Exodus The Bronze Altar Lesson 38 Exodus 27:1-8 012421 Review/Introduction 1 Last week we began a new 8-week miniseries on the Tabernacle from the book of Exodus and we are calling this series SEE(K)and here’s why: a The Tabernacle is one of the most outstanding revelations of Jesus Christ in all the Old Testament. b Our hope is that as we see Christ more clearly through the revelation of Christ in the Tabernacle that it would lead us to worship him more deeply and seek him more wholeheartedly. 2 To that someone might say, look if you’re trying to see Christ more clearly why not just turn to the gospels or some other portion of the New Testament? a The answer to that is that an understanding of Jesus in the New Testament is very much dependent upon a revelation of Jesus in the Old Testament. b And this is exactly what Jesus taught. To the Pharisees Jesus said, 39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. John 5:39–40,46 3 So, Jesus said that the OT Scriptures testify about him and that Moses wrote about him. When or how did Moses write about Jesus? a Well firstly through messianic promises like Genesis 3 and Genesis 12. • In Genesis 3 Moses recorded God’s promise of an offspring from the women that would crush the head of Satan and reverse the curse of Eden and … • In Genesis 12 he recorded God’s promise of an offspring from Abraham through which all nations will be blessed. b The second and more extensive way that Moses wrote about Jesus was through Biblical typology. And that’s what we see in the Tabernacle and it’s sacrifices. Exodus / The Bronze Altar / Lesson 38 / Exodus 27.1-8 1 c When Moses wrote down God’s instructions for building the Tabernacle he was writing about Jesus because every detail of the Tabernacle points to some aspect of the Person and work of Jesus Christ. 4 If you were not here or did not watch online, I would highly recommend you watching or listening to that message this week in order to get the most of the next seven lessons of this series. (gracepsl.org and click on the “watch” and then “sermon archive”.) 5 The tabernacle as we discovered last week was the mobile tent-like worship structure that God commanded Moses and the Israelites to build in order for him to dwell among his people. a The Tabernacle was comprised of a 45x15x15 four-layer tent which was divided into two sections, the holy place and most holy place. • In the holy place were three furnishings made of gold or wood and overlaid with gold; the table of bread, the golden lampstand and the altar of incense. • Beyond the thick curtain in the holy place was the most holy place and the ark of the covenant also made of wood overlaid with gold. b The Tabernacle was surrounded by a large rectangular 7 ½ foot tall white linen fence, supported by wooden poles in bronze bases and attached with silver connectors. Exodus / The Bronze Altar / Lesson 38 / Exodus 27.1-8 2 • This fence created a courtyard that measured 150x75 feet with a single 30-foot entrance on the east side which was a curtain made of linen embroidered with blue, purple and scarlet yarn. • Inside the courtyard were two furnishings, the bronze laver and the bronze altar which is our focus today. • This is a photo of a replica of the Tabernacle found in Timna Park, Israel. Note the top and bottom, horns and rocks. 1 “Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. 3 Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. 5 Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. 6 Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain. Exodus 27:1–8 The Structure of the Altar 1 The word altar means lifted up so the bronze altar was an elevated structure. It was the first thing a worshipper would see after entering the gate of the courtyard. 2 Since there was only one altar for an entire nation it was always a busy place, full of people, priests, and animals being sacrificed. 3 It was the largest furnishing nearly 8x8x5, made of wood overlaid with bronze. a Also made of bronze were all the utensils that were used in making sacrifices; pots to hold meat, shovels to remove ashes … b sprinkling bowls to collect blood to be sprinkled on the altar, meat forks for the sacrifices where the meat was to be eaten and firepans to move the coals when the Israelites relocated the camp. Exodus / The Bronze Altar / Lesson 38 / Exodus 27.1-8 3 4 At each of the four corners of the bronze altar was what was referred to as a “horn.” In the Old Testament horns were used as a metaphor of strength and power because animals used them for fighting, protecting and securing dominance. a So when Hannah prayed, in the Lord my horn is lifted high, she was saying that she was greatly strengthen by the Lord. b When the Psalmist says the Lord is the horn of my salvation (Ps 18:2), he meant God has the power to save. And this is why Jesus is called the horn of salvation in Luke 1. c So in the case of the bronze altar the horns were symbolic of God’s power to save through sacrifice. 5 On the outside of the altar were bronze rings through which wood poles overlaid with bronze were inserted to carry the altar. There were also bronze rings on the inside that supported a grate upon which the sacrifices were burned or roasted. 6 The altar had no bottom. It was a large hollow frame raised up above the courtyard which was in line with God’s original instructions about altars in Exodus 20. They needed to be made of earth and stone but not dressed stones. 7 The bronze altar was a type or foreshadowing of Jesus in at least three ways: a First like the altar he was lifted up. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” John 12:32 b Secondly, in the Old Testament bronze was symbolic of God’s righteousness and God’s judgement of unrighteousness. Jesus was the only truly righteous one who could bear the judgment of mankind’s unrighteousness. c Thirdly, bronze is an alloy made of tin and cooper which speaks of the two natures of Christ; he is both God and man. Only man could die for man’s sins but only God could actually bear the penalty of those sins. So, God became man in the Person of Jesus Christ. 8 On this altar there were five main kinds of sacrifices made which are all described in the first five chapters of Leviticus and all of them speak of Jesus. Exodus / The Bronze Altar / Lesson 38 / Exodus 27.1-8 4 The Sacrifices made at the Altar 1 The burnt offering was a general and most common sacrifice for the atonement of sin, in which an entire animal was burned on the altar. This represented not only atonement for sin but also a complete consecration to God because it was the only sacrifice in which the animal was completely burned. a The sacrifice had to be costly, male, without blemish, offered voluntarily and offered as a substitute. Why? Because this offering was a type of Jesus who was infinitely valuable to the Father, male, without sin, who voluntarily gave himself as a substitute on the cross. b Jesus is our burnt offering because on the cross he was figuratively completely consumed by the fiery judgment of God our sins deserved and this incredible mercy is the motivation and power to completely surrender ourselves to God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). 2 The grain offering was a sacrifice that expressed thanksgiving to God. With it a worshipper would offer up fine flour, unleavened cakes of bread or roasted grain to simply praise God. a Part of the offering was burned on the altar with frankincense and the other part given to the priests. This burning grain produced and aroma pleasing to the Lord (Lev 2:2). b Jesus is our grain offering. He was the kernel of wheat that had to fall to the ground and die before it could live again and produce new life (Jn 12:23-25).