Chapter 27
This chapter is going to be a little different. I want to challenge you to read it, and then I will comment afterwards at the bottom. It is a really cool, and very deep chapter.
The Altar of Burnt Offering
1 “Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, [Horns curve outward and touch every direction of the compass, symbolizing that it applies to all of mankind. The horns on the alter will be revealed to mean, strength, but also refuge/rescue. In Jesus we have both.] and overlay the altar with bronze. [“bronze” is also translated “brass”, both of which symbolize judgement.] 3 Make all its utensils of bronze–its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. 5 Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. 6 Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain. [This altar, which will be used for thousands of years, serves as a shadow of the exact sacrifice Jesus made for all of mankind. Notice that on the journey from the entrance of the court to the Holy Place, one must come to the altar first. As we continue to learn about this altar, picture the Cross in your mind. When the lamb is mentioned, think of Jesus, the ultimate and final Lamb of God.]
The Courtyard
9 Make a courtyard for the tabernacle. The south side shall be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen, 10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 11 The north side shall also be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.
12 The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. 13 On the east end, toward the sunrise, the courtyard shall also be fifty cubits wide. 14 Curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, 15 and curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on the other side, with three posts and three bases.
16 For the entrance to the courtyard, provide a curtain twenty cubits long, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen–the work of an embroiderer–with four posts and four bases. 17 All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver [remember: redemption] bands and hooks, and bronze bases. [bronze/brass: judgement. Judgement from birth, but hope of redemption] 18 The courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, with curtains of finely twisted linen five cubits high, and with bronze bases. 19 All the other articles used in the service of the tabernacle, whatever their function, including all the tent pegs for it and those for the courtyard, are to be of bronze.
[The courtyard was open to everyone showing that all his children are welcome to come into relationship with the Father. The first stop, the alter (cross). The next stop, the basin, we will discuss in Chapter 30. But, (spoiler alert) this layout really describes the Walk of Faith with Jesus.]
Oil for the Lampstand
20 Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the LORD from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.”
[Oil signifies the Holy Spirit throughout the Bible. Notice how God commands Aaron to keep the lampstand burning from evening to morning? Evening marks the start of the Jewish day and also begins the darkest time of day. Darkness in the Bible is symbolic of sin. We live in a fallen world, born into sin from the very beginning.]
God is speaking quietly and gently to remind us that, even in the darkness of our sin, His Light remains. There is hope in our life of sin. The lampstand burns throughout the night, and when the sun rises, the lampstand is extinguished, but His light remains, taking on a new form. This shows that His light is everlasting. Every morning is a reminder of the resurrection of Jesus. Every night, a reminder of our need for his grace and mercy and redemption. It was set this way from the creation of the world. Even the earth itself testifies of God plan for mankind. There is even more if we keep looking.
Here’s a cool tidbit: The Tabernacle was positioned to face the East, so the sunrise would shine on its front entrance. Light represents purity and life. Notice that the Tabernacle’s outer courtyard was made of white linen? The Israelites were instructed to camp around the Tabernacle, each tribe in a different direction: one to the north, one to the south, one to the east, and one to the west (Numbers 2:3-34).
The Israelites’ tents were made of goat hair, which was a dark color. So, when the tribes camped around the Tabernacle, the white Tabernacle stood out against the dark backdrop of the tents, symbolizing God’s presence in the center.
Now, here’s another fascinating and very “God-like” detail: When the tribes set up their tents in the north, south, east, and west, the arrangement formed a shape that could be seen from above. If someone were on a mountain, they would see it clearly. Not all the tribes had the same population (Numbers 1:20-46). The East group of tribes had the most people, the North and South groups less but they had a similar count, and the West group had the fewest. Look at what these forms from an elevated perspective!
(A cross)
My friends, God’s plan of redemption is woven all throughout the Old Testament if we just take the time to look!
