THE COMINGS OF THE BRONZE ALTER
The Brazen altar was 5 cubits square x 3 cubits high. It was
made of shittim wood overlaid with bronze with horns at
each corner.
'The Bronze Altar' (Ex 27:1-5)
When the common Israelite
approached the tabernacle with
his sacrifice and passed through
that entrance gate he found that
between him and the tabernacle
structure stood an altar with a
priest waiting beside it.
The altar was square in shape
(foursquare). Its length and breadth were exactly the same
as the height of the white linen fence around the court 5
cubits (7 1/2 feet). Its height was 3 cubits (4 1/2 feet) and it
was made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze with horns
at each corner.
Exod 27:1-5 "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. 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.
This was the altar on which the sacrifices were made which
Lev.1:9 describes as a sweet savour to the Lord. This was
where the blood was shed and the sinner was pardoned. No
matter how good a person was, without the shedding of
blood there was no forgiveness. No matter how good a
person was, without the shedding of blood there was no
forgiveness.
Lev 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have
given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your
souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
Apart from the bronze altar there was no approach to God.
In the covenant with Yahweh it was a blood covenant and
therefore the innocent animal represented the sinner and
took his place on the altar. That is why there was the laying
on of the hands upon the innocent sacrifice and then the
violent slicing of the throat. A graphic imagery that would
make your skin crawl which brought an incredible awareness
of the awesomeness of sin, and the payment being death.
Only then could you be accepted and declared clean. The
blood of the animal would cover until God Himself (The
Lamb of God) would come to take sin away once and for all.
The priest would then catch the blood in a basin, and pour
out the blood at the foot of the altar and make the sacrifice
and the sinner would go home forgiven until the next sin.
Sacrifices were made throughout the year but the yearly
sacrifice was made by the high priest himself on the Day of
Atonement (Yom Kippur) once per year for the sins of the
nation.
Its Seven Names
Ex 27:1 "You shall make an altar of acacia wood...
Ex 38:30 And with it he made the sockets for the door of the
tabernacle of meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating
for it, and all the utensils for the altar,
Ex 35:16 `the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating,
its poles , all its utensils, and the laver and its base;
Ex 29:12 "You shall take some of the blood of the bull and
put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all
the blood beside the base of the altar.
Lev 1:5 `He shall kill the bull before the LORD; and the
priests , Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the
blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the
tabernacle of meeting.
Mal 1:7 "You offer defiled food on My altar. But say, `In
what way have we defiled You?' By saying, `The table of the
LORD is contemptible.' (compare with Lev 21:6,22)
Mal 2:13 And this is the second thing you do: you cover the
altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and crying; so He
does not regard the offering anymore, nor receive it with
goodwill from your hands.
Altar
An ancientSize
Now while the English word 'altar' in our translation was
formed from the Latin adjective meaning 'high' this is a late
ecclesiastical derivation and not in any way connected with
the Hebrew meaning. In Hebrew the word is based on a verb
meaning 'to sacrifice' and 'altar' means 'a place where
sacrifice is made'. It speaks of that which is "lifted up". The
sacrifice was lifted up and then down on the bronze grating
by the priest where it remained lifted up from the earth. It
also signifies the sacrifice being lifted up in the form of
smoke to the Lord. Before the tabernacle those who wished
to please God would build an altar and call upon the name
of the LORD:
Gen 4:4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of
their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,
Gen 4:25-26 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a
son and named him Seth , "For God has appointed another
seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed." And as for
Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh.
Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.
Gen 8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of
every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt
offerings on the altar.
Gen 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To
your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an
altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
Gen 12:8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of
Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and
Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called
on the name of the LORD.
Gen 26:25 So he built an altar there and called on the name
of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's
servants dug a well.
Gen 33:20 Then he erected an altar there and called it El
Elohe Israel.
Gen 35:2-3 And Jacob said to his household and to all who
were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among
you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let
us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there
to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has
been with me in the way which I have gone."
Its Size
Ex 27:1 "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.
It is not possible to reproduce exactly the design of the
Altar of Burnt Offering or bronze altar (as it was known) but
a general idea can be gathered from the descriptions in the
text.
- It was foursquare (unlimited)
- It was 5 cubits square (mans inability)
- It was 3 cubits high (Gods provision, fully and completely)
(See Numbers and Scripture)
- Notice that it was the largest vessel (sacrifice makes the
rest possible) The altar was large enough to contain the
rest.
Its Nature
- It was made of acacia wood (indestructible)
- It was overlaid with bronze (judgment)
- It was of the earth (not man-made)
Ex 20:24 `An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you
shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace
offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I
record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you.
- It had no steps (mans nakedness would be exposed)
human works
Ex 20:26 `Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your
nakedness may not be exposed on it.'
