EXODUS 27: GOD'S COURTYARD, GATE, & ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING...
EXODUS 27
OPENS WITH...THE COURT OF THE TABERNACLE AND THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING.
Verses 1-2 tells us the BASIC structure of the BRONZE altar.
"You shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square; and its height shall be three cubits. 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."
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH...SOME BIBLES USE SHITTIM, SHITTAH, OR ACACIA....AND ALL THREE ARE CORRECT...
ISAIAH 41:19, "acacia tree"). Shittah wood was employed in making the various parts of the tabernacle in the wilderness, and must therefore have been indigenous in the desert in which the Israelites wandered. It was the acacia or mimosa (Acacia Nilotica and A. seyal). "The wild acacia (Mimosa Nilotica), under the name of sunt, everywhere represents the seneh, or senna, of the burning bush. A slightly different form of the tree, equally common under the name of seyal, is the ancient 'shittah,' or, as more usually expressed in the plural form, the 'shittim,' of which the tabernacle was made." EXODUS 25:10,13,23,28.
You shall make an altar...
DID YOU KNOW....The idea behind the Hebrew word for altar is essentially, "killing-place." We also have an altar: We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat (Hebrews 13:10). Our altar - our "killing-place" - is the cross, where Jesus died for our sins and we follow by dying unto self and living for Jesus.
We lay down our lives on that same altar...
GALATIANS 2:20..."I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me..
GALATIANS 6:14 "… But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
Make an altar of acacia wood … overlay it with bronze...
The altar was a box-like structure and because of its overlay of bronze it COULD SURVIVE HIGH TEMPERATURES. The altar was 7 feet 6 inches (2.5 meters) square, and 4 feet 6 inches (1.5 meters) high.
DID YOU KNOW...
For years, the sides of this altar were smooth and shiny bronze. But Numbers 16 describes the rebellion of Korah, who challenged the leadership of Moses.
NUMBERS 16...GIVES US A CLEAR CONCISE PICTURE OF WHAT ALMIGHTY GOD THINKS OF THOSE...WHO BELIEVE THEMSELVES TO BE ALL POWERFUL, HOLY AND ABOVE REPROACH OR CENSURE...IN OTHER WORDS, THOSE WHO THINK THEY ARE LEGENDS IN THEIR OWN MINDS.
NUMBERS 16:2-5 says, "And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, 'Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him."
NUMBERS 16:19...TELLS US THE GLORY OF THE LORD APPEARED AT THE TABERNACLE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE TO SEE. MOSES AND THOSE WHO FOLLOWED HIM ON ONE SIDE AND THE PRIESTS AND SONS OF KORATH IN REBELLION AGAINST MOSES AND AARON ON THE OTHER SIDE.
NUMBERS 16:20-21....THE LORD BASICALLY SAID TO MOSES...STEP BACK...GET AWAY FROM THEM.
In confirming THAT HE CHOSE the leadership of Moses, God judged Korah and his followers, and caused the ground to split and swallow up all the rebels of Korah, their families, their goods, and their homes. THEN THE LORD SENT LIGHTNING FROM HEAVEN INTO THE SPLIT OF THE EARTH, BEFORE IT CLOSED AGAIN.
I OFTEN THINK OF NUMBERS 16, WHEN I TURN ON THE TELEVISION AND SEE THESE "SUPPOSED" MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD GRANDSTANDING...STRUTTING...PREENING....SAYING I THINK..I FEEL...I BELIEVE...I KNOW...I CAN HEAL...I CAN TOUCH...I HAVE THE POWER...I SAVE...I AM GOD'S MESSENGER...I AM HIS INSTRUMENT...AND I-I-I-I...
MOSES REMAINED HUMBLE...HE KNEW HIMSELF TO BE A HUMBLE SERVANT OF THE LORD. HE KNEW AND SPOKE AND SAID...IT IS NOT I, BUT THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL WHO IS MIGHTY TO SAVE, HEAL, PROVIDE, DIRECT...
AND WE REMEMBER JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF SAID...I CAME TO SERVE, NOT BE SERVED, AMEN?!
The LORD then commanded the priests to take the bronze incense-censers held by Korah and his followers, to hammer them flat, and to cover the altar of burnt offering with them, to be a memorial to the children of Israel in Numbers 16:40.
AND THINK ABOUT IT....From then on, every time someone came to the altar of burnt offering, they noticed the rough, hammered finish of the bronze - and were reminded of Korah's rebellion and God's judgment against him and those who followed him.
HOLY MEN AND PRIESTS OF ISRAEL ARE NOW, AS WE SPEAK, RECREATING THE TEMPLE PIECES TO REPLACE THOSE DESTROYED WITH THE TEMPLE IN 70AD.
I WONDER...WILL THEIR NEW ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERINGS...BE HAMMERED BRONZE OR SMOOTH AND SHINY BRONZE?
WILL THEY REMEMBER EXODUS 27 AND NUMBERS 16? TIME WILL TELL, AMEN?!
Make its horns on its four corners...
There were to be horns on the altar, so the altar would "reach out" to all directions. In sacrifice, atoning blood was applied to each horn.
Verses 3-8 tells us of ACCESSORIES for the altar.
"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. 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. You shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the network may be midway up the altar. And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. The poles shall be put in the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar to bear it. You shall make it hollow with boards; as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it."
Make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels and its basins and its forks and its firepans...
