What is the bronze altar in this passage and what was it used for?

The bronze altar was a square altar made of acacia wood covered with bronze, with horns on its four corners. It stood in the court in front of the tabernacle. On this altar the priests offered burnt offerings and other sacrifices that the people brought to God. The fire and the grate inside allowed the sacrifice to be fully burned. This showed that sin needed atonement and that a life had to be given in the place of the sinner. It was the main place where Israel’s offerings were given to God.

What is the meaning of the horns on the corners of the altar?

The altar had four horns, one on each corner, made of the same wood and covered with bronze. These horns were both decorative and practical. Sacrifices could be bound to them, which showed that the offering was firmly given to God. Later, people in danger would flee to these horns seeking mercy, so they also picture strength and refuge. The four horns at the corners have been seen as pointing to how God’s saving help reaches in every direction and gives safety to those who come to him in the way he has provided.

Why was the court of the tabernacle surrounded by linen hangings and pillars?

The court was an open area around the tabernacle, enclosed by fine linen hangings hung on bronze pillars with silver hooks and bands. This set the place of worship apart from the rest of the camp. The white linen pointed to purity, and the strong pillars showed stability. Ordinary Israelites could come into this court but not into the tent itself, where only priests served. This layout taught that God is holy, that people are separated from him because of sin, yet he still invites them to draw near through the way he provides.

What was special about the gate of the court and its curtain?

The east side of the court had a gate marked by a special hanging about twenty cubits wide. This curtain was made of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, worked with needlework, and was held up by four pillars. It was more beautiful than the other hangings, showing that entry into God’s presence is not casual. There was only one opening into the court, so everyone came in the same way. This pictured that access to God is not by any path people choose, but by the way he himself sets, through sacrifice and through the mediator he appoints.

Why did God require pure olive oil beaten for the light?

The people were told to bring pure beaten olive oil so the lamp could burn always. The oil had to be clear and not mixed with waste, showing that what is offered to God should be the best and not polluted. This oil also pictures the work of God’s Spirit, who gives light and life to his people. Without this pure oil, the lamp would go out. In the same way, without God’s Spirit and his grace, there would be no true light in his worship or in the hearts of those who serve him.

What was Aaron’s role with the lamp that burned from evening to morning?

Aaron and his sons were responsible to tend the lamp in the tent of meeting, outside the inner veil in front of the testimony. They were to order it from evening to morning before the LORD. This meant trimming the lamps, adding oil, and making sure the light never went out at night. It was part of their regular service, a lasting statute for their generations. Their work showed that God wanted a continual witness of his presence among his people, and that spiritual light in his house should be cared for and not neglected.

How does the bronze altar point forward to Jesus and his sacrifice?

The bronze altar, where animals were burned for the sins of the people, points ahead to Jesus giving himself for sinners. The wood covered with bronze hints at a human nature that is upheld and not consumed by the fire of judgment. The whole burnt offering pictured a life fully given to God. In the same way, Jesus offered himself completely, bearing God’s anger against sin in place of his people. Because of his one perfect sacrifice, those who trust in him can draw near to God without bringing animal offerings.

What does this passage teach about God’s holiness and the way to approach him?

The careful design of the altar, the court, and the lamp shows that people cannot approach God in any way they choose. There is a set place for sacrifice, a boundary around the holy things, and a light that must keep burning. All of this teaches that God is holy and pure, and that sin must be dealt with before people can come near. At the same time, God himself provides the altar, the court, and the light. He makes a way for sinners to approach him through sacrifice, cleansing, and the light he gives.

How can the instructions about the lamp and the altar apply to believers today?

These details about the altar and the lamp are from a very different time, but they still speak to us. The altar reminds us that we can only come to God through the sacrifice of Jesus, not by our own efforts. The pure oil and the constant light remind us that our worship should be sincere and that we need God’s Spirit to keep our faith burning. Just as the priests tended the lamp daily, believers are called to keep close to God through his word and prayer, so that their lives give steady light in a dark world.

Exod.27.1

Exodus 27:1

KJV GOD

And 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.

The Bronze Altar

1 And 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.

2 And 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.

3 And 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.

4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.

5 And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.

6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.

7 And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.

8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

The Courtyard

9 ¶ And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:

10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.

11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

12 ¶ And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.

13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.

14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

15 And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

16 ¶ And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.

17 All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.

18 ¶ The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.

19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

The Oil for the Lamps

20 ¶ And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.