Its 4 Horns (Gods unlimited power) (universal)
Ex 27:2 "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.
The Horn
The horn symbolized power.
The horn was always symbolized as the strength of an
animal. Or the power of a person or nation.
Ps 89:17 For You are the glory of their strength, and in Your
favor our horn is exalted.
Lam 2:3 He has cut off in fierce anger every horn of Israel;
he has drawn back His right hand from before the enemy.
He has blazed against Jacob like a flaming fire devouring all
around.
By examining the verse we see that the altar and its horns
were one. Just as His person and His power are inseparably
connected. There's no limit to Gods power when a sacrifice
is made. Notice what else is taught concerning the horns:
Ex 29:12 "You shall take some of the blood of the bull and
put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all
the blood beside the base of the altar.
There was unlimited power in the blood as it was sprinkled
on the horns. Also because the blood represents life, and
the sacrifice was a substitute, the sinners life would be at
one with God. There was a blood union between the altar,
the horns, and the sinner.
Gods mercy is also seen here. It is important to note that as
well as being a place of sacrifice where the four horns on
the corners were used to tie the animal waiting for sacrifice,
it was also a place of refuge. A man who was falsely
accused of murder could run there for safety and grab hold
of one of these horns. If he were innocent they would
protect him.
Exod 21:12-14 "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall
surely be put to death. However, if he did not lie in wait, but
God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a
place where he may flee. But if a man acts with
premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery,
you shall take him from My altar, that he may die."
One example is with Adonijah. Fearing the rule of the new
King Solomon, his elder brother Adonijah went and grabbed
hold of the altar horns for safety.
1 Ki 1:50 Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose,
and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
Another example is with Joab, David's life-long military
commander:
I King 2:28 Then news came to Joab, for Joab had defected
to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So
Joab fled to the tabernacle of the LORD, and took hold of the
horns of the altar.
The sacrifices were also tied with cords to the horns:
Ps 118:27 God is the LORD, and He has given us light; bind
the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
Its Utensils
Ex 27:3-5 "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.
(1) The Pans to receive the Ashes
- Great care was bestowed upon these ashes.
- They were not taken outside the camp and thrown
anywhere. But only in a clean place.
- They were precious because they spoke of Gods
acceptance.
Ashes
Ashes are also a symbol of complete destruction, that is
why people would sit in ashes and pour ashes on their head,
or clothe themselves in sackcloth and ashes as a sign of
grief and mourning, saying, "God I'm nothing, please help".
Ashes were also for cleansing and purification:
Num 19:17 `And for an unclean person they shall take some
of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and
running water shall be put on them in a vessel.
(2) Shovels
- These were probably used to clear away the ashes from
the altar and place them into the pan.
(3) The Basins
- The priest would catch the blood in a basin and used it for
the sprinkling and for the pouring out at the bottom of the
altar.
(4) Forks
- The fork was an instrument with three prongs and used for
placing the pieces of the offering upon the altar.
1 Sam 2:13 And the priests' custom with the people was that
when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would
come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the
meat was boiling.
(5) Fire pans
- Censers used to carry the fire (coals) from off the altar
into the Holy Place for service at the altar of incense . The
bronze altar sustains the altar of incense.
Lev 16:12 "Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals
of fire from the altar before the LORD, with his hands full of
sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil .
- There was no doubt that the fire pans were used for
carrying the fire on the march.
(6) The Bronze Grating
- There was a grating made of bronze, which seems to have
rested on a ledge inside the altar where the slain animals
were placed, tied to rings and then consumed. It would
allow the fat to drip down and the ashes to fall below.
- The sacrifice therefore was in the altar and not on it.
- The grating was the same height from the ground as the
mercy seat. (Equal mercy and judgement):
Ps 101:1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O
LORD, will I sing. (KJV)
Rom 11:22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of
God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if
you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut
off.
Its Fire
The fire on the altar was originally kindled by God and was
to never be put out:
Lev 9:24 and fire came out from before the LORD and
consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When
all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
Lev 6:12-13 `And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning
on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood
on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it;
and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. `A fire
shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.
Fire
(1) Fire was the symbol of the Lords presence and the
instrument of His power , either in the way of approval or of
destruction:
Ex 14:24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the
LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through
the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the
Egyptians.
Num 11:1 Now when the people complained, it displeased
the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was
aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and
consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.
The Lord appeared in the burning bush and on Mount Sinai:
Ex 3:2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a
flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and
behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not
consumed.
Ex 19:18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke,
because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke
ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole
mountain quaked greatly.
The Lord also showed Himself in the midst of fire to many
such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John. Notice how He will
appear at His second coming:
2 Thes 1:7-9 and to give you who are troubled rest with us
when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His
mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those
who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of His power,
God punishes sin with the fire of His wrath:
Ezek 21:31 I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow
against you with the fire of My wrath, and deliver you into
the hands of brutal men who are skillful to destroy.
