The Brazen Altar
Central Truth: Jesus is our righteousness
Scripture: EXO 27:1 "You shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad - the altar shall be square - and its height shall be three cubits.
2 "You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with bronze.
3 "Also you shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels and its basins and its forks and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze.
4 "You shall make a grate for it, a network of bronze; and on the network you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners.
5 "You shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the network may be midway up the altar.
6 "And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze.
7 "The poles shall be put in the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar to bear it.
8 "You shall make it hollow with boards; as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it.
Lesson points:
1. The brazen altar is at the eastern end of the outer court in front of the gate. The outer
court is where we first encounter God. The brazen altar is the place where relationship is
established.
2. The dimensions of the brazen altar is 7.5 feet long, 7.5 feet long, and 4.5 feet high. It
is the largest piece of furniture in the tabernacle. All of the other 6 pieces could be carried
in it.
3. Materials : acacia wood - speaks of the perfect humanity of Christ. Brass - speaks of
sin and the judgement of sin. Horns on the altar speak of strength and salvation.
PSA 18:1 I will love You, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom
I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I will call upon the
LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4. In the brazen altar we see a perfect picture of the work of Christ on the cross.
PSA 18:1 I will love You, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom
I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I will call upon the
LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
2CO 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.
5. The truth that the brazen altar teaches is justification by faith.
NUM 21:4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around
the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.
5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out
of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes
this worthless bread." 6 So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit
the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses,
and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to
the LORD that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall
be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." 9 So Moses made a bronze
serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked
at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Memory verse: 2CO 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him.
