El altar del holocausto

Exodus 27:1‑8; Exodus 37:1‑7  •  8 min. read  •  grade level: 12
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Éxodo 27:1-8; 37:1-71And 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. 2And 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. 3And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. 4And 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. 5And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. 6And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. 7And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. 8Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it. (Exodus 27:1‑8)
1And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it: 2And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about. 3And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it. 4And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold. 5And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. 6And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 7And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat; (Exodus 37:1‑7)
Los dos muebles que estaban dentro del atrio del tabernáculo eran el altar del holocausto y la fuente de bronce. Ahí estaban en línea recta entre la puerta del atrio y la puerta del Lugar Santo. En muchos puntos pueden ser contrastados con los demás vasos.
En esto difieren de los muebles del Lugar Santo, que sólo eran vistos por los sacerdotes que entraban allí. Fueron hechos de cobre, o de madera de Sittim y cobre; mientras que los vasos de adentro eran de oro, o de madera de Sittim cubierta de oro. El cobre nos habla de Dios en juicio; el oro, de la gloria de Dios y Su justicia. Afuera, Dios procede en justicia con el pecado y toda inmundicia: el cobre; adentro Dios es revelado en Su gloria divina a Sus santos en comunión consigo: el oro.
El altar del atrio era el lugar de sacrificio. La palabra “altar” quiere decir “matar” —un lugar de matanza—. El lector debe fijarse bien en las palabras de Éxodo 29:11-1211And thou shalt kill the bullock before the Lord, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 12And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar. (Exodus 29:11‑12). Se llama “el altar”, porque no había otro. Cristo, y Él solo, es representado por esta figura. Él es “el altar” y “el Cordero”, y no hay otro lugar de encuentro entre Dios y el pecador.
En Levítico 4:7,7And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. (Leviticus 4:7) se lee del “altar que está a la puerta”. ¿Por qué? Por la sencilla razón de que no había manera de acercarse a Dios sino por medio de aquel altar; no había acceso a Dios sino sobre la base de sacrificio. Dios quiera que caiga todo el peso de esta verdad solemne sobre la consciencia del lector. No hay camino a Dios sino por la sangre de Cristo. Allí —a la puerta— estaba el transgresor; allá —en el extremo occidental— Jehová de Israel se sentaba sobre Su trono; la sangre y el agua (figura de la Palabra de Dios) estaban entre ellos, indicando la necesidad de la expiación y la limpieza antes de que el pecador pudiera acercarse a Dios, tres veces santo.
La llama brillante del fuego ardiendo de día y de noche sobre el altar (véase Levítico 6:12-1312And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. 13The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out. (Leviticus 6:12‑13)), era lo primero que se presentaba a la vista del pecador cuando miraba hacia la morada de Dios. Ese “altar” tenía que ser satisfecho; sus demandas tenían que ser del todo cumplidas, antes de que el israelita pudiera tomar un solo paso hacia Dios. Esto se cumplió en el “lugar que se llama de la Calavera” (Lucas 23:3333And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. (Luke 23:33)), del cual hablaba ese altar. El fuego encendido allí debe ser suficiente para convencernos de que Dios de ningún modo justificará al impío. El juicio del pecado, como se ve en la cruz de Cristo, es el testimonio permanente de que “la paga del pecado es la muerte” (Romanos 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). El fuego nunca debía apagarse. Mientras durare la santidad de Dios, así continuará el castigo del pecado. La llama inapagable de aquel “fuego eterno” en el cual tiene que morar el que está sin Cristo, es un testimonio horrendo a la santidad perpetua de Dios.
Hay que notar que EL ALTAR ERA CUADRADO, cada lado igual. Esto habla de la perfección e igualdad. “No hay diferencia”; los pecadores de todos los rangos y condiciones son igualmente necesitados, y no importa de dónde vengan. Cristo permanece fiel para con todos.