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
(2) Fire is also figurative of other things in the Bible:
- The Word of God
Jer 5:14 Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts:
"Because you speak this word, behold, I will make My words
in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour
them.
Jer 23:29 "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "And
like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
- The Holy Spirit
Is 4:4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the
daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from
her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of
burning,
Acts 2:3-4 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues,
as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were
all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
- Angels
Ps 104:4 Who makes His angels spirits, his ministers a
flame of fire.
- Lust
Pro 6:27-28 27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his
clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his
feet not be seared?
- Wickedness
Is 9:18 For wickedness burns as the fire; it shall devour the
briers and thorns, and kindle in the thickets of the forest;
they shall mount up like rising smoke.
- The Tongue
Pro 16:27 An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips
like a burning fire.
Ja 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The
tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole
body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on
fire by hell.
- Hypocrites
Is 50:11 Look, all you who kindle a fire, who encircle
yourselves with sparks: walk in the light of your fire and in
the sparks you have kindled-- this you shall have from My
hand: you shall lie down in torment.
- Persecution
Lk 12:49-53 "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I
wish it were already kindled! "But I have a baptism to be
baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!
"Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell
you, not at all, but rather division. "For from now on five in
one house will be divided: three against two, and two
against three. "Father will be divided against son and son
against father, mother against daughter and daughter
against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
- Judgements
Ezek 39:6 "And I will send fire on Magog and on those who
live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I
am the LORD.
Gen 19:24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on
Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
Is 66:24 "And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses
of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their
worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They
shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."
- Purifications
1 Cor 3:12-15 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with
gold , silver , precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's
work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it
will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's
work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built
on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is
burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet
so as through fire.
There was also to be NO strange fire on the altar
Lev 10:1-3 Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron , each
took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and
offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not
commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and
devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses
said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke, saying: `By
those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and
before all the people I must be glorified.' "So Aaron held his
peace.
Its Staves
The staves were long poles made of Acacia wood overlaid
with bronze. These were used to transport the altar
whenever the camp moved. As the camp moved, it was
covered with badgers' skin and a cloth of purple , and carried
by the priests (Kohathites). The altar was always with them
no matter where they journeyed and even on into their rest
in the promised land. They were strangers and pilgrims in
the desert but the provision through the blood was always
available.
In Ezekiel's temple, which is a picture of Israel's kingdom
age, the altar has no staves or rings (Ezek 43).
Its Holy Character
- The Altar was consecrated (most holy)
Ex 29:44 "So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and
the altar. I will also consecrate both Aaron and his sons to
minister to Me as priests.
Ex 40:10 "You shall anoint the altar of the burnt offering and
all its utensils, and consecrate the altar. The altar shall be
most holy.
- The Altar was anointed with oil
Lev 8:10-11 Then Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed
the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.
He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, anointed
the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its base, to
consecrate them.
- The Altar made the sinner holy
Lev 20:7 `Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I
am the LORD your God.
Num 4:15 "And when Aaron and his sons have finished
covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the
sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of
Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch
any holy thing, lest they die. These are the things in the
tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
- The Altar was only served by the priests (sons of Aaron)
Num 18:2-3 "Also bring with you your brethren of the tribe
of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with
you and serve you while you and your sons are with you
before the tabernacle of witness. They shall attend to your
needs and all the needs of the tabernacle; but they shall not
come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, lest
they die-- they and you also."
- People brought their gifts to the Altar
Matt 5:23-24 23 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there remember that your brother has something
against you, 24 "leave your gift there before the altar, and
go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then
come and offer your gift.
- The Altar sanctified all the gifts
Matt 23:18-19 18 "And, Whoever swears by the altar, it is
nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is
obliged to perform it. 'Fools and blind! For which is greater,
the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
- Nothing unholy or unblemished was to be put on the Altar
Lev 22:22 `Those that are blind or broken or maimed, or
have an ulcer or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the
LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to
the LORD.
Without the altar no sin could be atoned for, nor could there
be worship offered to God. Every morning and evening a
lamb was offered on the altar. On special feast days and
annual rituals the Altar of Burnt Offering would be the focal
point for the various ceremonies.
As for the animals being sacrificed you can look at the
section on The 5 Levitical Offerings but suffice it to say the
animals to be sacrificed could vary from a young bull for the
sin of a priest or the community, a male goat for the sin of
a ruler to a female goat or lamb for one of the common
people. This meant that the altar might be used on behalf of
the whole congregation of Israel or simply to meet the need
of that one individual sinner who had found his way through
the entrance gate and approached it with his unblemished
sacrificial lamb to seek the forgiveness of God. He laid his
hand on the head of the innocent victim to identify himself
with the one who was about to die. Then he killed the
innocent lamb. The death of the lamb took place instead of
the death of the sinful man.
