Numbers 4:7

And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon:

The table of showbread was to be spread with a cloth of blue, and upon it were to be set the dishes and the spoons and the bowls and the covers to cover with, while the continual bread was to remain upon it, all made ready for covering and carrying. This direction belongs to the detailed instructions for taking down, handling, caring for, and carrying the tabernacle and its sacred furnishings whenever Israel journeyed.

That handling and transport were not to be done indiscriminately, but only in God's appointed, prescribed, orderly way and with reverence for holiness, illustrating His perfect order and organization. The work was assigned to designated Levites, with the Kohathites responsible for the ark and the other sacred furniture, including the table and its utensils.

This service was an honor given to the Levites because they had taken no part in making and worshiping the golden calf and had faithfully executed judgment upon the idolaters. They were to erect the tabernacle and encamp around it while the rest of Israel pitched at a distance, and when Israel moved they were to take it down and carry the ark and the lampstand and the table of showbread and the other sacred furniture. That honor made them ambitious for still higher office and greater influence, leading them to seek the priesthood and the civil government.

When used to illustrate divine order, this direction functions as an example without giving any specific explanation of the meaning of the table or its bread.

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