ESTABA COLOCADO EN TIERRA; quiere decir que era accesible para todos, sean grandes o pequeños. Así es la cruz de Cristo: está al alcance del pobre pecador, no importa cuál fuese su estado: no se necesitan “gradas” para alcanzarla (véase Éxodo 20:2626Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon. (Exodus 20:26)).
ESTABA HECHO DE MADERA DE SITTIM Y DE COBRE. La madera de Sittim de por sí, no aguantaría el fuego: el cobre daba resistencia y fuerza. “Sittim” o “madera incorruptible” representa la humanidad de nuestro Señor, y el cobre en combinación con ella habla de la fuerza, la resistencia absoluta de Cristo como “el Dios Fuerte” (Isaías 9:66For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)). ¡Qué misterios y combinaciones hay aquí! ¡Cómo deberían doblarse nuestros corazones y andar suavemente nuestros pies, mientras nos acercamos para contemplar a la Persona gloriosa de Cristo! Su naturaleza humana era perfecta como lo era Su divinidad. Era Hijo del hombre tanto como el Hijo de Dios.
A veces por ignorancia y a veces por maldad, ciertos predicadores dicen: “Él tomó sobre sí nuestra naturaleza pecaminosa”, pero esto no es el lenguaje de las Sagradas Escrituras; más bien es una grave detracción hecha a la Persona de nuestro adorable Señor y Salvador. Cristo, “al que no conoció pecado”, [Dios lo] “hizo pecado por nosotros, para que fuésemos hechos justicia de Dios en Él” (2 Corintios 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)). La carga inmensa de nuestros pecados fue puesta sobre Él en la cruz, y “por Su llaga fuimos nosotros curados” (Isaías 53:55But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)). ¿Cómo? Por la fe en Su sangre preciosa.
¡Qué carga inmensa! ¡Oh Señor!
Fue impuesta sobre Ti;
Tú padeciste por amor
El mal que merecí,
Cuando en la cruz, Señor Jesús,
Moriste en vez de mí.
Su santa vara Dios blandió,
Hiriéndote a Ti;
Dios mismo Te desamparó,
Para ampararme a mí;
Tu sangre en don de expiación,
Vertiste Tú por mí.
Quisiéramos poner énfasis en la verdad sublime de que Cristo era siempre perfecto en Su naturaleza humana; no tenía ninguna mancha de la humanidad caída. Su concepción fue en virtud del Espíritu Santo; Él era “lo Santo” en cuanto a Su naturaleza (Lucas 1:3535And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)), el “Santo Hijo” (Hechos 4:2727For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, (Acts 4:27)), el “Santo” (Hechos 13:3535Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Acts 13:35)); Su carne no “vio corrupción”; todo esto era el cumplimiento de lo que la “madera incorruptible” prefiguraba.
Hay que notar que los CUERNOS del altar estaban colocados en las cuatro esquinas. El cuerno en las Escrituras habla muchas veces del poder (véanse Daniel 8:3-203Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. 4I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. 5And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. 6And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. 7And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. 8Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. 9And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. 10And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. 11Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 12And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. 13Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? 14And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. 15And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. 16And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. 17So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision. 18Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. 19And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. 20The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. (Daniel 8:3‑20); Apocalipsis 17:1212And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. (Revelation 17:12)). Los cuernos fueron rociados con la sangre de la expiación (Éxodo 29:1212And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar. (Exodus 29:12)), y a ellos como refugio huían los culpables (véase 1 Reyes 2:2828Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the Lord, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. (1 Kings 2:28)). Así el pecador que huye a Cristo para refugiarse probará el poder de Dios para su salvación. El momento en que el pecador echa mano por la fe a la sangre de Cristo, el poder de Dios obra, y desde aquel momento Cristo es su “cuerno de salud” y “refugio” de la ira venidera.
Cristo refugio de mí, pecador,
Doy gloria a Ti, sí, sólo a Ti…
Tu sangre preciosa vertida por mí
Me da tan segura morada en Ti:
Cristo refugio de mí, pecador,
Doy gloria a Ti, sólo a Ti.