It was the death of a substitute. The sinless must die for
the sinful. The blood of the blameless must be shed so that
the soul of the sinner might be preserved for:
Ezek 18:20-22 "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall
not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt
of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon
himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon
himself. But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he
has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is
lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of
the transgressions which he has committed shall be
remembered against him"
Heb 9:22 "And according to the law almost all things are
purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no
remission."
At that moment the waiting priest took 'some of the blood
of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of
the Altar of Burnt Offering and poured out the rest of the
blood at the base of the altar'
Lev 4:34 'The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin
offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of
burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base
of the altar."
The fat of the animal was removed and burnt by fire on the
altar.
Atonement had been made for the man's sin and he went
on his way forgiven. Because his sin had caused a
separation between him and His God he would make his
way through the camp of Israel, enter through the multi-
colored screen and enter the courtyard, carrying his
sacrificial lamb and presenting himself to the priest as a
man needing forgiveness and then confess his sin. The next
thing he realized was that he must identify himself with his
sacrifice by laying his hand upon the lamb's head. He also
knew that his sin could not be forgiven unless blood was
shed. God had been very specific about that.
Lev 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have
given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your
souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
As the blood of the lamb was shed and the life ebbed from
its body the Israelite had a very real understanding of the
fact that while the soul who sins will die, God had permitted
the death of a lamb in substitution for the death of the
sinner himself.
Lastly, the Israelite exercised faith that having been obedient
to God's stated way of forgiveness, his sin had in fact been
atoned for. God's final words to the people of Israel relating
to this ritual were these:
Lev 4:35 ...So the priest shall make atonement for his sin
that he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.
Accepting God's words by faith, this man returned to his tent
believing that the separation between God and himself had
been removed. But just how it could be removed by the life
of an animal for the life of a human was something he could
not understand. He only knew that he had done what God
had directed.
In the unfolding of God's revelation it later became clear that
the sins of all those who had faithed in the sacrificial
system were bought and paid for by the blood of Christ. Its
like writing a check year after year and cashing in on
forgiveness, but at some point the debt must be paid in full.
The bank of heaven, so to speak, had to make good all
those checks. What was the bank of heaven or better yet,
who is the bank of heaven. Christ the Lamb of God paid the
debt in full. The book of Hebrews makes this very clear:
Heb 10:4-10 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and
goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into
the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not
desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt
offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. Then I
said, 'Behold, I have come-- in the volume of the book it is
written of Me-- to do Your will, O God.' Previously saying,
"Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin
You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are
offered according to the law), then He said, "Behold, I have
come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that
He may establish the second. By that will we have been
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all.
Jesus died on the altar of the cross.
A Type of Christ
Jesus Himself bore the fire of Gods wrath on the altar of the
cross. Jesus said, "No man takes my life from Me but I lay it
down." He chose to go to the place of total abandonment and
humiliation and become a sin offering, the very object of all of
Gods wrath. His followers all scattered, the multitudes yelled,
"crucify Him," the Jewish aristocracy had mocked and
scorned Him, the Roman soldiers laughed at Him, the whole
world shook their heads, and even God had to forsake Him for
that moment. He was consumed with the full intensity of
abandonment so that He could win for Himself a bride and
pay the debt in full. Since the fall of man the fire of Gods
anger had never gone out until Jesus came and willingly
stretched out His arms and said, "It is finished," which was a
Roman victory cry in war. Since the time of Adam, the devil
was handed mans dominion by Adam (Lk 4) because of
Adams love for the woman, and the power of death came into
this world because the wages of sin is death. When Jesus
died, it was the death of an innocent Man because He had
never sinned. When Satan and death slew Jesus it slit its own
throat. Jesus went down and legally took the keys of death
and Hades from the devil and released those that had faithed
in Him for all time. He died that we might live. On the altar of
the cross a great exchange took place. The innocent for the
guilty. He bore our punishment and we bare His innocence
and righteousness. So therefore we have the righteousness of
Christ through faith. This was Gods plan from the beginning.
That He Himself would die for the ones He loves. He suffered
what we deserve to suffer but will never have to.
Heb 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God.
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him,
and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin
of the world!
Heb 13:10 We have an altar from which those who serve the
tabernacle have no right to eat.
Heb 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of
flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same,
that through death He might destroy him who had the power
of death, that is, the devil,
1 Pet 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot.
Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than
the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and
honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for
everyone.
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and
given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet-smelling aroma.
Jn 19:18-19 where they crucified Him, and two others with
Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. Now Pilate
wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was:
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Col 1:20-22 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by
Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having
made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who
once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh
through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and
above reproach in His sight--
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
made of shittim wood overlaid with bronze with horns at
each corner.
