Exodus  27:1-21

 

Verse 1,2, 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. {2} 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.

Altar of Shittim wood.

1.   Shittim wood represents humanity.

2.   Brass represents the judgment of God which completely covers humanity.  (All are to be judged.)

a.      John 3:14,15 - Brazen serpent in Moses day.

b.      Rev. 1:15 - Jesus' feet as brass.

3.            Foursquare - Equal judgment toward all.  But all could see the sacrifice equally.

4.   Horns - A projection pointing upward.  A part of the structure, not merely added to it.

a.   Ex. 29:12 - Put the blood of the burnt offering on the horn of the altar with the finger.

b.      Lev. 4:7 - Sin of ignorance - blood on the horn.

c.      Lev. 8:14,15 - Sin offering - blood on the horn.

d.      Lev. 9:9 - Aaron's sin offering - blood on the horn.

e.      Lev. 16:18 - Blood of the atonement - blood on the horn.

f.    A place of desiring mercy for sin:

1.   I Kings 1:50 - Adonijah holding the horns of the altar.

2.   I Kings 2:28 - Joab holding the horns of the altar.

g.   Ps. 118:27 - The sacrifice is tied to the horns of the altar.

1.   The symbol is that Christ was tied (nailed) to the judgment of God (The brazen altar).

2.   His blood was poured out for us.

Verse 3, And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basins, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.

1.   Pans, pots and shovels - Used to dispose of the ashes (Ex. 38:3)

2.            Fleshhooks - For the adjusting of the offering.

a.   I Sam. 2:14,15 - The wrong use of the fleshhooks by Samuel's sons.

b.      Lev. 7:31-35 - The proper portion that belonged to the priests.

3.            Firepans - A shallow metal vessel to transport burning embers.

 

Verse 4,5, And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof. {5} And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.

1.   This grating is a woven, twisted network of brass.

a.   The altar was about 4½ feet tall, so the Lord had the grating build for the priest to stand on while ministering to Him.

b.   The grating evidently came up about halfway (2¼ feet or 27").

c.   So the priest would work at a 27" level.

d.      Compass means to encircle - put the grating to encircle the altar.

2.   Lev. 9:22 - Aaron "came down" from offering the sin offering, so evidently the grating was a place to stand.  Note: the sacrifice was "lifted up from off the earth like Christ was 'lifted up'".

3.   The rings were placed in the four corners of the grating.

 

Verse 6-8, And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. {7} And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. {8} Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

1.   The altar was hollow.

2.   Ex. 20:24-26 - The altar was filled with earth or stones, but likely was filled with wood and the sacrifice placed on top.  The grating gave air to the fire so the sacrifice would be consumed.

 

THE COURT OF THE TABERNACLE

 

Verse 9-19, And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side: {10} And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. {11} And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. {12} And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. {13} And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. {14} The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. {15} And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. {16} And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four. {17} All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass. {18} The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass. {19} All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

Verse 19 - The pins - These are no where explained as to their purpose, but they are apparently "tent pins" used to secure the tabernacle and the court to the ground and provide for bracing for the structure.

 

Verse 20,21  And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. {21} In the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

1.   Pure oil olive beaten for the light.

2.   Christ was beaten.

3.   When we are beaten, we put forth the best light.

4.   Light from the evening to morning - all night - When it seems darkest outside, we know the light of God still burns brightly.  Therefore, we have hope in the midst of the storm.