The Tabernacle in the Wilderness Series
#7 Coming to the Brazen Altar
By Pastor Jim May
The Tabernacle stood in the midst of the camp with the 12 tribes camped around it. How comforting it was to the Children of Israel as they thought of the colorful gates and furniture made of gold, silver, and brass. Though they could not see its true beauty from the outside, they knew of the real beauty, riches and glory that could be found on the inside. From their tents they could see the visible presence of God as the cloud arose from it by day, and a pillar of fire by night. That visible witness was a constant reminder that God was with them and that he was leading them somewhere that they had never been before.
Exodus 27:1-8, "And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof. And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it."
Tonight I want to talk about the Brazen Altar that sat in the center of the Outer Court. It was the main focus of attention. This altar was where the sacrifices for sin were placed and burned with fire; consumed as an offering unto the Lord. But before they could be place there, each animal that was to be offered had to go through very exact procedure and had to be killed according to some very detailed instructions. I want to give you just a sample of God’s commands to Moses concerning the offering of sacrifices upon the Brazen Altar.
Many of the laws regarding the sacrifice are found in the Book of Leviticus, so let turn to that book for a while to see just how exact God’s requirements are. Remember while we are looking at this procedure that every step, and every instruction had to be followed to the max. No detail could be overlooked. If only one step were missed, or one detail forgotten, the sacrifice would not be acceptable unto the Lord.
The requirements that God makes for accepting a sacrifice are meant to express and underscore the demands of God’s holiness and righteousness. Let there be no mistake – Sin cannot enter in where God dwells. It had to be covered by the blood of a sacrifice.
What were the requirements of the blood sacrifice? Here’s what God said to Moses.
Leviticus 1:1-4, "And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him."
There were some basic requirements before any sacrifice could be offered to God.
First it must be an animal, and not a plant that grows from the ground, or is a mineral of the earth. The sacrifice must have blood that gives life; it must come from “the herd or the flock.” The principle that we see here is found in Genesis, in the sacrifices of both Cain and Abel. It tells us that God is not satisfied with our sacrifices, but with His Sacrifice. He is not pleased by our efforts to gain his mercy, but by our taking in faith the work He has done and the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God, His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Second, it must be “a male.” Why would not God accept a female animal as a sacrifice? Well, I can think of at least two good reasons.
A) It is a reminder to Israel, and to us today, that it was not Eve who brought condemnation to mankind. She sinned because she was deceived by Satan and believed his lies. But it was not so for Adam. He willfully disobeyed God direct commandment. B) Every sacrifice that was laid upon that Brazen Altar was a type and shadow of God’s only begotten Son, who would fulfill all of the Law and become our blood sacrifice.
Third, it must be “without defect.” This requirement was not just to prevent men from offering the sick, weak, or runts of their herd, but was given to illustrate that God always demands nothing less than absolute perfection.
Fourth, it must be offered “at the doorway” of the tabernacle. That doorway was the only way to enter the courtyard, where the Brazen Altar stood before the Holy Place. Just as Jesus is the only “door” by which we can enter God’s Kingdom, so were the Children of Israel taught that there could only be one door.
Fifth, it must be given freely, with no strings attached, out of a willful spirit and a repentant heart.
Sixth, it can only be accepted after the Israelite who brought it would “lay his hand on the head” of the animal to be sacrificed indicating his personal faith. He is confirming by his own act, the decision to trust God for mercy and forgiveness. In this manner he offers the sacrificial animal in order that “atonement” for his sin is obtained from God.
The manner in which the sacrifice is to be handled and the way that its parts are to be handled are very precise as well. This part is pretty graphic, but God wanted us to see just what He requires before any sacrifice is acceptable.
Leviticus 1:5-17, "And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces. And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire: And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish. And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar. And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons. And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar: And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes: And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD."
