Leviticus 24:5-9

Take note of that: this day. Now what day was it? It was the Sabbath day. Whenever David went to this synagogue, or Tabernacle, or whatever it was, it must have been the Tabernacle, it was on the Sabbath day. And if you want to chase it out in Leviticus 24:5-9, we find that the bread had to be baked on the Sabbath day, so that when it was put out on the Sabbath day, it was absolutely as fresh as one could get. There is some symbolism there.

Now here is God's law. He is telling these people involved with the operation of the Tabernacle that they are to do something on the Sabbath that would ordinarily profane the Sabbath. Now if one of you ladies decided to bake bread on the Sabbath, there is a 99.99% likelihood it would be unlawful for you to do so, you would be breaking the Sabbath. But here we find God ordered them to make the bread fresh on the Sabbath. So all the ingredients had to be put together, it had to be kneaded, put in the oven and baked, and then put out on the tables fresh on the Sabbath day.

Leviticus 24:5-9

You put those five verses there together with I Samuel 21 and you will find that, not only were they putting the bread there, but they were also baking it on the Sabbath. Thus, when they put it out there on the Sabbath, it was hot—right out of the oven. Now, was it lawful for a woman—in the ordinary course of her household responsibilities—to bake twelve loaves of bread on the Sabbath? It was not. This is the illustration that Jesus is using here in Matthew 12.