(Ex. 27:1-81And 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))
The two vessels that stood within the court of the Tabernacle were the altar of burnt-offering and the brazen laver. They stood in a straight line between the gate of the court and the door of the Holy Place. In many points they may be contrasted with all the other vessels. They stood in the open court, visible to all the tribes; the services at both were of a public character. In this they differ from the vessels of the Holy Place, which were seen only by the priests who entered there. They were made of copper, or shittim wood and copper; whereas the inner vessels were of gold, or shittim wood and gold. Copper speaks to us of God in judgment; gold, of God in glory. Outside it is God in righteousness dealing with sin and uncleanness: inside it is God revealed in His Divine glory to His saints in communion with Himself.
Speaking broadly, the vessels without are typical of Christ as He was down here, and of the work accomplished by Him on earth and its application; those within, of Christ risen and glorified in the heavens, and of His work continuously carried on up there for His saints. We need both. Apart from the altar and laver no priest could ever have entered the dwelling-place of God; apart from the golden altar no priest could have continued there. In the brazen altar we see Christ meeting man’s needs and bringing the believer into abiding relationship with God. In the golden altar we see Christ maintaining His saints in conscious nearness and communion in that relationship. The altar in the court was the place of sacrifice. Our word altar, comes from a word that means “to kill”―a slaughter place. Ritualism with its altar in the Church is virtually a denial of the Cross and of the sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ. It is “the altar” (Ex. 29:12; 30:2012And 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)
20When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord: (Exodus 30:20)), for there was no other. Christ, and Christ alone, is the answer to this type. He is “the altar” and “the Lamb.” There is no other meeting-place between God and the sinner; “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin.”
It is “the altar at the door” (Lev. 4:77And 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)), because there was no way of approach to God but by passing that altar; there was no access to God but on the ground of sacrifice. Sinner! let the full weight of this solemn truth fall upon your conscience. There is no way to God but by the blood of Christ. There, at the gate of the court, stood the transgressor yonder, at the western end, Jehovah of Israel sat upon His throne; blood and water stood between. They tell out the need of atonement and cleansing ere the sinner can come nigh to God. The bright flame of fire, burning night and day upon the altar (Lev. 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)) was the first sight that met the sinner’s gaze as he cast his eyes towards the dwelling-place of God. The altar must be satisfied, its claims all met in full, before he could advance one step on his way to God. Fix your eyes, then, sinner, on that altar and its flame. It tells you of the God with whom you have to do, for “our God is a consuming fire”: not altogether love and mercy, as you have been wont to think, but “glorious in holiness” as well. This was seen at “the place called Calvary,” of which this altar speaks. The fire once kindled there, is surely enough to convince you that God can by no means clear the guilty. The judgment of sin, as seen in the Cross of Christ, is the ever-abiding witness that “the wages of sin is death.” The fire was never to go out. So long as the holiness of God continues, so shall the punishment of sin. The unquenchable flame of that “eternal fire” in which the Christless one must forever dwell, is an awful witness to the abiding holiness of God.
The altar was four-square―the same on all sides. This signifies completeness―equality. “There is no difference”; sinners of all ranks and conditions are equally needy, and no matter from whence they come, Christ is the same for all. It stood on the ground. It was equally accessible to the child and the full-grown man. Such is the Cross of Christ. It is within the sinner’s reach, whatever may be his state; no steps are required to reach it.
