Scripture: “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net extends halfway down the altar. And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. And the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made.”
Exodus 27:1-8 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Yahweh directs Moses to supervise the making of the veil that separates the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place and the screen that covers the entrance to the tabernacle. Regarding the veil, Moses must oversee the skillful weaving of blue, purple, and scarlet yarns and fine linen. Moses’ workers must hang it on the golden hooks extending from the four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold after placing all the sacred furniture in their designated rooms—beginning with the ark. As for the tabernacle’s entrance screen, the woodworkers will make five pillars of acacia overlayed with gold and five golden hooks with bronze basins for its supporting infrastructure. The seamsters will weave the screen using the same material as the veil, adding embroidery.
Today’s reading addresses the bronze altar. Yahweh tells Moses to make it of acacia wood overlayed with bronze, measuring five cubits (7.5 feet) square in dimensions and three cubits (4.5 feet) in height. Additional details include:
- A hollow design (likely to facilitate an earthen insulation barrier filling the bottom half of the altar).
- Decorative horns at its top corners.
- Bronze grate resting on a ledge that divides the upper and lower half of the altar.
- Rings attached to the middle ledge.
- Poles of acacia wood overlayed with bronze placed through rings.
- Bronze utensils: ash pots, shovels, basins, forks, and fire pans.
In the formulaic language that concludes each element of the tabernacle’s construction, the Lord cautions Moses to complete the bronze altar as he showed Moses on the mountain (Mount Sinai).
Takeaway: As mentioned throughout this study of the tabernacle, even the bronze altar bears the image of its ultimate heavenly reality and points to order out of chaos (see above link to yesterday’s Daily Focus). Also known as the altar of burnt offering, the bronze altar will serve the priestly duties of offering animal and grain sacrifices to God for thanksgiving and the remission of sins. As such, the horns symbolize atoning power, help, and sanctuary. Thus, the priest would pour the blood of the animal sacrifice on the horns to invoke Yahweh to forgive the sins of his people.
Regarding the utensils, the following outlines their function:
- Ash pots and shovels: The priest would place the animal’s charred, fat-soaked ashes in them with the shovels.
- Basins (a/k/a sprinkling bowls): The priest would slaughter the animal over these bowls to catch the slain animal’s blood.
- Forks (a/k/a fleshhooks): The priest would use these three-pronged forks to place the animal on the altar and to remove a portion for their consumption (1 Samuel 2:13).
- Fire pans (a/k/a censors): The priest would carry fire from the bronze altar through the veil to the Most Holy Place (Leviticus 16:12).
- Bronze poles and rings: The Levites would use these items to provide ease of transport.
Our takeaway? Thankfully, under our New Covenant of Grace, Jesus has become our complete and final sacrifice for the remission of sins (Hebrews 10:11-18). By the will of his Father and his own volition, Christ stretched his body across his altar (his cross) while blood and water flowed from his side (John 19:34). The result? He imparts his atoning power, reconciling us to the Father (2 Corinthians 5:18). Consequently, we gain a Helper (John 14:26) who transforms us into sacred spaces (sanctuaries) where Christ dwells in us (Galatians 2:20), imparting his strength, rest, (Matthew 11:28-30) and supernatural peace (John 14:27).
Our part? Be sacred spaces. What does that look like? In the words of Paul, we must present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, for this is our spiritual means of worship (Romans 12:1). How? As Paul continues his appeal, we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit to set aside our worldly life patterns and renew our minds according to God’s good and perfect will (Romans 12:2). Specifically, we must resist thinking too highly of ourselves and act with sober judgment (Romans 12:3), holding fast to what is good, loving one another, showing hospitality, and living peaceably with others as far as possible (Romans 9-18). Of course, grace overcomes our shortfalls, but if we never aim for this godly standard, we’ll miss out on knowing the joy of our Lord’s strength, rest, and supernatural peace.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who humbly served us and gave his life as a ransom for us and who all-powerfully rose from his grave and ascended to his position of authority to intercede for us. And we thank you for your Holy Spirit, our Helper, who dwells in us and unites our spirit with Christ. With gratitude, we ask you to help us cooperate with your Holy Spirit to mature into sacred spaces—presenting our bodies as living sacrifices submitted to your perfect will and one another while exercising sober judgment and peaceful attitudes. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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