Do you love to gather your family around your table to eat and fellowship together? The family meal table is one of the foundations of family life. It’s a biblical principle. The picture God gives in the Bible of a blessed family is the wife in the heart of the home and all the children sitting around the table. Read it again in Psalm 128:3.
The first mention of the word table in the Bible is The Table of Shewbread in the tabernacle in the wilderness. On this table there were twelve loaves of bread called The Shewbread. The table was also called The Table of Faces and the bread, The Bread of Faces (Lechem haPanim). The bread upon the table pointed to Christ who is our bread, our life, our sustenance. As we look to Him and feed from Him, we are fed and satisfied.
Do you notice that a plural word is used for bread? Christ is more than one face. He has many attributes and the more we look to Him in His Word the more we come to know Him and all His glorious attributes. Colossians 2:3 says: “In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
The twelve loaves upon the table also pointed to the Israelites. God also wanted the bread upon the table to represent His people. In the loaves, He saw each one of their faces. He wanted them in His presence. Each week the priests would take the week-old bread off the table and replace it with new bread. The priests would then eat the bread (which was still fresh because it had lain in the presence of the Lord) and fellowship together.
The Table and the Shewbread were considered one. They were like twins. Just as mother and home are synonymous, so the table and food are synonymous. They go together. In other words, we eat food at the table! We don’t eat food in front of the TV. We don’t allow each member to grab their food and eat in their rooms or wherever they like. God wants us to sit around the table together.
But the table is not only a biblical principle, it is a heavenly principle. Did you know that God had a table (or tables) in His heavenly kingdom before we ever had them on earth? Yes, tables originated in Heaven! Jesus often talked about His table in the heavenly realm (Matthew 8:11; Luke 14:15; 29:30; and Revelation 19:9).
Therefore, the more you gather at your table, the more of the heavenly atmosphere you will bring to your home! Ooops! “It’s not very heavenly at my table,” I hear you reply. “It’s welcome to the shambles.”
Don’t despair. God gives us principles in His Word about how we should gather at the table. Let me share some of them with you.
Set the Table
If you do not take time to set and prepare the table, your children will not feel it is important. How you prepare your table is how they will perceive the importance of the table. Proverbs 9:2 (RSV) says: “Wisdom has built her house . . . she has also set her table.” I love to set a beautiful table each evening. I love to use a tablecloth. It makes such a difference to the table and to the atmosphere of the meal. Food on a naked table does not have the same welcoming touch.
“Help, do you expect me to add more laundry to my already huge pile?” you scream. Dear lovely mother, you can purchase a lovely tablecloth and put a piece of clear plastic over it which you wipe down after the meal. There are seasons in life. As your children grow, there will come a time when you can eliminate the plastic.
Are you still thinking of the extra work? Teach your children how to set the table correctly. And beautifully and creatively. They love to do it. The children can take turns. They can become very competitive as each one seeks to outdo the other. You can encourage them to add centerpieces, candles, go outside and find wildflowers or leaves, or use their imagination to make something creative.
More ideas tomorrow.
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Painting: The Marriage Supper of the Lamb by Lambert Dolphin