'The Bronze Altar' (Ex 27:1-5)
When the common Israelite
approached the tabernacle with
his sacrifice and passed through
that entrance gate he found that
between him and the tabernacle
structure stood an altar with a
priest waiting beside it.
The altar was square in shape
(foursquare). Its length and breadth were exactly the same
as the height of the white linen fence around the court 5
cubits (7 1/2 feet). Its height was 3 cubits (4 1/2 feet) and it
was made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze with horns
at each corner.
Exod 27:1-5 "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. 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.
This was the altar on which the sacrifices were made which
Lev.1:9 describes as a sweet savour to the Lord. This was
where the blood was shed and the sinner was pardoned. No
matter how good a person was, without the shedding of
blood there was no forgiveness. No matter how good a
person was, without the shedding of blood there was no
forgiveness.
Lev 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have
given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your
souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
Apart from the bronze altar there was no approach to God.
In the covenant with Yahweh it was a blood covenant and
therefore the innocent animal represented the sinner and
took his place on the altar. That is why there was the laying
on of the hands upon the innocent sacrifice and then the
violent slicing of the throat. A graphic imagery that would
make your skin crawl which brought an incredible awareness
of the awesomeness of sin, and the payment being death.
Only then could you be accepted and declared clean. The
blood of the animal would cover until God Himself (The
Lamb of God) would come to take sin away once and for all.
The priest would then catch the blood in a basin, and pour
out the blood at the foot of the altar and make the sacrifice
and the sinner would go home forgiven until the next sin.
Sacrifices were made throughout the year but the yearly
sacrifice was made by the high priest himself on the Day of
Atonement (Yom Kippur) once per year for the sins of the
nation.
Its Seven Names
Ex 27:1 "You shall make an altar of acacia wood...
Ex 38:30 And with it he made the sockets for the door of the
tabernacle of meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating
for it, and all the utensils for the altar,
Ex 35:16 `the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating,
its poles , all its utensils, and the laver and its base;
Ex 29:12 "You shall take some of the blood of the bull and
put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all
the blood beside the base of the altar.
Lev 1:5 `He shall kill the bull before the LORD; and the
priests , Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the
blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the
tabernacle of meeting.
Mal 1:7 "You offer defiled food on My altar. But say, `In
what way have we defiled You?' By saying, `The table of the
LORD is contemptible.' (compare with Lev 21:6,22)
Mal 2:13 And this is the second thing you do: you cover the
altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and crying; so He
does not regard the offering anymore, nor receive it with
goodwill from your hands.
Altar
An ancientSize
Now while the English word 'altar' in our translation was
formed from the Latin adjective meaning 'high' this is a late
ecclesiastical derivation and not in any way connected with
the Hebrew meaning. In Hebrew the word is based on a verb
meaning 'to sacrifice' and 'altar' means 'a place where
sacrifice is made'. It speaks of that which is "lifted up". The
sacrifice was lifted up and then down on the bronze grating
by the priest where it remained lifted up from the earth. It
also signifies the sacrifice being lifted up in the form of
smoke to the Lord. Before the tabernacle those who wished
to please God would build an altar and call upon the name
of the LORD:
Gen 4:4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of
their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,
Gen 4:25-26 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a
son and named him Seth , "For God has appointed another
seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed." And as for
Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh.
Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.
Gen 8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of
every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt
offerings on the altar.
Gen 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To
your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an
altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
Gen 12:8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of
Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and
Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called
on the name of the LORD.
Gen 26:25 So he built an altar there and called on the name
of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's
servants dug a well.
Gen 33:20 Then he erected an altar there and called it El
Elohe Israel.
Gen 35:2-3 And Jacob said to his household and to all who
were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among
you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let
us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there
to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has
been with me in the way which I have gone."
Its Size
Ex 27:1 "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.
It is not possible to reproduce exactly the design of the
Altar of Burnt Offering or bronze altar (as it was known) but
a general idea can be gathered from the descriptions in the
text.
- It was foursquare (unlimited)
- It was 5 cubits square (mans inability)
- It was 3 cubits high (Gods provision, fully and completely)
(See Numbers and Scripture)
- Notice that it was the largest vessel (sacrifice makes the
rest possible) The altar was large enough to contain the
rest.
Its Nature
- It was made of acacia wood (indestructible)
- It was overlaid with bronze (judgment)
- It was of the earth (not man-made)
Ex 20:24 `An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you
shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace
offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I
record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you.
- It had no steps (mans nakedness would be exposed)
human works
Ex 20:26 `Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your
nakedness may not be exposed on it.'
Its 4 Horns (Gods unlimited power) (universal)
Ex 27:2 "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.
