Spiritual Dictionary Section S-3

Shewbread – Table of - The Table of Shewbread was one of three pieces of furniture in the Holy Place compartment of the sanctuary. The Table of Shewbread is described in Exodus 25:23-30 as being a table of Shittim wood two cubits in length and one cubit in width and a cubit and one half high. The Table was then to be overlaid with pure gold. On top of the Table was to be a golden crown around the border of it similar to the crown of gold on the Ark of the Covenant. Exodus 25:24-25; 11. See also Early Writings 252 regarding the appearance of crowns on the ark. This border was to be about a hands width high. There were to be four legs and then four rings of gold were to allow staves to be inserted in the rings to carry the Table. The staves were to be covered with gold as well. In addition there were to be spoons, dishes, covers for the dishes and bowls all to be made of pure gold. The Table was to be set on the North side of the Sanctuary. Exodus 40:22 See also Exodus 37:10-16

 

The service of the Table of Shewbread is described in Leviticus 24:5-9. The Shewbread was to be a part of the daily ministry of the priest, along with the care of the Lamps, the Offering of Incense, and the morning and evening Sacrifice. The Priest was to bake twelve cakes of fine flour two tenth deals of flour per cake. Then the Priest was to set them in two rows, six in a row on the Table. On each row of Shewbread was to be frankincense “that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering of fire unto the Lord.” Leviticus 24:7. Every Sabbath new Shewbread is to be set before the Lord continually from the children of Israel as an everlasting covenant. This bread was holy unto God and it was for Aaron and his sons to eat.

 

When it was time to move the sanctuary Aaron would cover all of the furniture with coverings and then the sons of Kohath would move and carry the furniture to the next site to re-set up the Sanctuary. Numbers 4:7-8.

 

When Solomon built the Temple for God he expanded the number of Tables to ten upon which was the continual showbread. II Chronicles 2:4; 4:8,19.

 

Ellen White speaks to the issue of the Shewbread in Patriarchs and Prophets pages 348 and 354. She comments that the Shewbread was also called the Bread of Presence since it was ever before the face of the Lord. She states that both the manna and the Shewbread pointed to Christ, the Living Bread, Who is ever in the presence of God for us. The Shewbread is also an acknowledgement of man’s dependence upon God for both temporal and spiritual food that comes only through the mediation of Christ.

 

Since God’s prophet equates the manna and the Shewbread as both referring to Christ then this would point to Jesus’ claim to be the Bread from Heaven (John 6) as a fulfillment of the Shewbread in the presence of Jesus in the Temple. Jesus would thus be the fulfillment of Daily in all of its phases including the Shewbread. Thus He would fulfill all qualities of the greater Glory that would fill the third temple in the prophecy of Haggai 2:9

 

It is this writer’s opinion that in Revelation 4-7 Jesus is fulfilling the type of the Table of Shewbread. Jesus is in the throne room and He, the manna, and the Shewbread, is dispensing the truths of His Word through His church. By opening the seals He is granting the world an awareness of the truths that they need in order to come to Him and receive His intercessory ministries. 

 

Shewbread – “The shewbread was kept ever before the Lord as a perpetual offering. Thus it was a part of the daily sacrifice. It was called the shewbread, or “bread of the presence,” because it was ever before the face of the Lord. It was an acknowledgement of man’s dependence upon God for both temporal and spiritual food, and that it is received only through the mediation of Christ….Both the manna and the shewbread pointed to Christ, the living bread, who is ever in the presence of God for us.” PP 354

 

Shield of – Faith. Ephesians 6:16

                   God. Genesis 15:1; Deuteronomy 33:29

                   Salvation. Psalms 18:35

                   Truth. Psalms 91:4

 

Shield- “Faith in God’s word, prayerfully studied, and practically applied, will be our shield from Satan’s power, and will bring us off conquerors through the blood of Christ.” 4SG 792

 

