Exodus 27:1-8

The Altar in the Courtyard

Read the passage

1“You are to build an altar of acacia wood. The altar must be square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high.

2Make a horn on each of its four corners, so that the horns are of one piece, and overlay it with bronze.

3Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots for removing ashes, its shovels, its sprinkling bowls, its meat forks, and its firepans.

4Construct for it a grate of bronze mesh, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the mesh.

5Set the grate beneath the ledge of the altar, so that the mesh comes halfway up the altar.

6Additionally, make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze.

7The poles are to be inserted into the rings so that the poles are on two sides of the altar when it is carried.

8Construct the altar with boards so that it is hollow. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

God instructs Moses to build a square altar from acacia wood and cover it with bronze. Horns will rise at its corners, and bronze utensils will serve the work there, including pots for ashes, shovels, bowls, forks, and firepans. It will be hollow, with rings and poles so it can be carried.

These instructions prepare a place for Israel's sacrifices. Exodus 40 later places the altar in front of the entrance to the tabernacle. The tools remind us that this worship will involve actual offerings and work, not merely thoughts about approaching God.

The altar must follow the pattern shown to Moses. Israel is receiving God's provision for worship rather than inventing its own remedy for sin. The sacrifices will belong to the people's continuing life with Him.

Hebrews 10 explains why Christians do not repeat that sacrificial system: Jesus offered Himself once for all. Our welcome before God rests on His sufficient sacrifice. We do not add to it by making ourselves suffer or by trying to pay for forgiveness.

Questions

1 What materials and dimensions are specified for the altar?

AnswerIt is five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze. Its utensils and grate are also bronze.

2 How will the altar be moved?

AnswerPoles of acacia wood covered with bronze will be inserted through its rings. The altar is built to be carried with Israel's traveling sanctuary.

3 Who determines how the altar must be built?

AnswerGod gives the pattern and tells Moses to follow it. The way Israel worships is a response to His instruction.

4 Why don't Christians offer sacrifices on an altar like this?

AnswerJesus has offered Himself once for all, as Hebrews 10 explains. We rely on His finished sacrifice for forgiveness rather than repeating the offerings that preceded Him.

What This Means for Us

Because Christ's sacrifice is sufficient, we can confess sin without inventing a punishment to make ourselves worthy of forgiveness. We can also admit the harm we have done without making excuses.

If someone was hurt, an apology or restitution may still be needed. Repairing that harm is a response to God's mercy, not a payment that purchases it.

Prayer

We pray: Holy God, make us honest about sin and grateful for the sacrifice You provide. Let reconciliation change the way we repair harm, and teach our household to approach You with reverence. Amen.

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