The Horn
The horn symbolized power.
The horn was always symbolized as the strength of an
animal. Or the power of a person or nation.
Ps 89:17 For You are the glory of their strength, and in Your
favor our horn is exalted.
Lam 2:3 He has cut off in fierce anger every horn of Israel;
he has drawn back His right hand from before the enemy.
He has blazed against Jacob like a flaming fire devouring all
around.
By examining the verse we see that the altar and its horns
were one. Just as His person and His power are inseparably
connected. There's no limit to Gods power when a sacrifice
is made. Notice what else is taught concerning the horns:
Ex 29:12 "You shall take some of the blood of the bull and
put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all
the blood beside the base of the altar.
There was unlimited power in the blood as it was sprinkled
on the horns. Also because the blood represents life, and
the sacrifice was a substitute, the sinners life would be at
one with God. There was a blood union between the altar,
the horns, and the sinner.
Gods mercy is also seen here. It is important to note that as
well as being a place of sacrifice where the four horns on
the corners were used to tie the animal waiting for sacrifice,
it was also a place of refuge. A man who was falsely
accused of murder could run there for safety and grab hold
of one of these horns. If he were innocent they would
protect him.
Exod 21:12-14 "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall
surely be put to death. However, if he did not lie in wait, but
God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a
place where he may flee. But if a man acts with
premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery,
you shall take him from My altar, that he may die."
One example is with Adonijah. Fearing the rule of the new
King Solomon, his elder brother Adonijah went and grabbed
hold of the altar horns for safety.
1 Ki 1:50 Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose,
and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
Another example is with Joab, David's life-long military
commander:
I King 2:28 Then news came to Joab, for Joab had defected
to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So
Joab fled to the tabernacle of the LORD, and took hold of the
horns of the altar.
The sacrifices were also tied with cords to the horns:
Ps 118:27 God is the LORD, and He has given us light; bind
the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
Its Utensils
Ex 27:3-5 "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.
(1) The Pans to receive the Ashes
- Great care was bestowed upon these ashes.
- They were not taken outside the camp and thrown
anywhere. But only in a clean place.
- They were precious because they spoke of Gods
acceptance.
Ashes
Ashes are also a symbol of complete destruction, that is
why people would sit in ashes and pour ashes on their head,
or clothe themselves in sackcloth and ashes as a sign of
grief and mourning, saying, "God I'm nothing, please help".
Ashes were also for cleansing and purification:
Num 19:17 `And for an unclean person they shall take some
of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and
running water shall be put on them in a vessel.
(2) Shovels
- These were probably used to clear away the ashes from
the altar and place them into the pan.
(3) The Basins
- The priest would catch the blood in a basin and used it for
the sprinkling and for the pouring out at the bottom of the
altar.
(4) Forks
- The fork was an instrument with three prongs and used for
placing the pieces of the offering upon the altar.
1 Sam 2:13 And the priests' custom with the people was that
when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would
come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the
meat was boiling.
(5) Fire pans
- Censers used to carry the fire (coals) from off the altar
into the Holy Place for service at the altar of incense . The
bronze altar sustains the altar of incense.
Lev 16:12 "Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals
of fire from the altar before the LORD, with his hands full of
sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil .
- There was no doubt that the fire pans were used for
carrying the fire on the march.
(6) The Bronze Grating
- There was a grating made of bronze, which seems to have
rested on a ledge inside the altar where the slain animals
were placed, tied to rings and then consumed. It would
allow the fat to drip down and the ashes to fall below.
- The sacrifice therefore was in the altar and not on it.
- The grating was the same height from the ground as the
mercy seat. (Equal mercy and judgement):
Ps 101:1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O
LORD, will I sing. (KJV)
Rom 11:22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of
God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if
you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut
off.
Its Fire
The fire on the altar was originally kindled by God and was
to never be put out:
Lev 9:24 and fire came out from before the LORD and
consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When
all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
Lev 6:12-13 `And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning
on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood
on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it;
and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. `A fire
shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.
Fire
(1) Fire was the symbol of the Lords presence and the
instrument of His power , either in the way of approval or of
destruction:
Ex 14:24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the
LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through
the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the
Egyptians.
Num 11:1 Now when the people complained, it displeased
the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was
aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and
consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.
The Lord appeared in the burning bush and on Mount Sinai:
Ex 3:2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a
flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and
behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not
consumed.
Ex 19:18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke,
because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke
ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole
mountain quaked greatly.
The Lord also showed Himself in the midst of fire to many
such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John. Notice how He will
appear at His second coming:
2 Thes 1:7-9 and to give you who are troubled rest with us
when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His
mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those
who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of His power,
God punishes sin with the fire of His wrath:
Ezek 21:31 I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow
against you with the fire of My wrath, and deliver you into
the hands of brutal men who are skillful to destroy.
