My dad was the superb griller of all that can be cooked over charcoal on the back patio.  He worked hard to get all the meat just right; not too pink and not to overcooked, but just right.  I wouldn’t be surprised if dad prayed over his grill as it cooked so our food would be blessed by the Lord as perfect to eat!  My dad was indeed a perfectionist!

We had all kinds of grills over the years of my growing up as dad was always on a search of the “best one”—“the one and only”! Companies who made them such as Coleman, Weber, and others tried to make each new model better than the summer before; but it all came down to this:  Will it last? Will it hold up to a summer of cooking over charcoals?  Will the grill hold up to weather and not rust?  Will the extreme temperatures of a fire in a box be contained safely?  Will our food be cooked well or be charred beyond recognition as a burnt offering?  I am smiling at the last question, because there was a time, The Griller was distracted by joining in a yard game, and our meat was burned to a crispy black substance.  He called it his “burnt offering” but we ate cheese sandwiches instead that day.

God designed a grill beyond all other grills!  He instructs Moses to build an altar that will be the place where real burnt offerings of sacrificial animals will be made by the priests as the way to atone for the sins of God’s People.  The awesome smell of meat cooking that we love is also pleasing to God; as sweet incense to Him because it means even more to God, people bringing their unblemished lambs to sacrifice for their sins! 

The altar of sacrifice will last as it is mostly made of bronze!  All the cooking utensils will be made of bronze.  The grate and grill plate is bronze.  Everything will be overlayed in bronze.  Yes, God designed His altar to be practical, movable, and built to last on the wilderness journey.  This altar is a holy place that will serve to cover over sins of people and will gain them entry in the courtyard of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.  But only the yearly designated priest will enter the holy of holies where God meets with man for the final act of atonement.  It will be the anointed and called of God work of Aaron and his descendants to be the priests who will keep the oil lamps burning to signify God’s Presence with them always. 

God is teaching the wilderness wanderers who He is with how to worship Him in Truth.

Exodus 27

The Altar of Burnt Offering

“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, and overlay the altar with bronze. 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.

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 bands and hooks, and bronze bases. 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.

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.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Today, we only need Jesus. Jesus was, is and always will be Savior and Lord, the One without sin, who didn’t just cover our sins, He removed them—”as far as the east is from the west”— “to be remembered no more”!  Yes, Jesus’ sacrificial work on the cross, taking all the sins of the world, yours and mine, upon his shoulders to die in our place of punishment once and for all and then rising again in resurrection power negates the need to bring lambs to a priest for burning on an altar.

All Scripture points to Jesus as the once and for all sacrifice that takes away the sins of the world.  God’s Plan, from the beginning, was to lead all people of all nations to Him.  This Plan will be fulfilled in Jesus.  Jesus, who is God in flesh, came down to seek and to save all who believe in Him, restoring a right and holy relationship with God.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. The curtains designed with purpose by God for a holy place to meet with Him for that time and place and held in honor for generations to come will be ripped from top to bottom in two pieces when Jesus breathed his last breath on the cross.  The final work to redeem all who believe in Jesus will be accomplished.  All who believe in Jesus gain entry to God!

Warren Wiersbe provides proof through God’s Word that helps us to understand the significance of then and now—

“Preachers and evangelists sometimes invite people in their congregations to “come to the altar,” but there are no longer altars on earth that are ordained of God or acceptable to God. Why? Because the death of Jesus Christ took care of the sin problem once and for all (Hebrews 9:25–28). No more sacrifices can be or should be offered. The Lord’s Supper (Communion) is a reminder of His sacrifice, not a repeat of His sacrifice.

The only “altar” believers have today is Jesus Christ Himself, who bears on His glorified body the wounds of the cross (Luke 24:39; John 20:20; Hebrews 13:10).

As a holy priesthood, we “offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). We present to Him our bodies (Romans 12:1, 2), our material wealth (Philippians 4:18), praise and good works (Hebrews 13:15, 16), and a broken heart (Psalm 51:17). —Wiersbe Study Bible

As believers in Jesus who is the Light of the World, we keep His light burning and shining with us that is reflected to a world desperate for a Savior and Lord. All believers in Jesus are called of God as His “royal priesthood;” now designated to point the world to Jesus who reconciles (reconnects) all who believe to God!  (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Notice there was only one entrance to the courtyard enclosure and therefore only one way to get to the altar of God.  God’s design until Jesus.  Jesus claimed to be the only door (John 10:9) and the only way to God (John 14:6), which explains why Peter said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).  God’s fulfillment of His Plan to redeem the world.

In today’s pluralistic society, many people like to think that every way is acceptable to God, but that attitude leads to death (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25; Matthew 7:13–27).

As we move along in our study of God’s People learning how to worship God on their journey to the Promised Land; may we be ever mindful of the truth that Jesus was with God as part of God, waiting to fulfill God’s complete plan to redeem the whole world.  God is not finished with us until we see Him face to face in all of His glory! 

One God. One Savior. One Lord. One Holy Spirit. Worship God alone in sprit and in truth.

Lord,

We are learning more about you as we read about the journey you took your people on through the wilderness.  Sometimes we wander and we need your guidance to bring us closer to you and what you desire for us.  Thank you for cleansing our hearts, renewing our minds, and restoring the joy of your salvation in us as we daily look to you for guidance for each new day.  I love you, Lord.

In Jesus Name, Amen