Shewbread

[Gwen]

We are studying the Tabernacle in our Ladie's Bible Study, and there was a question raised about the Shewbread. It was placed on the table once a week, and it was to be made of fine flour. Where did the Israelites get the flour? I'm assuming because they were nomadic that there was not time to plant and harvest crops before they moved on to the next place. Did they use manna to make the flour?

 

[Jim1999]

Exodus 29:2 states that the unleavened bread must made with wheaten flour to be used as shewbread in the temple. One commentator suggested the nomads used mostly barley to make bread because it ripened before wheat. It was then carried in bags with them to make bread.

Manna was also used to make bread. It was a deposit out of the air in the night and collected in the morning. It was then used to make bread.

Not saying I have the answer, but it was all I used over the years to explain it.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[LeBuick]

Manna was also used to make bread. It was a deposit out of the air in the night and collected in the morning. It was then used to make bread.

Cheers,

Jim

In this example, did the Manna last more than one day? I think the shewbread was changed once a week.

 

[Jim1999]

manna comes out of the air at night and gathers on the ground in the morning only. It does not last all day.

The shewbead was a weekly thing of 7 loaves. At the end of the week, what was left was eaten as a regular meal. New shewbread was made.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[Dr. Bob]

There is a lot of misunderstanding about "Wandering" in the Wilderness. The took a few weeks to travel to Sinai, then 18 months in that plain. Then 38 years, but mostly in places for years at a time . . not like a gypsy caravan moving day to day. Then 4 months up the eastern side of the Dead Sea to the crossing at Jericho.

Lots of time to plant/harvest. Barter with the thousands of nomads. And many large cities throughout the region (still today and even more then when rainfall was much higher in that land). But wheat would have been "special" and thus used in this symbolic place.

 

[Gwen]

There has been some discussion about this subject in our class. The fact that they were nomadic, but stayed in one place long enough to raise a crop answers the question, I think. If God said to make it with wheat, they had to have wheat!

Thanks so much!