En el medio del altar había un enrejado de cobre: era entonces de un codo y medio de altura, la misma altura del propiciatorio. Se oye mucho de la misericordia de Dios y los Modernistas frecuentemente declaran que Dios es amor y que por eso no va a castigar al pecador, siendo Él demasiado bondadoso. ¡Ah!, pero olvidan una cosa de tantísima importancia: que el Dios de amor también es el Dios de justicia. “Dios es luz”. Así, pues, vemos que la misericordia de Dios y Su justicia son atributos iguales. Los salvos pueden, por eso, cantar: “Misericordia y juicio cantaré: A Ti cantaré yo, oh Jehová” (Salmo 101:11<<A Psalm of David.>> I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing. (Psalm 101:1)).
Ahora, sobre este enrejado el holocausto fue puesto, y allí fue consumido. Las cenizas caían abajo por el enrejado, y después fueron sacadas por el sacerdote. En esto, vemos una figura solemne de la cruz de Cristo.
Desde una hora muy temprana se podía ver el israelita caminando con su víctima viva hacia el altar de Dios. Se paraba por la puerta y allí la víctima fue degollada; sus varias piezas fueron tendidas, después levantadas sobre la leña en el enrejado de cobre, y de allí ascendía un olor suave al Señor. Después se veía a un hombre cubierto de vestimenta de lino fino, quien se acercaba al altar, teniendo en la mano una cazuela de cobre que él llenaba de las cenizas. ¿Qué quiere decir esto? Quiere decir que la víctima había sido ofrecida y aceptada, y las cenizas fueron depositadas en un lugar limpio fuera del real (véase Levítico 6:10-1110And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. 11And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place. (Leviticus 6:10‑11)).
En esto, vemos y entendemos lo que está escrito de aquel día en que el Cordero de Dios (Cristo) fue sacrificado en una cruz fuera de las puertas de Jerusalén. Era un día de mucha actividad, y la ciudad estaba en movimiento desde temprano. De madrugada los sacerdotes consultaban y la multitud se juntaba. Más tarde entre los sollozos suprimidos de los que le amaban y la rabia de Sus enemigos, el Cordero de Dios fue llevado por las calles de Jerusalén, prosiguiendo camino hasta la cruz. Sobre aquel altar murió voluntariamente el bendito Salvador. El fuego consumió el sacrificio (véase Mateo 27:27-5427Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. 28And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 29And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. 31And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. 32And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. 33And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, 34They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. 35And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 36And sitting down they watched him there; 37And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. 39And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. 44The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. 45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 54Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. (Matthew 27:27‑54)). ¡Oh, cuán preciosas eran las cenizas de aquel holocausto! Así la obra fue consumada y el sacrificio aceptado; habiendo terminado la obra de redención, fue sepultado en aquel sepulcro nuevo preparado por José de Arimatea. Después se manifestó como el Dios de la resurrección: se levantó de entre los muertos y ascendió a la diestra de la Majestad en los cielos (Hebreos 1:33Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:3)). Este es el evangelio de salvación para el pobre pecador, “que Cristo fue muerto por nuestros pecados, conforme a las Escrituras; y que fue sepultado, y que resucitó al tercer día, conforme a las Escrituras” (1 Corintios 15:3-43For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3‑4)). Este es el evangelio, o sea las buenas nuevas de salvación. ¡Cuán glorioso es! ¡Benditas noticias! “Consumado es”, dijo el bendito Salvador; “y habiendo inclinado la cabeza, dio el espíritu” (Juan 19:3030When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30)).
Ni sangre hay ni altar,
Cesó la ofrenda ya;
No sube llama ni humo hoy,
Ni más cordero habrá;
Mas ved, ¡he aquí la sangre de Jesús!
Que quita la maldad y al hombre da salud.