The slaying of this sacrifice is the duty of the Israelite who offers it. The terrible job of killing the sacrifice, slitting its throat, or wringing its neck, was not done by the priests, but the by the one who brought it. He also had to cut it into pieces, catching the blood, and handling every organ, cutting the animal into pieces under the direction of the priests who watched every move he made.
After it was killed the animal had to be skinned and the carcass cut into pieces, each piece with the skeletal fat (suet) exposed. As the Lord was beaten with the scourge, that cruel, multi-strand whip, with bits of stone plaited into its tendrils for the specific purpose of taking flesh and skin off with each stroke, so was the sacrifice skinned before offering.
While the priests are busy arranging the kindling and wood for the sacrificial fire, some parts of the slain animal are separated for special reasons. The legs are to be removed and placed aside with the entrails. The priests would then lay, in order, the dismembered body on top of the wood.
The legs of the animal represent that part, which has come into contact with the world and are thus contaminated with sin.
The entrails represent that part of the animal, which has come into contact with the world by taking it in and digesting it, making the elements of the world a part of the body.
The dirt that remains on the legs represents outer sinfulness, and the filth of the entrails represent inward contamination from taking in the world.
Both of these are washed in water, depicting the cleansing by washing of the Word that makes us acceptable to enter God’s presence.
Through this procedure we can see that nothing was held back. Everything about this sacrifice was consumed by the fires of judgment.
Some of the Children of Israel were not wealthy enough to own herds of cattle or sheep so God made a way for them to offer a sacrifice for sin as well. None of us are excluded from God’s requirements of holiness and righteousness. We all need atonement for our sin. Also, we must remember that we have all fallen and come short of the glory of God. Those too poor to give a big sacrificial animal were instructed to bring their turtledoves or even a young pigeon taken from the nest.
This foreshadows the woman who gave two mites, all that she had, and the Lord honored her.
No mention is made here of the qualification of the offering. It demonstrates to us that God accepts what He has placed in your hand, and that you are to give according to how He has prospered you. Even so there are certain principles that must be kept even in giving this offering. The bird is to be slain, not by the giver, but by the priests, before being offered by fire. Its blood is allowed to drain and is placed on the side of the altar. There wasn’t enough blood from these small sacrifices to allow the priests to sprinkle it upon the horns of the altar, but the blood that was shed was still acceptable to God and was consumed by the fires of judgment just the same.
It’s not the amount of blood that was shed, but the quality, the purpose and the manner in which it is given. It was still blood from an innocent sacrifice.
For Israel, the sight of fire, smoke, blood and the smell of burning flesh at the Brazen Altar impressed on them their guilt before God. It was not a pretty sight. Judgment on sin never is.
From the beginning of man’s rebellion against God this concept was established when he killed the sacrifices to clothe Adam and Eve. In time, the idea of a sacrifice of blood upon the altar was lost except to those few who were truly trying and seeking to please God. When God revealed the pattern of the Tabernacle, He used the Brazen Altar as a means of approaching Him. He gave specific instructions for its use. It was the only place national Israel could worship Him.
The most important instruction was that there was to be only one altar and it was to be located only in the court of the tabernacle. One place of sacrifice guarded against the influence of heathen worship. But it spoke to Israel AND TO US today that there is only ONE SACRIFICE for sin - THE LAMB!
Now let us get back at Exodus 27:1-8 to the construction of the Brazen Altar itself. There are some important points to remember as we look at the Altar.
The altar of the Lord was to have no engraving on it or steps to it as a precaution against the altar becoming an object of worship. There was no beauty to it that would cause men to want to look upon it. Also, the priests were to wear undergarments that went below their ankles because God wanted NO FLESH exposed at His altar.
On the day the Tabernacle was set up, the Brazen Altar was set in the outer court and all the tabernacle furnishings were anointed with holy anointing oil. A special anointing of the Brazen Altar continued for seven days. During those seven days, the priests were also being consecrated for service in the Tabernacle.
