The Altar Of Sacrifice (Or Why Study The Tabernacle?) Series

He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering.

The act of laying his hand on the sacrifice served the purpose of letting that person know that that animal was being a substitute...

That person was placing his trust in God that God would forgive his sin because of the animal that was dying in his place.

4. Jesus is our Lamb

He is our substitute...

He was tied, as it were, to the 4 corners of the altar, upon the cross...

And there, He spilled His blood...and He died...

and His sacrifice served the same function as the lamb or goat that was sacrificed in the Wilderness Tabernacle.

5. The altar was raised up...

In fact, the word “altar” means “high place”...

and the brazen altar was placed upon a mound raising it up...

In the same way, Jesus was raised up...

In John 12:32, Jesus says, “and I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me’...

And again, in John 3:14 & 15...

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert,

so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life

6. The had to be perfect...without spot or blemish...

They couldn’t bring their sickly half dead animal and sacrifice it...

it had to be healthy and whole...perfect...

So was Jesus, as our sacrifice...perfect...holy...without sin...

2 Corinthians 5:21...

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,

so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

7. So, there are a lot of similarities between the animal sacrifice and the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross...

But there are some important differences...

Read Hebrews 10:1-18

When the Children of Israel brought an animal sacrifice...

it wasn’t just a one time thing and then it was over...

No...it had to be done over and over again...

Although the blood provided atonement...a covering for the sin...

it did not remove it...

the sacrifices were a temporary covering...

And although temporary...it was still required...

it showed them what was required for the forgiveness of sin...

death, and the shedding of blood...

But, when Jesus Christ came...

He became the Ultimate Sacrifice...

We do not need to offer animal sacrifices today...

because our faith in Christ’s sacrifice is permanent...

His blood that was shed covers all our sin..

8. The Horns of the Altar

Horns were a symbol of power and strength in Jesus’ day...

and when the animal was sacrificed upon the altar of sacrifice...

some of the blood was placed upon the 4 horns...

For us today, the horns symbolize the power of the blood of Jesus to forgive sin...

Psalm 18:2 says,

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

and Luke 1:69...speaking about Jesus...

God has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David

Conclusion

1. The Tabernacle was a portable structure...

as the Children of Israel traveled throughout the wilderness...

the Tabernacle was carried with them...

when God gave them the 10 Commandments...