As soon as one entered the court of the tabernacle, the first thing he came to was the brazen altar. Exodus 27 presents the instructions which God gave to Moses for making it. There could never be any approach to God except through a sacrifice, and it was upon this altar of brass that the sacrifice was to be offered.
It was to be five cubits long and five cubits broad. Five, as we have remarked before, speaks of weakness. This would bring to our minds a verse in 2 Corinthians 13:4. It says, “Though He [Christ] was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God.” God, as God, could not die, so the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, became a man so that He could die for us. What wonderful love! The altar was foursquare, we are told, as though God delighted to remind us that the work of redemption is for “whosoever will” out of any nation under heaven. This makes us think of the heavenly city which is also foursquare. There the redeemed from all nations will join to sing about the precious blood by which they have been brought into it (Revelation 5:9). Will you be there?
Taking the Heat of Judgment
The height of the altar was three cubits. Three in the Bible brings before us complete testimony, for “in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Matt. 18:16). God has given perfect witness to the fact that He is satisfied with the work of His Son, for He has raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in glory. He bore the full heat of God’s judgment against sin. Just as this particular metal used for the altar was one which could stand extreme heat, so we hear the Lord Jesus saying prophetically, “Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto My sorrow, which is done unto Me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted Me in the day of His fierce anger” (Lam. 1:12). We will never fully know what it cost the Lord Jesus to bear “our sins in His own body on the tree,” (1 Peter 2:24) but faith rejoices in the testimony God has given as to His acceptance of the work which His Son has accomplished.
Remembering the Judgment
God would never have us forget the awful judgment of sin. Therefore all the items connected with the altar—the pans, the shovels, the fleshhooks, and all the necessary things for its use—were all of brass. How often the truth of this is passed over or forgotten today, and people attempt to approach God through works of their own. What a solemn day of reckoning is coming for them, when they stand before God in their sins to be “judged ... according to their works” (Rev. 20:12). We who are saved, know that judgment is over for us. It took place at Calvary, and we rejoice in our present perfect standing in Christ.
The horns of the altar were the means by which the sacrifice was tied to the altar — there was no escape. The Lord Jesus’ strength, like the ram caught by his horns (Genesis 22:13), was devoted in an obedience even unto death. The staves in the side were used to carry it from place to place in the wilderness, and so may we ever carry with us the sense of what the Lord has done for us at Calvary.
Further Meditation
1. What does the number 5 present to our hearts in the Bible?
2. When the temple was built a lot of brass was collected for it as well. Its weight couldn’t be found out. How does this tell us more about the judgment on our sins?
3. If you want another view of the altar and the other furniture of the tabernacle you can find it in the pamphlet The House of Gold by J. Rouw. You will probably find its many full-color illustrations and simple explanations helpful.