Exodus 27 - Outline of Exodus (Book Notes menu page)

Refer to the Diagram of the Tabernacle (opens in a new tab) in this study.
The Brazen Altar (v.1-8) -
27:1 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.
27:2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof:
his horns shall be of the same {ie., of shittim wood}:
and thou shalt overlay it with brass.
27:3 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.
27:4 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.
27:5 And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath,
that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.
27:6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar,
staves [of] shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.
27:7 And the staves shall be put into the rings,
and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.
27:8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it:
as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make [it].
  The Brazen Altar of Sacrifice was...
  - made of wood overlaid with brass.-
    The furniture of the Holy Places was overlaid with gold.
    The furniture of the outer court was overlaid with brass.
    Both speak of Christ (cp. Rev 1:13,15)...
    - The acacia wood speaks of His human nature without corruption.
    - The gold speaks of His deity in glorious holiness.
    - The brass speaks of His deity in righteous judgment (cp. Num 21:9; Joh 3:14; 12:31-33).
  - made hollow with boards (v.8),
    with a grate, spanning the space inside, and mounted at the midpoint of its interior height (v.4,5).-
      Upon the grate, the sacrifice would be consumed by fire, which was contained within the walls of the altar. Ashes would fall through the grate, to be removed by the priests afterward. The fire within the altar was to burn continually, depicting God's holiness as a fire which continually burns against sin, and which is continually available to purge the sin of the repentant sinner. Lev 6:8-13; Ex 29:38-42; Joh 1:29
  - located just inside the Gate.-
    Sin must be judged and purged, before a man can have access to the holy God.
      No man can approach...
      1. on the basis of good works or self-righteousness (Isa 64:6).
      The altar had no steps for self-improvement (Ex 20:26).
  - on the basis of the Law:
      All are condemned. Rom 3:10-20
      God's righteous judgment must be satisfied. Ezek 18:4; Rom 6:23a
      But no sinner can survive the payment of that penalty. Psa 49:6-9
  The only way to be accepted before God is...
  - on the basis of Grace:
  A sinless substitute must bear the sentence of death for the sinner,
  to whom righteousness can then be imputed by faith. Joh 1:29; 3:14-18,36; Rom 3:21-26
  - The blood, that made atonement at the Mercy-seat,
  must first be shed at the Brazen Altar.
- The "horns" of the Altar (v.2) speak of...
    the power of the salvation which God has provided,
    by which sinners can be delivered from the power of His wrath against sin. cp. Rom 1:16-18
  In the Brazen Altar, Christ is depicted as...
  1. the Sacrifice for sin -
    who took upon Himself the sinner's guilt and penalty, to satisfy God's righteous judgment. 1Pet 1:18-21; 2:24
    [Note: Additional aspects, of our Lord's offering of Himself, are depicted in several distinct types of sacrifices (described in Leviticus ch.1-7, and explained briefly in the separate study: Christ in the Tabernacle, Chapter 5 - The Offerings).]
- the Altar of Brass -
    in whom the consuming fire of God's wrath destroyed the power of sin and death.
    Only the God-man could endure that heat. Isa 33:14; Heb 12:2,29; 1:3; 2:14,15; Joh 12:31

The Court of the Tabernacle (v.9-19) -
27:9 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:
27:10 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.
27:11 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.
27:12 And [for] the breadth of the court
on the west side [shall be] hangings of fifty cubits:
their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
27:13 And the breadth of the court
on the east side eastward [shall be] fifty cubits.
27:14 The hangings of one side [of the gate shall be] fifteen cubits:
their pillars three, and their sockets three.
27:15 And on the other side [shall be] hangings fifteen [cubits]:
their pillars three, and their sockets three.
27:16 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.
27:17 All the pillars round about the court [shall be] filleted with silver;
their hooks [shall be of] silver, and their sockets [of] brass.
27:18 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.
27:19 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 Court and its Gate -
  - The hangings {HB= qela', screen} of the Court -
    - Its design -
    The court surrounding the Tabernacle was separated from the outside world by a fence (about eight feet high) made of white linen curtains. On the east end of the court, there was a gap in this fence, which was filled by the curtain of the Gate, which provided the only entrance.
  - Its materials -
    - Fine twined linen... brass pillars - These speak of God's righteousness and judgment.
        We cannot enter into His presence and live, because we cannot meet His righteous requirements. cp. Luk 10:25-28; Rom 7:18,19
    - Silver hooks {clasps attaching the fabric to the pillars} and fillets {ornamentation on the pillar tops}.
        In Scripture, silver is associated with redemption (eg., Ex 30:11-16; 38:25-28). Thus, these fixtures, on the barrier which excludes the sinner, hint that redemption is possible.
        As we saw, in Ex 26:15-25, the boards of the Tabernacle (representing believers joined to Christ in His glory) stand upon sockets of silver, separated from the world by the redemption which He accomplished for us.
        The price of redemption is not beyond the reach of any man, for it has been paid by Another (1Pet 1:18,19).
  - The hangings {HB= macak, veil, curtain} of the Gate -
    - Note that different words are used for the 'hangings' of the Court versus of the Gate.
        The hangings of the Court prevent access. The hangings of the Gate allow entrance to all who come by the way which God has provided in Christ. Heb 7:25
    - Its colors speak of Christ. It hung upon four pillars (corresponding to the four Gospels).
      - Blue - the Heavenly One,
          the Son of God (the theme of John's gospel).
      - Purple - the Royal One,
          the King of Israel (the theme of Matthew's gospel).
      - Scarlet - the Suffering One,
          the Man of Sorrows (the theme of Luke's gospel).
      - Fine Linen - the Righteous One,
          the Faithful Servant (the theme of Mark's gospel).
    - Provided the one way of access.
        All who would enter God's presence, must come by way of the Gate. Joh 10:9; 14:6
        Whoever would enter is immediately confronted with the Brazen Altar, where sin must be confessed and judged.
The Oil for the Lamp (v.20-21) -
27:20 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.
27:21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail,
which [is] before the testimony {ie., the Ark of the Covenant},
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.
  pure olive oil beaten {or, crushed} for the light -
    It is more than coincidental that 'pure oil from crushed olives' is mentioned in context with the Gate and the Altar of Sacrifice. It speaks of Gethsemane {lit., 'the olive press'} and of Jesus' agony as He prepared to make the Way for us, through offering Himself on the cross. Mat 26:36-44; Luke 22:39-46; Joh 12:27,28; cp. 14:1-6

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