Exodus 27:1-8 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.
Once again, I’m amazed in what little information is presented here and what vague a picture is set forth. One can easily research and find pictures to explain what the brasen altar looked like. Many look the same. No explanation is given. It seems as if people just copy a copy of a copy. So let’s do our own investigating.
The Size
(Exodus 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. A cubit 18 inches long means that the altar was a box 7 1/2 ft long by 7 1/2 ft wide by 4 1/2 ft tall. That’s pretty tall. That’s eye level for the average person. So that demands an answer to the question of how did they get a bullock up on that altar? Being a priest was not just sprinkling some blood and burning some incense. No. It was real work. That’s why they had to rotate the priests. That’s why there were age limits to the priesthood (Numbers 8:24) This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: They had to be at least twenty-five years of age. A man was required. But they couldn’t be past fifty years of age. An able man was also required. Once you’re fifty, you can’t do what you used to.
So how did they lift that animal over the ledge of that altar 4 1/2 ft tall? Can I say this? (John 12:32) And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. It must have taken many men to lift upright a full grown man nailed to a cross. So just a strong soldiers worked together to lift up the Lord Jesus Christ, so must have the priest been strong and worked together to heave that beast upon the altar. Think about the sweaty, bloody, stinky work that the priests had to do. (Revelation 1:6) And hath made us kings and priests unto God… (1 Peter 2:9) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood..
You say, Well, we don’t have to throw a beast on the altar anymore. Do we not? (1 Peter 2:5) Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. I believe Paul said, (Romans 12:1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. That’s hard work, buddy. Most people shirk it.
They may have built a ramp out of the ground or other materials. But they may have not. Remember this was a mobile brasen altar. Using the ground would be alot of work that mysteriously wasn’t mentioned. What if there was no dirt, just rock? They may have built ramps out of wood. But as I said, there’s no mention of that in the bible. So I think it safe to assume that there were no additional pieces of furniture in the tabernacle by the altar. And that every sacrifice, by the sweaty, bloody, stinky work of the priests, was heaved upon that altar, 4 1/2 feet tall.
The Horns
(Exodus 27:2) 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. So what are the horns used for? Decoration? I think not. Listen to this: (Psalm 118:27) God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. A Western saddle has something on it that European saddles don’t; a horn. This horn has one purpose and that is to hold down them doggies. Most people just use it to hold on to it so they don’t fall off. But that is not the purpose. It’s an anchor used by the cowboy while he’s roping and working cattle and other animals to hold and pull.
I would think that the animals that were about to be slain were tied to the horns of the altar; parked there so to speak. It makes sense. Try killing an animal that’s not tied down. The bible says (Exodus 29:11) And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So the altar must have been very close to the door of the tabernacle in order to tie the animals there. (Leviticus 4:7) And the priest 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. So the altar is right there at the door and these horns were used to stay the animals as they were being slaughtered.
Look at this from the eyes of the sacrifice. His owner would walk beside him with a rope in his hand. That rope was tied around his neck. He would see his owner beside him as he walked through the door of the tabernacle and his hand go forth with the rope in it. He’d see the priest and the priest’s hand would come forth and grab the rope. And as he tied it to the horn of the alter, the owner would walk away never to be seen again. He’d see the knife in the priest’s hand. He’d try to pull away but to no avail because his neck was tied to the horn of the altar. Anything that was bound to the horns would die.
There was a purpose for the horns being on the corners of the altar, just like there is a purpose for the horn on your saddle. This gives meaning to the acts of Joab. It was finally his time to die. I think that Joab, to the end, asserted and proclaimed his innocence, and the guilt of Absalom, Abner and Amasa in whom he killed. He believed he was justified in his acts. And he was going to die not for his sin, but for the sin of others. (1 Kings 2:28) And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. (1 Kings 2:30) And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. He may have disagreed with David and Solomon, but he agreed with God that it was time to die when he took hold of those horns of the altar. He knew one way or the other, that the wages of sin was upon him and that death would be his lot. Anything that was bound to the horns would die.
The Instruments
Exodus 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. And here we have the tools of the trade: pans, shovels, basons, and hooks. Again, not a lot of description. So the blacksmith seemed free to create what he chose. Only two things were required. One, that they be made of brass. And two, that all five of these must be made. All five of these tools were necessary in the work of the Tabernacle. God would not have asked them to make tools that they weren’t most undoubtedly going to use.
