94_The brazen altar of sacrifice Exodus 27:1-8 “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. 2 And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. 3 You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. 4 You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. 5 And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net extends halfway down the altar. 6 And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. 7 And the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made. When anyone entered the court of the tabernacle in ancient Israel, the first thing he saw was the brazen altar. This altar, made of acacia wood overlaid with brass, stood near the entrance, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. It was the largest of all the tabernacle’s furnishings. For the layman, this was the only tabernacle furnishing that he could see, all the rest being within the structure itself, prohibited to him. No one could approach God without first encountering this altar, where sacrifices were offered to atone for sin. The altar was made of acacia wood covered with a brass, or bronze, layer. Bronze is often a symbol of divine judgment in Scripture. In Numbers 21, the Israelites sinned against God by grumbling about their food, the manna he miraculously provided day by day. Fiery serpents appeared among them in judgment. Many people were bitten and died. This caused immediate repentance, and the people cried out to Moses to pray for them. God heard their prayer, but he did not simply remove the serpents. Instead, He commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole. Anyone who was bitten could look upon it, and he would live. Centuries later, the Lord referred to this event, saying, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so shall the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15). The bronze serpent represented the punishment itself, but now it brought life, not death. Christ was lifted up on the cross as he bore our sin in his body. Those who look to him find eternal life instead of death, for atonement has been made, and their sins forgiven. The altar had four horns, one at each corner, forming a single piece with it. These horns were the points to