According to Matthew Brown, a direct connection between two sacred temple objects and the fruit of the tree of life is suggested in a Book of Mormon passage where the Savior is recorded as saying: "Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely" (Alma 5:34; see also Alma 32:26-43).
In the Holy Place of the tabernacle constructed by Moses were some ritual objects. One was a "table of shewbread," which was stationed near the north wall (see Exodus 25:23-30). Priests were to gather inside the Holy Place every Sabbath day and consume the bread that lay upon the golden table (see Leviticus 24:8-9). Biblical texts indicate that pitchers and cups of pure gold were also set upon the table of shewbread. Some biblical scholars believe that these vessels were used for the purpose of distributing and consuming wine along with the bread every Sabbath day.
Near the south wall, opposite the table of shewbread, was a golden lampstand called the menorah. One oil lamp was placed on the top of each of the seven branches of the menorah so that light would be provided for the tabernacle's interior (see Exodus 25:31-40). Because of its arboreal shape and floral decorations, many biblical interpreters have concluded that the tabernacle menorah was a stylized representation of the tree of life. This image is enhanced when one considers that the menorah sat upon a three-pronged or tripedal base that imitated the pattern of tree roots.
The lamps that sat atop the seven branches of the menorah contained pure olive oil. By divine decree these lamps were to burn continually (see Leviticus 24:2), thus presenting the image of a burning or luminescent tree that was never consumed. Biblical commentators have not failed to notice a connection between this burning tree and the burning bush that was seen by Moses on the holy mountain of God.
In the positioning of the menorah directly across from the table of shewbread, the fruit of the tree of life may be seen as a representation of the emblems of the sacrament, which in turn are emblems of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the marvelous visions of the tree of life that are recorded in the Book of Mormon, it is explained by an angel of God that the tree is symbolic of the Son of God. This fact is confirmed in Zechariah 4:1-14 where we find that the menorah is explicitly identified as a symbol of "the Lord of the whole earth." [Matthew B. Brown, The Gate of Heaven, pp. 70-72]