Exodus 27:1-21 NKJV
27 “You shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar shall be square—and its height shall be three cubits. 2 You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with bronze. 3 Also you shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels and its basins and its forks and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze. 4 You shall make a grate for it, a network of bronze; and on the network you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. 5 You shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the network may be midway up the altar. 6 And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles shall be put in the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar to bear it. 8 You shall make it hollow with boards; as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it.
9 “You shall also make the court of the tabernacle. For the south side there shall be hangings for the court made of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long for one side. 10 And its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets shall be bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be silver. 11 Likewise along the length of the north side there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, with its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of bronze, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver.
12 “And along the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits, with their ten pillars and their ten sockets. 13 The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits. 14 The hangings on one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. 15 And on the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets.
16 “For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. It shall have four pillars and four sockets. 17 All the pillars around the court shall have bands of silver; their hooks shall be of silver and their sockets of bronze. 18 The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, made of fine woven linen, and its sockets of bronze. 19 All the utensils of the tabernacle for all its service, all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.
20 “And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. 21 In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.
The LORD continues to instruct Israel in how He is to be worshiped under the Old Testament, specifically with the bronze altar, the courtyard of the tabernacle, and the continual burning of the lamp in the Holy Place. The LORD also provides those in the New Testament period a picture of their life in the Church.
Upon entering the courtyard of the tabernacle, the first thing one would see is the bronze altar. The altar—as well as its position front and center—signifies the centrality of blood sacrifice for Israel. Their sacrifices atoned for their sins so they would be righteous according to the law and able to remain in the commonwealth of Israel. Their sacrifices—if accompanied by faith in the once-for-all sacrifice God would one day provide—would also justify them before God. This means every sacrifice offered for sins on this altar prefigured, and looked forward to, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world.
The court of the tabernacle signifies the church and our life in it. Just as the altar was the focal point of the courtyard, so Christ’s sacrifice for our sins is the focal point for our life with God, for in His church God daily and richly forgives all our sins. With David, we can say, “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand” (Ps 84:10). Just as those in the court of the tabernacle were separated from everyone outside, so the Christian is separated from the world. By faith in Christ’s sacrifice, we live in the world but are not of the world.
Finally, the Israelites were to supply oil for the lamp so that it would continually burn and give its light to the priests ministering in the Holy Place. Christians, dwelling in the courts of the Lord, receiving the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice by faith, are to be “the light of the world” (Matt 5:14). By the power of the Holy Spirit, we continually burn with zeal for good works, so that those who are of the world may see our good works and glorify God, and might desire to dwell in the courts of the LORD as well, and enjoy the benefits Jesus earned for all.
Let us pray: Grant, O Lord, that we may dwell in Your courts all the days of our life, focusing on Christ’s sacrifice for us as our lamps burn bright for all to see. Amen.