Shield of heart- “The shield which covered Joseph’s heart was the fear of God.” 3SG 145

 

Ships – A Bible concept having at least two generalized definitions. Literally a ship is a device, or mechanism, to haul cargo or warriors to an identified site. A spiritual definition is a ship is like an evangelist, or a church, which hauls the cargo of God’s people to a specified place. CO

Jehosophat’s navy joined to Ahaziah – God destroyed the navy for mixing clean and unclean. II Chronicles 20:31-37

People who do business on the great waters do it in ships. Psalms 107:23

Enemies of God likened to ships conducting business on the waters. Isaiah 23; Ezekiel 27; Daniel 11:30,40

Ships are the vehicles that carry God’s people to their tasks. Proverbs 31:14; Isaiah 60:9; Jonah 1:1-17; Ezekiel 30:9; John 6:15-21; Acts 27.

See also Isaiah 33:20-24

 

Showers - Doctrine and spiritual truth. Deuteronomy 32:1-2

 

Shrub- “He is a desert shrub who trusts in man, when flesh is his strength, and whose heart departs from the Lord.” Jeremiah 17:5-6

 

Sickles- harvest- “And He will reveal His power through us, making us as sharp sickles in the harvest-field.” SDG 30

 

Sickles – sharp – “Brethren and sisters, have you forgotten that your prayers should go out, like sharp sickles, with the laborers in the great harvest field.” 5T 162; II SM 156

 

Sifting – There are two Hebrew words – Nuwa and Nuwph. These words indicate movement back and forth and can be interpreted as shaking, sifting, rubbing, or waving.  Strong’s Concordance. This sifting tends to separate one group from another to make the group distinct in order to perform some action upon it. CO

God will sift the nations with the sieve of vanity…causing them to err. Isaiah 30:28

God will sift the house of Israel among the nations like corn through a sieve but not the least grain will fall upon the earth. Amos 9:9

Satan seeking to sift Peter but Jesus had prayed for him Peter that Peter’s faith fail not. Luke 22:31-32

          Other examples:

God sifted the Israelites out of the hills by giving victory to Jonathan over the Philistines. I Samuel 14:1-23

Jehu sifts the followers of Baal out of Israel. II Kings 10:18-28

Gideon sifting the soldiers down to 300. Judges 7:1-15

Hezekiah sends out messengers to all to come to Passover. Many from all of Israel came to worship. II Chronicles 30:1-20

When Asa was right with God, God sent a prophet and when Asa listened men from Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh came to him when they saw that God was with him. II Chronicles 15:1-15

Priests, Levites, and all who set their hearts to seek the Lord, came to Rehoboam when they saw the spiritual decline in Israel. II Chronicles 11:13-17

See Shaking.

 

Sigh - To sigh, groan, or mourn. Strongs concordance. A response to the prevailing wickedness around one or in one. To sigh is to recognize ones need for divine help to overcome the sin or sins. CO

God hears the sigh of Israel in bondage to Egypt. He remembers  His covenant to deliver them and bring them to their land. Exodus 2:23-25

Jobs sighs for the evil of life. He looks of the rest of death. Job 3:24 

Evil appears to be prevailing but because of the sighs of the needy God will intervene.  Psalms 12:1-5

David sighs and crys about sin in the world, asking God to  intervene and deliver. Psalms 31:1-10

God makes sighing to cease for He has beseiged Babylon and caused her destruction. Isaiah 21:1-9

When God redeems and pours out water on the needy, He will make a highway for His people. They will come to Zion with songs and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35:1-10

Because of the sins of Zion her gates are desolate, her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness. Lamentations 1:4,11

Zion repents and acknowledges her sins, she sighs for her evil.    Lamentations 1:18-22

God instructs His angels to go through Jerusalem and put a mark on those who sigh and cry for the abominations done in the midst of Jerusalem. He then says to destroy with the sword all those who do not sigh and thus do not have the mark. Ezekiel 9:1-11