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
(2) Fire is also figurative of other things in the Bible:
- The Word of God
Jer 5:14 Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts:
"Because you speak this word, behold, I will make My words
in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour
them.
Jer 23:29 "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "And
like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
- The Holy Spirit
Is 4:4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the
daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from
her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of
burning,
Acts 2:3-4 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues,
as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were
all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
- Angels
Ps 104:4 Who makes His angels spirits, his ministers a
flame of fire.
- Lust
Pro 6:27-28 27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his
clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his
feet not be seared?
- Wickedness
Is 9:18 For wickedness burns as the fire; it shall devour the
briers and thorns, and kindle in the thickets of the forest;
they shall mount up like rising smoke.
- The Tongue
Pro 16:27 An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips
like a burning fire.
Ja 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The
tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole
body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on
fire by hell.
- Hypocrites
Is 50:11 Look, all you who kindle a fire, who encircle
yourselves with sparks: walk in the light of your fire and in
the sparks you have kindled-- this you shall have from My
hand: you shall lie down in torment.
- Persecution
Lk 12:49-53 "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I
wish it were already kindled! "But I have a baptism to be
baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!
"Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell
you, not at all, but rather division. "For from now on five in
one house will be divided: three against two, and two
against three. "Father will be divided against son and son
against father, mother against daughter and daughter
against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
- Judgements
Ezek 39:6 "And I will send fire on Magog and on those who
live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I
am the LORD.
Gen 19:24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on
Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
Is 66:24 "And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses
of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their
worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They
shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."
- Purifications
1 Cor 3:12-15 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with
gold , silver , precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's
work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it
will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's
work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built
on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is
burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet
so as through fire.
There was also to be NO strange fire on the altar
Lev 10:1-3 Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron , each
took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and
offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not
commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and
devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses
said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke, saying: `By
those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and
before all the people I must be glorified.' "So Aaron held his
peace.
Its Staves
The staves were long poles made of Acacia wood overlaid
with bronze. These were used to transport the altar
whenever the camp moved. As the camp moved, it was
covered with badgers' skin and a cloth of purple , and carried
by the priests (Kohathites). The altar was always with them
no matter where they journeyed and even on into their rest
in the promised land. They were strangers and pilgrims in
the desert but the provision through the blood was always
available.
In Ezekiel's temple, which is a picture of Israel's kingdom
age, the altar has no staves or rings (Ezek 43).
Its Holy Character
- The Altar was consecrated (most holy)
Ex 29:44 "So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and
the altar. I will also consecrate both Aaron and his sons to
minister to Me as priests.
Ex 40:10 "You shall anoint the altar of the burnt offering and
all its utensils, and consecrate the altar. The altar shall be
most holy.
- The Altar was anointed with oil
Lev 8:10-11 Then Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed
the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.
He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, anointed
the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its base, to
consecrate them.
- The Altar made the sinner holy
Lev 20:7 `Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I
am the LORD your God.
Num 4:15 "And when Aaron and his sons have finished
covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the
sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of
Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch
any holy thing, lest they die. These are the things in the
tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.
- The Altar was only served by the priests (sons of Aaron)
Num 18:2-3 "Also bring with you your brethren of the tribe
of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with
you and serve you while you and your sons are with you
before the tabernacle of witness. They shall attend to your
needs and all the needs of the tabernacle; but they shall not
come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, lest
they die-- they and you also."
- People brought their gifts to the Altar
Matt 5:23-24 23 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there remember that your brother has something
against you, 24 "leave your gift there before the altar, and
go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then
come and offer your gift.
- The Altar sanctified all the gifts
Matt 23:18-19 18 "And, Whoever swears by the altar, it is
nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is
obliged to perform it. 'Fools and blind! For which is greater,
the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
- Nothing unholy or unblemished was to be put on the Altar
Lev 22:22 `Those that are blind or broken or maimed, or
have an ulcer or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the
LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to
the LORD.
Without the altar no sin could be atoned for, nor could there
be worship offered to God. Every morning and evening a
lamb was offered on the altar. On special feast days and
annual rituals the Altar of Burnt Offering would be the focal
point for the various ceremonies.
As for the animals being sacrificed you can look at the
section on The 5 Levitical Offerings but suffice it to say the
animals to be sacrificed could vary from a young bull for the
sin of a priest or the community, a male goat for the sin of
a ruler to a female goat or lamb for one of the common
people. This meant that the altar might be used on behalf of
the whole congregation of Israel or simply to meet the need
of that one individual sinner who had found his way through
the entrance gate and approached it with his unblemished
sacrificial lamb to seek the forgiveness of God. He laid his
hand on the head of the innocent victim to identify himself
with the one who was about to die. Then he killed the
innocent lamb. The death of the lamb took place instead of
the death of the sinful man.
