The Table, the Lampstand, and the Altar of Incense
(Exodus 25:23-40; 30:1-10)
Last week, we stood at the very heart of the Tabernacle and saw the Ark of the Covenant with the Mercy Seat, the place where God promised to meet His people. Today we are stepping out of that innermost room and into the next room, called the Holy Place. Three pieces of furniture stood here, and each one was a message from God to His people.
The first piece was the Table of Showbread. God told Moses to build a wooden table, covered in gold, and to place twelve loaves of fresh bread on it at all times. One loaf for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Every Sabbath, the priests would replace the old loaves with fresh ones. The bread was called "Showbread" because it was set before the face of God, always visible, always present. Twelve tribes. Twelve loaves. Not one was forgotten. This table was God's way of saying: I see every one of My people, and I am providing for every one of them.
The second piece was the Golden Lampstand, called the Menorah. God gave very specific instructions for this one. It was hammered out of a single solid piece of pure gold. No joints, no separate pieces soldered together. One unified piece. It had a central shaft with three branches on each side, seven branches in all, and each branch was decorated with almond blossoms, buds, and flowers. Since the Holy Place had no windows, this lampstand was the only light inside the room. God told the priests to keep it burning continually. The light never went out.
The third piece was the Altar of Incense. This small golden altar stood just in front of the thick curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Every morning and every evening, the priest would burn a specific blend of sweet spices on it. The fragrant smoke would rise upward, filling the room. God said this incense was a perpetual offering before the Lord, a constant, unending conversation rising from His people toward His presence. Day after day, without stopping, the smoke went up.
A Curious Question
The Lampstand was hammered out of one single piece of solid gold, not put together from separate parts. Why do you think God cared so much about the Lampstand being one unified piece rather than assembled from many sections?
Jesus Connection
These three pieces of furniture become extraordinary when you notice Jesus used them to describe Himself. He said, "I am the bread of life." The Showbread had to be refreshed every Sabbath. Jesus is the bread that never runs out.
He said, "I am the light of the world." The Lampstand needed priests to trim its wicks and refill its oil. Jesus is the light that needs no maintenance to keep burning.
The Altar of Incense, where prayer rose without stopping, points to Jesus as our great Intercessor. Hebrews 7:25 says He "always lives to make intercession" for us. He is praying for us right now, and it costs us nothing.
Discussion Questions
- The Showbread had one loaf for each tribe of Israel. If God made sure not one tribe was forgotten on that table, what does that tell you about how He thinks about you specifically?
- The Lampstand had to be kept burning all the time because the Holy Place had no windows. What happens to us spiritually when we stop spending time near the one who said "I am the light of the world"?
- The incense smoke rising toward God represented prayers going up. If your prayers are like sweet incense to God, how does that change the way you feel when you are talking to Him?
"So What?" What Can I Do?
The priest burned incense every single morning and every single evening, without exception. It was not optional. It was not something he did when he felt like it. This week, choose one specific time each morning and one each evening to talk to God, even if it is just two minutes. It does not have to be long or fancy. The incense in the Tabernacle was not fancy either. It was just faithful, consistent, and always pointed upward. Start your day and end your day with a word to God. That is what the Altar of Incense looked like for the whole nation of Israel.
Memorize God's Word
Psalm 119:105: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
Hand Motions:
- Your word Hold both hands open and flat like an open Bible.
- Is a lamp Raise one hand up high, fingers together, like you are holding a torch.
- To my feet Point both index fingers down toward your shoes.
- And a light Spread all ten fingers wide and push them outward like rays of light bursting out.
- To my path Sweep one open hand forward in a straight line, like tracing a road ahead of you.
Praying with Kids
Dear Father, thank You for providing everything we need. Thank You for being our bread when we are empty, our light when things are dark, and our Intercessor when we do not even know the right words to pray. The Tabernacle was full of beautiful things that all pointed to Jesus. Help us to see Him clearly in everything we read and learn. Teach us to come to You every morning and every evening, like the smoke of the incense that never stopped rising. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Craft: The Shining Lampstand
Children will build their own seven-branched Lampstand to remember that Jesus is the light that never goes out.
Materials Checklist:
How to Make the Shining Lampstand:- Cut the Lampstand: Draw or trace a seven-branched Lampstand shape on the gold cardstock and cut it out. The central shaft should be taller than the six side branches.
- Glue to the plate: Center the Lampstand on the white paper plate and glue it down.
- Add the flames: Crumple small pieces of orange and yellow tissue paper and glue one to the top of each of the seven branches to represent the flames that burned continually.
- Add almond blossoms: Use gold glitter glue to dot small flower shapes along the branches, representing the almond blossoms God specified in the design.
- Write the verse: Around the rim of the paper plate, write Psalm 119:105 as a reminder that God's Word is the light for our path.
Effective Teaching Techniques
Before you begin the lesson, bring a piece of bread and a battery-powered candle or flashlight to class. When you get to the Table of Showbread, hold up the bread and say: "What happens to bread if no one bakes more?" Let the kids answer: it runs out. Then say, "Jesus said He is the bread of life that never runs out." When you get to the Lampstand, turn on your flashlight. Ask: "What happens to this flashlight if the battery dies?" Then tell them: "Jesus said His light never goes out." Those two simple object lessons will anchor the Jesus connection in a way that stays with kids long after Sunday is over.
The detail about the Lampstand being made from one single piece of gold is worth spending extra time on. Write the word "ONE" on your whiteboard in big letters. Jesus is one with the Father. The Lampstand was one piece. The bread on the table was one gift from one God to one nation. Everything in the Holy Place speaks of unity and wholeness. For older students, you can connect this to John 10:30 where Jesus says, "I and the Father are one." The Tabernacle was preaching that sermon centuries before Jesus said it.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why did the priests have to bake fresh bread every single week instead of just leaving the same loaves?
- The Bible says the old loaves were replaced with fresh bread every Sabbath, showing that God's provision for His people was meant to be new and ongoing, not a one-time gift that just sat there getting stale.
- Why did the Lampstand need to be made from one single piece of gold instead of separate parts joined together?
- The Bible doesn't explain the exact reason, but the design shows a picture of complete unity, with no seams or separate pieces, unlike anything humans could easily build by welding parts together.
- Why did the priest burn incense every morning and every evening instead of just once a day?
- The Bible describes this as a perpetual, unending practice, showing that the conversation between God's people and God Himself was meant to continue without stopping, framing every single day with prayer.