The altar was a very simple hollow box made of shittim wood (acacia wood), overlaid with BRASS, seven and a half feet square, stood four and half feet high, and had four horns pointing outward at each corner. A brass gate extended through its middle in which brass rings were fastened at each corner; wooden staves covered with brass were put through the rings for carrying the altar.
It was the largest piece of furniture used in worship and was always open to guilty
Israelites so they could come and atone for their sin.
In Revelation 3:8 Jesus tells the church, "… behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name."
In Revelation 4:1, John saw and open door in Heaven and heard the voice of God call for him to come up. Jesus is the door, and he has opened the way to salvation and no man can close it. Now we can come to the Lord at any time to seek his righteousness and to have our sins covered by His blood.
Sacrifices made under the Old Covenant always had a deeper meaning for they all pointed to a COMING REDEEMER all of Israel was looking for. The sacrifices that we make under the New Covenant are no longer sacrifices of animals, but a living sacrifice of our entire lives to THE LAMB who has already been sacrificed.
The Shittim wood, used in most of the structure and furniture of the tabernacle speaks to us of the HUMANITY of CHRIST who came from a "root out of dry ground," and of the one man who was sinless in His human nature.
The brass that covered the shittim wood of the Brazen Altar typified divine righteousness and judgment that Jesus bore for you and I. Some teach that Jesus literally became a sinner on the cross and went to hell to suffer for us there so we would not have to go there. They have distorted the truth and are teaching a lie. If Jesus had become a sinner on that cross, He would not have been an acceptable sacrifice and we would be lost! He did not become sin for us, but became a SIN OFFERING and bore the judgment of God that should have fallen on ALL humanity. Because of His great mercy and love for us – we can go free now from that judgment!
The four horns on the corners of the altar spoke of power and were used in binding the sacrifice to the altar. They were also sprinkled with the blood of the sacrifice. The sacrifice tied to the horns pointed to Christ’s unfaltering commitment to carry out the Father’s will when He allowed Himself to be nailed to the cross. The blood-stained horns pointed upward and outward to the four corners of the world, reminding us of the saving power of Christ’s blood that will be witnessed throughout the world.
In the performance of their duties in handling of the sacrifices and keeping the Brazen Altar ready for use at all times, the priests had a number of utensils that were used to perform various tasks.
Pans and shovels were used to remove the precious ashes of the sacrifices and carry them outside the camp to be disposed of in a clean place. The ashes spoke of the finished work of Christ who was put into a clean place (a new sepulcher) at His burial.
The blood from the sacrifices was drained into a basin and poured out at the base of the altar, typifying Christ, who poured out His blood on our behalf.
The flesh hooks represented the cruel hands of the men who nailed Christ to the cross. The fire pans (censers), which carried the fire from the brazen altar to the Altar of Incense, represented Christ’s intercessory ministry of prayer at the Father’s throne as our advocate.
The Brazen Altar and the cross of Christ both speak of Justification. That does not mean that we are MADE righteous but that we are DECLARED righteous - put into a right relationship with God. In the days of the Tabernacle, the Jewish people were restored to a right relationship with God by offering blood atonement on the altar. Today the atoning blood of Christ to take away sins restores Jews AND Gentiles.
Justification is not obtained by any work that we do but is bestowed freely through the grace of God, resulting in the removal of the guilt and punishment of sin, the righteousness of Christ being imputed to our lives, and our restoration and favor and fellowship with God.
Approaching the Tabernacle of God without offering a proper sacrifice on the altar meant certain death.
If we reject the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, we will be separated from God and face eternal death.
The Brazen Altar represents the very first step in the plan of Salvation. It all begins with Jesus and this shed blood at Calvary. Without the Brazen Altar, not one priest could enter in; not one sin could be forgiven; and not one of the Children of Israel could have made it to the Promised Land. Thank God for Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is represented in that Brazen Altar, where all the blood sacrifices are finished. Jesus died for us and no one needs to die, but now we can all have eternal life through Jesus’ atoning blood.
