“The Lord said to Moses, “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually. This is the lampstand that stands in the Tabernacle, in front of the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant. Aaron must keep the lamps burning in the Lord’s presence all night. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation. Aaron and the priests must tend the lamps on the pure gold lampstand continually in the Lord’s presence. “You must bake twelve flat loaves of bread from choice flour, using four quarts of flour for each loaf. Place the bread before the Lord on the pure gold table, and arrange the loaves in two stacks, with six loaves in each stack. Put some pure frankincense near each stack to serve as a representative offering, a special gift presented to the Lord. Every Sabbath day this bread must be laid out before the Lord as a gift from the Israelites; it is an ongoing expression of the eternal covenant. The loaves of bread will belong to Aaron and his descendants, who must eat them in a sacred place, for they are most holy. It is the permanent right of the priests to claim this portion of the special gifts presented to the Lord.””
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Leviticus‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT

The presence of the lamp stands and the bread are important aspects of proper worship of God. It is easy to read this passage as a symbol of God’s eternal providence toward us, but truthfully, the opposite is true. The edict puts the onus on the Hebrew people to continually offer these things to God. It is important to note that the priesthood is an intercession. He represents God to man and man to God. Here, as men, he maintains the bread offering as a symbol of the complete and ever present responsibility to give back to God our own providence. The life that is found in the bread belongs to God first and must always be given to him by the whole community. The lamp stand is maintained by the priests on behalf of God who initiates a relationship with man that helps him through the darkness. This is always present. It must never die out. The back and forth between man and God is a prime concern in worship of him. Worship is never one sided. While it means sacrifice to God as a necessary element, it also brings life and clarity for men whenever we participate in it.

Worship Symbolism: Lamp stands and bread represent the responsibility of giving back to God and God’s constant presence.

Priesthood Role: Priests act as intercessors, representing God to man and vice versa.

Worship Importance: Worship is a two-way relationship, involving sacrifice to God and receiving life and clarity in return.