Chapter 27

1 The altar of burnt offering, with the vessels thereof. 9 The court of the tabernacle inclosed with hangings and pillars. 18 The measure of the court. 20 The oil for the lamp.

1. An altar. Hebrew, “the altar.” It was about 7 ft. 4 in. (2.22 m.) square by 4 ft. 5 in. (1.33 m.) high. Ancient temples were usually surrounded by open areas where sacrifices were offered and where the smoke might readily escape. As in the account of the tabernacle itself the furniture was first described, so the altar is now described before the court. It was more an altar frame than an altar (v. 8). Ancient altars were generally either square, as here (see 2 Chron. 4:1), or round.

The altar of burnt offering, with its shed blood, represents the great gospel truth of atonement for sin through the vicarious sacrifice of Christ (Isa. 53:4-7, 10; Acts 20:28; Eph. 1:5–7; Heb. 13:10–12; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; Rev. 5:9). The very position of this altar, near the door of the court, indicates that the sinner’s first need is to have his sins washed away by the blood of Christ (see Heb. 9:13, 14; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 7:14), and that until this is done he must not presume to worship God or even enter into His presence (Heb. 9:22). The altar witnessed to man’s guilt and his need of atonement and reconciliation, and then assured him that these had been made (John 1:29; Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18, 19; Col. 1:20).

2. His horns. That is, “its horns.” These projected from the four upper corners of the altar. The words “be of the same” indicate that the horns were part of the altar itself, not additions to it. To these horns the priest touched his finger, dipped in the blood of the sin offering (Ex. 29:12; Lev. 8:15; 9:9; 16:18). Offerings awaiting sacrifice were sometimes bound to them (Ps. 118:27). Criminals seeking sanctuary sometimes clung to them (1 Kings 1:50, 51; 2:28). In his graphic picture of the second advent of our crucified Lord, the prophet Habakkuk (ch. 3:4) saw “horns coming out of his hand”; “there,” in the prints of the nails in Christ’s hand, “was the hiding of his power.”

The word qeren, “horn,” originally designated the horn of an animal (Deut. 33:17). Inasmuch as an animal having horns generally uses them for attacking other animals, horns came to be symbolic of strength or power (1 Sam. 2:1, 10; Ps. 75:10; 112:9; etc.). In this sense David referred to God as “the horn of my salvation” (2 Sam. 22:3; Ps. 18:2; Luke 1:69). The word “horn” is also symbolic of the strength and power of God’s chosen people (Ps. 148:14; Eze. 29:21; etc.). Thus a “horn” became symbolic of national power, and is commonly used by the prophets in this sense (Jer. 48:25; Dan. 8:3; 7:11; Rev. 12:3; etc.).

3. His pans. The “shovels” were for removing the ashes from the altar and placing them in the “pans.” The “basons” were vessels that received the blood of the sacrifices, and from which it was poured upon the altar. The “fleshhooks” were three-pronged forks (1 Sam. 2:13), used to arrange the various pieces into which the sacrifice was cut upon the altar. The “firepans” were for carrying burning embers from the altar.

Brass. That is, bronze, an alloy of copper and tin. Brass made of copper and zinc was unknown.

4. Grate. A heavy bronze grate was fitted into the altar halfway between the base and the top (v. 5). At the four corners of the bronze grate were fastened rings, through which bronze-plated poles were placed for carrying the altar (vs. 6, 7).

5. The compass. Probably a ledge about the top of the altar to assist the priests in placing offerings on it.

9. The court. The court was to be enclosed on the south and north sides with “hangings,” or curtains, of linen. The court was about 146 ft. (44.45 m.) in length.

12. The west side. The curtain on this side of the court was half as long, or about 73 ft. (22.23 m.). The court was thus rectangular in shape.

16. The grate of the court. One the east side, in the center, was a “hanging,” or screen, about 29 ft. 4 in. (8 m.) long. On either side of this “gate” was a “hanging” about 21 ft. 10 in. (6.65 m.) in length, and of the same material as the “vail” and the “hanging for the door of the tent” (ch. 26:33, 36).

17. All the pillars. Altogether 60 “pillars” were used to support the “hangings” which enclosed the court, or one about every 7 ft. 4 in. (3.46 m.). The “pillars” were probably of acacia wood plated with brass and were set in “sockets” or bases of brass (v. 10). The weight of these “sockets” is not given, but each must have been somewhat less than a talent (see ch. 38:29–31).

18. The height.The height of the “hangings” around the court was 5 cubits, or about 7 ft.4 in. (3.46 m.). This was half the height of the tabernacle itself, which was thus plainly visible from outside the court (PP 347). Only the priests and Levites could move about freely in the court, which represented the first stage in man’s progress from the world to God. The atoning sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering and the cleansing of the laver (Ex. 30:18) precede communion with God.

19. The vessels. There must have been many vessels used in connection with the sanctuary service, among them being the laver (ch. 30:18). The “pins” were the pegs, or tent pins, which kept the tabernacle coverings taut and the “pillars,” or posts, in place. These minor accessories played their important part in the erection of the tabernacle. They did not rank, perhaps, with the furniture in the two apartments of the tabernacle and with the altar of burnt offering; nevertheless, without them the ministrations of the priests would have failed. They were like the indispensable “helps” that God has ever placed “in the church” (1 Cor. 12:28).

20. Pure oil olive. This was prepared from unripe fruit “beaten,” or pounded in a mortar rather than crushed in a mill. As a result, it was clear and colorless and burned brightly, with little smoke.

To burn always. The seven lamps were never all extinguished at one time, but burned continuously day and night (PP 348) except when the tabernacle was in transit from one campsite to another. The lamps were tended morning and evening (ch. 30:7, 8).

21. Tabernacle of the congregation. Literally, “the tent of meeting” (RSV). It was here that God met with Moses (ch. 25:22) and that the people gathered to meet with God (Ex. 29:42; Num. 10:3).

Before the testimony. That is, before the ark that held the “testimony,” or tables of stone containing the Ten Commandments (Ex. 31:18; 32:15, 16).

From evening to morning. Special care was to be taken that the lamps should not go out at night. Inasmuch as the charge, “It shall be a statute for ever,” does not occur often in Exodus, its use must indicate items of special importance. The “eternal light” (see Lev. 24:2) was a perpetual reminder of Him in whom there is “no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Thus it should be with the church, which is ever to be “the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). Its light should never go out (see John 3:19–21). The “eternal light” in the sanctuary represented the “true light,” “the light of men” (John 1:4–9; DA 464). It pointed also to the Holy Scriptures, which are a lamp unto our feet (Ps. 119:105; Isa. 40:8). The olive oil is a type of the Holy Spirit, the source and means of spiritual illumination (Zech. 4:2–6; Acts 2:1–4).

It was God’s purpose that Israel should be a light to the nations about them (COL 286). The “advantage” the Jews had was “chiefly” that “unto them were committed the oracles of God” (Rom. 3:1, 2)—the prophetic word that foretold the coming of the living Word, the “true Light” that illumines “every man that cometh into the world” (Zech. 4:1–4; John 1:9; DA 463).

Ellen G. White comments

1-19PP 347

20        9T 248