This makes me wonder how many tools has God given us that remain unused; that just lie there dormant, untouched and unpracticed. These are the instruments of sacrifice. I wonder if there is much difference between the soldier and the priest. I mean both’s job is to slay, is it not? (Ephesians 6:13-18) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God… truth… the breastplate of righteousness… the preparation of the gospel… the shield of faith… the helmet of salvation… the sword of the Spirit… all prayer and supplication…
It makes me think of (Romans 6:13) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. That’s what these vessels of brass were: instruments of righteousness. The brasen altar was the place where the righteousness of God was fulfilled and carried out. And God says that our bodies should be the instruments of righteousness. (1 Corinthians 6:20) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
It makes me think of Pontious Pilate, the Roman soldiers, Judas, Joseph of Arimathaea, and all the Jews that God used as instruments to carry out his perfect sacrifice once and for all. (Romans 11:11) I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles. There may be alot more in these instruments and tools that we see at first glance. We might have to study that one on it’s own.
The Grate
(Exodus 27:4-5) 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. Now this is really where things get confusing for me. Now the grate is like a huge barbeque grill made of brass. This had to be where the animal was lain. Some people say that the wood was lain on the grate and the ashes would fall through. Most pictures of the brasen altar show a big box with a grate inside. That’s a problem for me. Because God said clearly to put it under the compass of the altar beneath. The compass is edge or ledge of the altar. And the midst of the altar is generally accepted to the the middle of the altar or half-way down the altar. And that makes sense being that it is beneath the ledge. But for it to look like a box with the grate inside doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Under and inside to me look different.
Now here are some other questions about this: How did they collect the ashes of the sacrifice? Did they just burn and fall into the fire through the grate, and the ashes that were collected were simply the pieces that didn’t fall through? How did they work the fire? Was there an opening underneath? A door? I would assume they needed much air to burn stuff quickly. These things are not really discussed in the bible. So let’s move on to the staves so I can share what I think.
The Staves
(Exodus 27:6-7) 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. Now this is where most of the problems come for me. The only rings that are mentioned in which to put the staves through would be the rings that were on the four corners of the grate. So if the grate was inside the altar as most pictures depict, then how in the world did they get those staves through there?
So this brings me to what I think. I picture the brasen altar to be a two-part work. The grate being the bottom half and the compass being the top half. The grate was a brass structure that stood 1 1/2 cubits tall and the top of it was a net of brass. And the sides were also a net of brass to let the air get through, but in them there must have been doors and things like that in order to access the fire. I would think that more delicate things like doors and hinges that needed to last would have been better made from brass. So it makes sense that the bottom half would have been a brass framework holding a woven lattice type grating with doors integrated in there to access the wood and fire. The rings at the four corners of this grate structure were used to bear altar; for the compass rested on top of this structure. If you picked up the grate, you picked up the compass with the horns which was made of shittim wood overlaid with brass. So in this picture that I found, that is exactly what is depicted. Mind you, most pictures don’t look like this. You can’t see the net in the picture where the sacrifice would lie, but it is assumed that it is at the top of the brass lattice work which is half-way up the altar. It’s underneath the compass. And the rings are showing a little high for my taste, but you can see how it is possible to be attached to the grate, yet still bear the entire altar. This picture makes sense to me.
Conclusion
I don’t have a lot of application today. I just really wanted to get a better picture of what the altar looked like. I hope this got you thinking. And the last verse: (Exodus 27:8) Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it. That word hollow is what stands out of course. That means it was empty. It was a big empty, hollow altar; ready for wood, fire, and sacrifice. His intention was that it be filled. It was filled in salvation. God provided a lamb. (2 Corinthians 5:21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. But now we have an empty cross in that Christ rose from the dead. But he now invites us (Mark 10:21) Take up the cross, and follow me. The altar is empty again and it’s God intention that it be filled. However, (Hebrews 10:26) There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. I can’t help but think of Job. After he had done all the sacrificing he was going to do and there was no more sacrificing to be done, the Bible says (Job 2:8) He sat down among the ashes.
Here I have built my altar,
The wood I’ve placed in order;
The sacrifice is ready now,
Send thou, O Lord, the Fire.
Evan Roberts
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