It was made of shittim wood and copper. Shittim wood alone could not have endured the fire; the copper gave endurance and strength. “Shittim” or “incorruptible wood” is typical of the humanity of our Lord, and the copper in combination with it here, of the all-enduring strength of Jesus as “the Mighty God.” What mysteries and combinations are here! How our hearts should bow and our feet tread softly as we draw near to gaze on the Person of our glorious Immanuel! He was as truly “the Virgin’s child,” the “Seed of the woman” who was to bruise the serpent’s head, as He was “the Son” from the bosom of the Father. His manhood was perfect, as was His divinity. He was “Son of Man” and “Son of God.” People sometimes say: “He took upon Him our sinful nature.” But this is not the language of Holy Scripture, and the thought is deeply derogatory to the Person of our adorable Lord. I do not say that all who use such words are culpably guilty of this―I am sure that the very opposite is the case with many, and that they truly love the Lord. But we need in this, as in all the things of God, to rein in our own imaginations and avoid using proverbial expressions handed down from our fathers, holding fast and using the words of the Holy Ghost. We “were by nature the children of wrath,” we were conceived in sin and shapen in iniquity; the nature that we brought into the world with us was “enmity against God” in its very essence, and will continue to be so. It was not so with our blessed Lord. He was perfect in His manhood: there was no taint of fallen humanity in Him. His conception was by the power of the Holy Ghost; He was “that Holy Thing” (Luke 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)), the “Holy Child” (Acts 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)), the “Holy One” (Acts 13:3535Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Acts 13:35)). His flesh “saw no corruption:” it was the antitype of the “incorruptible wood.”
The horns of the altar were on four corners. The horn in Scripture is often used to denote power (see 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); Rev. 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)). The horns of this altar were possibly used in binding the victim when it was presented alive before Jehovah― “Bind the sacrifice with cords to the altar’s horns” (Psa. 118:2727God is the Lord, which hath showed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. (Psalm 118:27)). They were sprinkled with the blood of atonement (Ex. 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)), and there the guilty fled for refuge (1 Kings 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)). The sinner who flees to Christ for refuge will prove the power of God in his immediate salvation. The moment he, by faith, lays hold of the blood, Almighty power is on his side, and will henceforth be his “horn of salvation” and “high tower” (Psa. 18:22The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Psalm 18:2)), defending and upholding him.
In the midst of the altar was a network of copper: it would thus be one-and-a-half cubits high―the same height as the Mercy seat. We hear a great deal about the mercy of God, very little about His justice; but the mercy of God and His justice are of the same dimensions, and His saints can say: “I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto Thee O God, will I sing!” (Psa. 101:11<<A Psalm of David.>> I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing. (Psalm 101:1)).
On this network the burnt-offering was laid, and there consumed. The ashes fell through the network underneath, and were afterward removed by the priest. How vividly all this pointed onward to the Cross of Christ. At early mom you might have seen the offerer moving on with his living victim toward the altar of God. He passed through the gate and stood beside the burning flame. There the victim was slain and flayed; its various parts were all spread out, then raised upon the copper network, and from thence it ascended a sweet savor unto the Lord. A few hours later you might have seen a man clothed in pure linen garments coming from the altar with a copper pan filled with ashes in his hand. The victim had been offered and accepted, and the precious ashes were treasured up in a clean place without the camp.
We all remember what is written of that day on which the Lamb of God was sacrificed on a cross outside the gates of Jerusalem. It was a busy day, and the city was early astir. At early morn, priests were consulting and the multitude gathering. Later on, amid the stifled sobs of those who loved Him and the rage of His foes, the Lamb of God was led silently along the streets of Jerusalem and onward to the cross. Bound to the horns of the altar by the cords of love. He willingly died. The fire consumed the sacrifice. O! how precious in the sight of God was the lifeless form that hung upon that tree How unspeakably dear the precious ashes of that whole burnt-offering! No rude hand of man was allowed to touch or break a bone of God’s Holy Lamb. As the shades of evening fell, Joseph of Arimathea, His own disciple, came, bearing the body of the Lord wrapped in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in a clean new tomb, where no corrupting flesh of man had ever lain. The work was finished, the sacrifice was accepted, and the God of resurrection entered that rock-hewn tomb and raised Him from the dead. This is the Gospel of salvation for the sinner; this is the mighty lever that raises him from the horrible pit and sets him among princes. Jesus died: He was buried: God raised Him from the dead. Glorious message! Blessed tidings! “IT IS FINISHED.” We Sing―
“No blood, no altar now,
The sacrifice is o’er;
No flame, no smoke ascends on high,
The lamb is slain no more.”