Reflections of Christ in the Tabernacle
Chapter X
The Brazen Altar, Part I
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.
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.
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 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.
And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. (Exodus 27:1-5)
The ark of the covenant, the altar of incense, the table of shewbread, the boards of the tabernacle, and the brazen altar were all made with acacia wood; however, in the brazen altar we see the acacia wood in a different aspect. The wood is covered with brass, or some say, ‘copper of a special strength.’ The brass speaks to us of God’s righteousness, and the justification of the sinner through His righteousness. This altar was used for the burnt offerings, and at times endured intense heat from the fire. So to, the Lord Jesus Christ went through great judgment for us. The fire of our judgment was placed upon Him.
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of all the people. (Psalm 22:6) This was said of the coming Messiah approximately 1000 years before the event described by Psalm 22.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. (Psalm 22:14-21)
They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me.
God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked.
I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark.
His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground.
He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant.
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust.
My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death;
Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure.
O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.
Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. (Job 16:10-19)
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:10)
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. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Fire could not consume this acacia wood because the wood was covered with brass just as the righteousness and holiness of God covered Christ. Christ was like the acacia wood that grew in the desert area of Sinai. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. (Isaiah 53:2) Christ came to a people who were blind, deaf, and dead spiritually to God. Israel had forsaken Jehovah, and rejected His Christ. Yet, in His rejection of both Israel and the world, He manifested the brightness of God’s glory. There is much more to learn from this acacia wood, but I ask you to study and seek all the shadows of Christ in this wonderful picture of Christ. Now, let’s move on to the brass of the brazen altar.
In the brass or copper, or bronze, we see God upholding His righteousness in judgment. In the fire and sacrifice of the sin offering we see our sin imputed to God’s righteous servant.
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. (Jeremiah 23:5)
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jeremiah 23:6)
This Branch in Jeremiah is, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ. The ‘brass’ and the ‘gold’ both speak of God’s righteousness; however, there is a distinction between these two metals. Gold speaks of Him in all His glory over all things; the outward manifestation of the righteousness in all His attributes. Righteousness is God, and God is righteous. Brass, however, speaks of God’s righteous dealings with man in his lost state. The brass manifests righteous judgment, and a place of justification. God not only declares His judgment, but He also provides the sacrifice, and this sacrifice is our Lord Jesus Christ.
The altar was foursquare, five cubits by five cubits. This shows God’s consistency in His Being. There is no shadow of turning in Him. He is lights and perfection. Acts 10:34 tells us that God is not a respecter of persons in salvation, Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. All may come to salvation, yet because man is a responsible being, man must come by God’s way which is through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, or forever suffer the penalty of the lake of fire under the same righteous judgment of a righteous God. For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29; John 3:36) This was written to inform us that God’s righteousness must be satisfied, and God puts out to us His nail pierced hands of justification.
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; (Romans 4:23)
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; (Romans 4:24)
Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25)
The altar was 3 cubits high, about the height of a five foot man. We think of resurrection whenever we think of the number 3. Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. (John 2:19) The Lord spoke here of His approaching death and resurrection. The horns of the altar were made of brass, and were symbols of strength and power. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)
Reviewing the brazen altar we see:
1. Death in the sacrifice, imputing our sin on Him, and imputing His righteousness unto us.
2. The humanity of Christ in the acacia wood.
3. The work of justification through an all righteous God in the brass.
4. In the equal sides, we have a God that changes not. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
5. In the height of the brazen altar we have the 3 cubits, and the witness of the glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
© Copyright 2007, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. “Freely ye have received, freely give”
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)