Ezekiel sighs for the sins in Israel knowing that God will send His sword (Babylon) to destroy sin. God will overturn, overturn, overturn until Messiah comes and God will give Him the crown. Ezekiel 21:1-27 (especially verses 6-7)

Jesus sighs while delivering a person who is deaf and dumb. Marks 7:31-37

Jesus sighs when the Pharisees tempt Him regarding their desire to see a sign that would validate His being the Messiah. Jesus does not give them a sign knowing that their disbelief will nullify the signs that He is already giving. Mark 8:10-13

 

 

Sighing- Ezek. 9:4- “These sighing, crying ones had been holding forth the words of life; they had reproved, counseled, and entreated…. In the time when his wrath shall go forth in judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is expressed in lamentation and weeping, reproofs and warnings. While others try to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse the great wickedness everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for god’s honour and a love for souls will not hold their peace to obtain favor of any. Their righteous souls are vexed day by day with the unholy works and conversation of the unrighteous. They are powerless to stop the rushing torrent of iniquity, and hence they are filled with grief and alarm. They mourn before god to see religion despised in the very homes of those who have had great light. They lament and afflict their souls because pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are in the church.” 5T 210

 

Sign – 3 signs of Moses Exodus 4:1-9 – Moses granted three signs from Jesus to convince the people of Israel the Jesus had sent Moses to deliver them from Egypt. The people received the three signs and believed and worshipped. Exodus 4:29-31. It is this collector’s opinion that these three signs also apply to Jesus and in turn to His people at the end. CO

 

The three signs are:

Taking the rod and turning it into a serpent and then back into a rod.

Turning Moses’ hand to leprosy and then clean it again.

Turning the water of the Nile into blood and pouring it onto dry land.

 

The three signs applied to Jesus:

Jesus is able to control the serpents of His day which were the Jewish leadership and people. Psalms 58:3-5; Luke 3:7; Matthew 23:27-33

Jesus is able to deal with leprosy both physically and spiritually. Luke 7:17-23; 5:12-13

Jesus can change the water of error into the wine of truth. John 2:1-11; 4:5-30

 

The three signs applied to Christians:

The Christian is able to handle serpents physical and spiritual. Acts 28:1-6; 13:6-12; Mark 16:15-18

Christians are empowered to handle diseases. Mark 16:18; Acts 3:1-16; 19:11-12

Christians are empowered to give the water of life the gospel. Mark 16:15; Revelation 14:7; John 4:14

 

Sign – see mark.

 

Sign – “And as the preaching of Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so Christ’s preaching was a sign to His generation.” DA 406

 

Sign – “Every miracle that Christ performed was a sign of His divinity.” DA 406

 

Sign of the Son of Man - "Soon appeared the great white cloud, upon which sat the Son of Man. When it first appeared in the distance, the cloud looked very small. The angel said it was the sign of the Son of Man." EW 286

 

Sign of the Son of man in heaven - "Soon appeared the great white cloud. It looked more lovely than ever before. On it sat the Son of Man. At first we did not see Jesus on the cloud, but as it drew near the earth we could behold His lovely person. This cloud, when it first appeared, was the sign of the Son of man in heaven." EW 35

 

Signet – “…To Moses God had said concerning His commandments, “Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.” Deuteronomy 6:8. These words have a deep meaning. As the word of God is meditated upon and practiced, the whole man will be ennobled. In righteous and merciful dealing, the hands will reveal, as a signet, the principles of God’s law. They will be kept clean from bribes, and from all that is corrupt and deceptive. They will be active n works of love and compassion….” DA 612

 

Silver –

 The tongue of the just is a choice silver. Proverbs 10:20

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Psalms 12:6

 

Silver- obedience. PK 410

 

Silver – second kingdom of Daniel 2:32,39 – Medo Persia. CO

 

Simplicity- of dress- “How charming, how interesting is simplicity in dress, which in comeliness can be compared with the flowers of the field.” MYP 353