Key Verses: Exodus 27:1, 27:8, 27:20
The instructions move outward to the courtyard. First is the bronze altar of burnt offering, made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze, square with a horn projecting from each of its four corners, and equipped with pots, shovels, basins, forks, and fire pans, all of bronze. It is hollow, made with boards, and fitted with rings and poles for carrying. Next is the court of the tabernacle, an enclosure a hundred cubits long, formed by hangings of fine twined linen on pillars set in bronze bases, with silver hooks and fillets, and a screen of embroidered blue, purple, and scarlet for the gate. Finally, God commands Israel to bring pure beaten olive oil for the lamp, so that Aaron and his sons may tend it to burn continually from evening until morning before the LORD, a statute forever throughout their generations.
The great bronze altar stands at the entrance, teaching that no one comes into God’s presence except by way of sacrifice and shed blood, a truth pointing straight to the cross where Christ, our burnt offering, gave Himself wholly to God for us. Its horns, to which sacrifices were bound and to which fugitives clung for refuge, picture the atoning power and mercy found only at the place of sacrifice. The single gate into the court foreshadows Jesus’ words, “I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved” (John 10:9), for there is one way of approach to God. The continually burning lamp, fed by the people’s pure oil, speaks of the unceasing light of God’s presence and prefigures Christ the light of the world and the Spirit-filled witness of His church, called to let its light shine and never go out. Approach, atonement, and light: all that meets us in this courtyard finds its fulfillment in Jesus.
Key Terms & Words:
- מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbeach) - Exodus 27:1 - “Altar”; the place of burnt sacrifice at the entrance, foreshadowing Christ’s self-offering on the cross
- קְרָנֹת (qarnot) - Exodus 27:2 - “Horns”; the projections of the altar signifying its atoning power and place of refuge
- שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ (shemen zayit zakh) - Exodus 27:20 - “Pure olive oil”; the fuel for the continual lamp, symbol of the Spirit and unceasing light of God’s presence
Cross-References:
- Hebrews 13:10-12 - We have an altar; Christ suffered to sanctify the people by His blood
- John 10:9 - Jesus the one door of entrance
- Ephesians 5:2 - Christ gave Himself as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God
- Leviticus 6:12-13 - The fire on the altar to be kept burning continually
- Matthew 5:14-16 - Let your light shine before others
Discussion Questions:
- Why must the altar of sacrifice stand at the very entrance to God’s dwelling, and what does that teach about approaching God?
- The lamp was to burn continually. How can your witness and devotion to God be kept burning and not allowed to flicker out?
- How does the single gate into the courtyard illustrate Jesus’ claim to be the only way to the Father?