It was the death of a substitute. The sinless must die for
the sinful. The blood of the blameless must be shed so that
the soul of the sinner might be preserved for:
Ezek 18:20-22 "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall
not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt
of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon
himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon
himself. But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he
has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is
lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of
the transgressions which he has committed shall be
remembered against him"
Heb 9:22 "And according to the law almost all things are
purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no
remission."
At that moment the waiting priest took 'some of the blood
of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of
the Altar of Burnt Offering and poured out the rest of the
blood at the base of the altar'
Lev 4:34 'The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin
offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of
burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base
of the altar."
The fat of the animal was removed and burnt by fire on the
altar.
Atonement had been made for the man's sin and he went
on his way forgiven. Because his sin had caused a
separation between him and His God he would make his
way through the camp of Israel, enter through the multi-
colored screen and enter the courtyard, carrying his
sacrificial lamb and presenting himself to the priest as a
man needing forgiveness and then confess his sin. The next
thing he realized was that he must identify himself with his
sacrifice by laying his hand upon the lamb's head. He also
knew that his sin could not be forgiven unless blood was
shed. God had been very specific about that.
Lev 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have
given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your
souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
As the blood of the lamb was shed and the life ebbed from
its body the Israelite had a very real understanding of the
fact that while the soul who sins will die, God had permitted
the death of a lamb in substitution for the death of the
sinner himself.
Lastly, the Israelite exercised faith that having been obedient
to God's stated way of forgiveness, his sin had in fact been
atoned for. God's final words to the people of Israel relating
to this ritual were these:
Lev 4:35 ...So the priest shall make atonement for his sin
that he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.
Accepting God's words by faith, this man returned to his tent
believing that the separation between God and himself had
been removed. But just how it could be removed by the life
of an animal for the life of a human was something he could
not understand. He only knew that he had done what God
had directed.
In the unfolding of God's revelation it later became clear that
the sins of all those who had faithed in the sacrificial
system were bought and paid for by the blood of Christ. Its
like writing a check year after year and cashing in on
forgiveness, but at some point the debt must be paid in full.
The bank of heaven, so to speak, had to make good all
those checks. What was the bank of heaven or better yet,
who is the bank of heaven. Christ the Lamb of God paid the
debt in full. The book of Hebrews makes this very clear:
Heb 10:4-10 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and
goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into
the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not
desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt
offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. Then I
said, 'Behold, I have come-- in the volume of the book it is
written of Me-- to do Your will, O God.' Previously saying,
"Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin
You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are
offered according to the law), then He said, "Behold, I have
come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that
He may establish the second. By that will we have been
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all.
Jesus died on the altar of the cross.
A Type of Christ
Jesus Himself bore the fire of Gods wrath on the altar of the
cross. Jesus said, "No man takes my life from Me but I lay it
down." He chose to go to the place of total abandonment and
humiliation and become a sin offering, the very object of all of
Gods wrath. His followers all scattered, the multitudes yelled,
"crucify Him," the Jewish aristocracy had mocked and
scorned Him, the Roman soldiers laughed at Him, the whole
world shook their heads, and even God had to forsake Him for
that moment. He was consumed with the full intensity of
abandonment so that He could win for Himself a bride and
pay the debt in full. Since the fall of man the fire of Gods
anger had never gone out until Jesus came and willingly
stretched out His arms and said, "It is finished," which was a
Roman victory cry in war. Since the time of Adam, the devil
was handed mans dominion by Adam (Lk 4) because of
Adams love for the woman, and the power of death came into
this world because the wages of sin is death. When Jesus
died, it was the death of an innocent Man because He had
never sinned. When Satan and death slew Jesus it slit its own
throat. Jesus went down and legally took the keys of death
and Hades from the devil and released those that had faithed
in Him for all time. He died that we might live. On the altar of
the cross a great exchange took place. The innocent for the
guilty. He bore our punishment and we bare His innocence
and righteousness. So therefore we have the righteousness of
Christ through faith. This was Gods plan from the beginning.
That He Himself would die for the ones He loves. He suffered
what we deserve to suffer but will never have to.
Heb 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God.
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him,
and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin
of the world!
Heb 13:10 We have an altar from which those who serve the
tabernacle have no right to eat.
Heb 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of
flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same,
that through death He might destroy him who had the power
of death, that is, the devil,
1 Pet 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot.
Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than
the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and
honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for
everyone.
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and
given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet-smelling aroma.
Jn 19:18-19 where they crucified Him, and two others with
Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. Now Pilate
wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was:
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Col 1:20-22 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by
Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having
made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who
once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh
through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and
above reproach in His sight--
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Comments
Post a Comment