished, the priest had entered through the door, that beautiful hang- ing of fine twined linen, embroidered in blue, purple, and scarlet, significant reminder of Him who was to come to open the way to God and heaven and eternal life, even the Lord Jesus. Once within the Holy Place, the priest saw only beauty and loveliness-gold, the fine linen embroidered in figu res of the cherubim, the three beautiful pieces of furniture-- all illuminated by the one light which spoke of Jesus, the "Light of the world" and His redeemed children who are "lights in the world." The golden altar of incense was the place of worship, and a picture of Christ, the Great High Priest, who "ever liveth to make intercession" for His own; while the table of shewbread foretold H is com- ing to be the "Bread of life" to a heart-hungry people. What "Glories of Christ" did the Jewish tabernacle show forth! The brazen altar foretold justification by faith in His shed blood; the brazen !aver, sanctification cleansing from the daily defilement of sin; the golden can- dlestick, union with Christ, the "True Light"; the table of shewbread, communion and fellowship with Hirn who is the "Living Bread"; the golden altar, worship and prayer and praise to Him who is "our Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." The fellowship of Jehovah with His redeemed children, foreshadowed in the golden table of shewbread of the Jewish tabernacle, and fulfilled in and through Christ and His church-believer-priests-was "according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3: 11). God has ever sought the fellowship
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