Aaron was anxious to go to bed tonight. He was sure the Lord was going to visit him again. There was yet another lesson he had to learn at the Table of Shewbread. And sure enough…
“Aaron,” the familiar Voice asked the young boy, “are you ready to learn some more about eating in the Tabernacle?”
Aaron jumped up when he heard his favorite Friend talking to him again. “Yes, I am, Lord,” he responded quickly. “I have chewed on the Word You shared with me last time and am ready to eat again!”
The Lord smiled. He could see Aaron learned his lesson well. “Well, let us then go back to the Table of Shewbread,” He said. With these words, He led Aaron back into the Holy Place.
“How many loaves of bread can you see on the table, Aaron?” the Lord asked.
Aaron knew there were twelve of them, but counted them just to make sure. Sure enough – there were twelve of them.
“Remember, Aaron, twelve is the number of completion. It also signifies perfection. Now, if the bread signifies Christ as the Word of God, what then would the twelve loaves mean?”
Aaron thought for just a short bit, “Well, I think the twelve loaves of bread would mean the perfection of the feeding on the Word.”
“This is exactly right, Aaron,” the Lord answered. “Now, look in Revelation 22:2 and read it out loud.”
Aaron took the big Bible that he was beginning to know well and started reading: In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
“Can you see, Aaron,” the Lord continued, “that here again there is a reference to Spirit food? However, this time it is not referred to as bread, but as fruit. It means that the sons of God will bring forth God’s nature, even as a tree brings forth fruit and gives life to others.” The Lord paused for a little bit and then He asked Aaron a question, “Aaron, do you remember how many tribes Israel has?”
Aaron didn’t have to think long, “Twelve, Lord.” He knew it well because he himself was from one of them, the Levites.
“That’s right. Now, within these twelve tribes I put twelve basic natures through which I manifest My life to humanity. Their names will show you which natures they are. Let Me take you through them one by one:
1. Reuben means to see. The first nature therefore is vision. Every child of God has to have the spirit quality of seeing or discerning.
2. Simeon means to hear. You have to be able to hear the Word that comes from My throne. It says in Romans 10:17, So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
3. Levi means to cleave or attached. You have to cleave to Me in order to come to perfection.
4. Judah means praise. When man praises God, he joins in a heavenly chorus with the invisible beings. Praising Me is feeding the soul so that it would have all the energy needed to do My will.
5. Zebulun means dweller. It says in John 15:4, Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. You have to dwell in Me in order to bear this nature.
6. Issachar means he will bring a reward. This shows that those who will overcome will be given a just reward as priests and kings unto Me.
7. Dan means to minister judgment or to strive lawfully. This nature which I work into My children is the only one which does not find any place in the final fulfillment of all things. It is completely abolished in the end and gives way to another, even to the name Manasseh, which means causing to forget. Manasseh was the first son of Joseph, which is of the fruitful vine. Dan, the man of judgment, is very unfruitful. Yet, this nature was necessary for a period of time. However, when man attains Christ, all striving ceases.
8. Gad means the troop. This nature signifies willingness and ability to be part of an army. I am recruiting an army and those who are in this army are choosing to function under one Head as one.
9. Asher means happy. You have to know that My joy is your strength as it says in Nehemiah 8:10.
10. Naphtali means wrestling, struggle. You must learn to wrestle in righteousness, not in the flesh. The overcomer company mentioned in Revelation will continue to wrestle until they overcome all things – sin, sickness and finally death.
11. Joseph means the fruitful vine, obedience. Obedience and fruit bearing go hand in hand. If you are not obedient, you cannot bear fruit. Again, the verse in John 15:4, which I have already mentioned, may give you more understanding.
12. Benjamin means son of the right hand, or son of strength. Even as it was said in symbolic language that Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Father, so shall it be said of the sons who will come forth in the nature of Christ in the near future.
While Aaron was deep in thought, trying to imagine the final man with all the qualities that he had just heard about, the Lord continued, “Now, Aaron, I want you to remember that the twelve loaves of bread in the Tabernacle are a type of My complete nature being absorbed into a man, which must bring forth my glory. The bread is a type of energy. I am the bread. When you become like Me, you become the bread. Thus Israel, who was a type of the great people of the end-time, was also a type of the bread, which was broken for the world. You, therefore, have to eat this bread until you become the bread broken for a dying world.”
With these words the Lord departed, leaving Aaron still in a deep thought. “How do I gain all these natures into my soul so that I might be His son?” he wondered. Immediately, the answer came into his mind: by obedience and submitting to Him in every circumstance of your life.
Answer the following questions to see how well you understood this chapter:
- How many loaves of bread are on the Table of Shewbread? What does the number signify?
- Where else in the Bible can we find reference to Spirit food (something other than bread)?
- What did God put within the twelve tribes of Israel?
- Can you remember all the names of the tribes of Israel and their meaning?
- What does God want us to do with the loaves of bread in the Tabernacle?