These utensils were used in the preparation of the offerings and the maintenance of the altar. Each was specially made for the tabernacle out of bronze and each was set-aside for the work of the tabernacle.
Make a grate for it, a network of bronze...
The grate provided a floor for the altar so the ashes and burnt remains fell down through the network of bronze. The grate also had the rings and the poles with which the altar was carried.
NOW THE LORD speaks of the courtyard and the gates
Verses 9-15 tells us of the hangings for the perimeter of the courtyard.
"You shall also make the court of the tabernacle. For the south side there shall be hangings for the court made of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long for one side. And its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets shall be bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be silver. Likewise along the length of the north side there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, with its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of bronze, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver. And along the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits, with their ten pillars and their ten sockets. The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits. The hangings on one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. And on the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets."
Also make the court of the tabernacle...
The courtyard was marked off by a fine linen fence, white in color. It provided an area of 150 feet (50 meters) by 75 feet (25 meters).
Its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets shall be bronze...
The short linen "fence" surrounding the courtyard was held up by a system of bronze pillars, twenty on the long sides and ten pillars on the short side of the rectangular-shaped court, with three pillars on the side with the entrance to the tabernacle.
Exodus 27:18 tells us that the pillars were 7.5 feet (2.5 meters) high. Each had a bronze base and silver top piece, and a silver hook for hanging the linen upon.
Verse 16 tells us of The GATE to the courtyard.
"For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. It shall have four pillars and four sockets."
For the gate of the court...
The gate was on the east side, the same side as the gate to the tent of the tabernacle. It was woven from the four colors used for the weavings of the tabernacle: blue and purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen thread.
A screen twenty cubits long...
Though there was only ONE gate to the courtyard, it was large - 30 feet (10 meters) wide. This was the ONLY entrance to the court of the tent of meeting.
Verses 17-19 tells us other details regarding the courtyard.
"All the pillars around the court shall have bands of silver; their hooks shall be of silver and their sockets of bronze. The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, made of fine woven linen, and its sockets of bronze. All the utensils of the tabernacle for all its service, all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze."
All the pillars around the court shall have bands of silver...
Each pillar had a top of silver, making it shiny and visible from afar in the bright desert. Each pillar also had a socket of bronze, or a base of bronze. Refining through the fire makes bronze.
Silver (a metal illustrating redemption) was the foundation for the tent of meeting. It was also the top - the most visible part - of the pillars surrounding the courtyard. But the courtyard fence hung on a foundation of refined bronze - the judgment Jesus took in our place, AMEN?!
The pegs of the court...
These helped anchor down the flaps of the tabernacle and the gates, and were made of bronze.
The court of the tabernacle or the temple is an IMPORTANT theme throughout the rest of the Old Testament.
WHY?
This is mainly because THE TEMPLE itself was inaccessible except to a FEW PRIESTS.
All others in Israel met God IN THE COURT. We can say by application that God also invites us to come into His courts to praise Him.
PSALM 65:4 says, "Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple."
PSALM 84:2 says, "My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."
PSALM 84:10 says, "For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness."
PSALM 92:13 says, "Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God."
PSALM 96:8 says, "Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts."
PSALM 100:4 says, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name."
Psalm 116:17-19 and Psalm 135:1-2 as well.
Under the New Covenant we appreciate this longing for the court of God's house, but we don't need to stop there. We can come - not only to the courts, but also right on into the holy presence of God. We thank God for the right to come into his courts, but we don't have to stop there.
In overview, in coming to the tabernacle, one saw a white linen fence, with shiny spots of silver on the posts holding up the fence, surrounded by thousands of black tents, with the pillar of cloud over a unassuming tent in the midst of the courtyard covered with badger's skin.
The entire tabernacle was a tent - a moveable structure.
WHY?
God wanted Israel to know He was with them wherever they went. It wasn't a case of "You come to Me," but the idea was "I have come to You".
Meyer says it well, "The Hebrews were meant to feel that the God of their fathers was a fellow-pilgrim, that where they pitched He pitched, that their enemies, difficulties, and long toilsome marches were His."
TODAY, sadly, far too many teach and preach, that The Lord God, our Jesus Christ is behind church walls...in the temples, sanctuaries...we can ONLY be close to Him....talk to Him...hear from Him...pray and receive answers to our prayers while INSIDE CHURCH WALLS.
OUR SWEET LORD JESUS IS WITH US WHEREVER WE GO...WHERE WE ARE...HE ALWAYS IS WITH US, AMEN!?
Verses 20-21 tells us The oil for the lamps on the lampstand.
"And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel."
That they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light...
The oil for the lamps on the lampstand - the only light in the tabernacle - came from PRESSED olives, NOT BEATEN olives.
2 CORINTHIANS 4:8, Paul reminds us, "We may be hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed." (2 Corinthians 4:8)
THE LORD JESUS uses our times of pressing for His glory.
Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning...
The priests were to tend the lamps, making sure that the lamps had oil to burn and that their wicks were trimmed, so that the lamps would never go out - especially during the night.
WHY?
God never wanted the lamps to lose their fire. Only by a continual supply of oil and trimming of the wicks could keep them burning. We can only continue to be on fire for JESUS if we are continually supplied with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and are "trimmed" by God to bear more light.
In dark days there is all the more reason to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be "trimmed wicks" for the LORD.
REMEMBER 2 CORINTHIANS 4:6, "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
AND ANOTHER CONFIRMATION.
EPHESIANS 5:8, "For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."