The Altar of Refuge (Exodus 27:1-8)

“You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it …” (Ex. 27:2).

The people of Israel paid their devotions to the Lord in the court before the tabernacle. There, an altar was erected on which the priests would place their sacrifices, offering them to God. The horns at the four corners were an integral part of the ritual, and were smeared with blood at the consecration of priests during the sin offering and on the Day of Atonement. The horns also were significant because malefactors clung to them for refuge (1 Kings 1:50).

The altar was constructed in such a way that the sacrifices were placed upon a grate. The ashes fell into a pan below, so that they would not fall upon the ground and be trodden underfoot. This was so designed that reverence might be shown even towards the remnants of holy things. The majority of translations say that the sacrifice was bound to the horns that stood out from the four corners. This might signify a proper spiritual sacrifice because all the lusts of the flesh would be held captive, as it were, in obedience to God. This also prefigured Christ who, though sinless in Himself, was nevertheless bound so that His obedience to the will of God would be powerfully manifest.

The brazier described in this passage served as a type of Christ, who died to make atonement for our sins. The wood would have been consumed by the fire from heaven if it had not been secured by the brass (Lev. 9:24), just as the human nature of Christ could not have borne the wrath of God if it had not been supported by divine power. Christ sanctified Himself for the church, as its altar (John 17:19), and by His mediation, He still sanctifies the daily services of His people who also have a right to eat of this altar (Heb. 13:10). As the New Testament teaches us, they serve at His altar as spiritual priests.

And just as some malefactors of old clung to the horns for protection and refuge, so sinners cling to Christ when justice pursues them. They are guilty of crimes against God, but by the sacrifice of Christ they are saved. This is the glory of the altar, that here justice and mercy meet. Sinners fly to the altar for refuge, to Christ, the one and only Mediator between the Holy God and unrighteous sinners, and in Him they find protection from the justice they deserve. Just as it was only by sacrifice that the Israelites could approach God in worship, so today the only way to God is through the offering of Jesus Christ.

Imagine what it must have been like for the Israelites to have to kill animals as a symbolic atonement for their sins. It was an ugly sight, and the stench of death pervaded the tabernacle. The sacrifices were not meant to be pleasant, but were designed to teach the price of sin. Praise Christ today for His death for you.

Behind the Veil (Exodus 26:31-37)

“Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy” (Ex. 26:33b).

The veil in the tabernacle functioned in several ways. It taught the people to revere God, teaching them that holy things are to be handled with great care and seriousness. The veil that covered the ark teaches us today that God’s throne is not to be approached lightly and carelessly, but with honor and respect.

Secondly, the shadows of the old covenant, of the law, were denoted by the veil. The time of fuller revelation had not come; the spiritual worship of God remained enshrouded by a veil, by a barrier between God and His people. This veil taught the Israelites to look forward to the day when the Messiah would come, when the truth would come to light—that truth being that all men can approach God in faith, through the mediation of the Messiah who would go ahead of all believers into the presence of God, preparing a way into the Holy of Holies.

And so it was that when Christ died on the cross for sinners, purchasing their redemption by the perfect sacrifice of His own body, that the veil was ripped (Matt. 27:51). At that time an end was put to the ceremonies of the law. This was because God would now present Himself in the image of His Son, and the perfect reality of all ceremonies was manifested in Christ. What was hidden from ancient Israel is now revealed in the Gospel: “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12).

Only the high priest of Israel could go behind the veil into the Most Holy Place, and this only once a year on the Day of Atonement. Christ, as our perfect and final High Priest, has gone into the presence of the Most Holy on our behalf, once and for all: “We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man” (Heb. 8:1–2).

Although there is now no veil to prevent us from coming to the Lord, we should learn from this figure that the manifestation of God in the flesh is a mystery to us (1 Tim. 3:16). The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ’s body. This union is a great mystery that should cause us to stand in awe before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

How did Christ fulfill the Old Testament priesthood? Why is there no longer a veil or a temple today? What kind of freedom do you have in Christ? What does this mean for you as you approach God in worship? What does it mean for you when you sin? This week, memorize Hebrews 10:19–25.

A Strong Church (Exodus 26:15-30)

“And for the tabernacle you shall make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright” (Ex. 26:15).

God gave very particular directions about the boards of the tabernacle which were to hold up the curtains. The boards had to be secure because the stakes of the tent needed to be able to withstand the wind that would often blow across the plains. These boards had tenons that fitted into structures fashioned with silver bases. God made sure that everything within the structure was strong as well as beautiful. Curtains without interlocking boards would have been shaken by the strong winds and very easily toppled.

God made certain that His tabernacle was secure, just as He now takes care that His church is rooted in a strong foundation. We are not left to be blown about by every wind of doctrine, but God establishes His people in the truth of His Word. He has given the testimony of His Son in written form that we will be rooted firmly in the sound doctrine delivered by the apostles. It is when His church strays from the solid foundation of the Bible, when it exalts the thoughts of man and the imaginations of people above the teaching of Scripture, that the church becomes weak and exposes itself to corrupt teaching. When this happens, we cannot blame God for not giving us a firm foundation, for not supporting us with the “boards” of His grace and His truth, but we must blame ourselves for straying from His directives and putting our own inventions above the Word of God.

When the Israelites followed precisely the directions of God, the tabernacle was beautiful and strong, a splendid place for God to dwell among His people and for them to approach Him in worship. This tabernacle fit the infant state of the church, when such things properly filled the minds of the worshippers with reverence for God’s glory and affected them with the greatness of that prince who said, “Here will I dwell,” alluding to the new Jerusalem which is of pure gold (Rev. 21:18).

The builders of the New Testament church, however, do not need structures of gold and silver, for the glory of our “building” far exceeds that of the the tabernacle: “For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious” (2 Cor. 3:10–11 emphasis added).

As you read through these final chapters of Exodus, pay attention to the detail of God’s instructions. Notice how He is concerned about every aspect of worship. There are many principles from these instructions that we can apply today. 

Adornment of Worship (Exodus 26:1-14)

“Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them” (Ex. 26:1).

In the construction of the tabernacle, the Israelites were instructed by external figures that the worship of God was precious, and that they had to follow precisely His directives. If they were to be accounted true worshippers of God, they had to worship Him in purity and in truth, being free of all uncleanness. In this, the tabernacle foreshadowed the church, for the church is to worship in the beauty of holiness. The ornaments are symbolic to us of the spiritual beauty of the church, of the inward graces that would adorn the church as Christ’s bride.

On this basis, Isaiah spoke of the perfect glory of the church as it would be under the reign of Christ: “Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones” (Isa. 54:11–12). While the tabernacle would be constructed of external symbols, such as curtains and ornaments, so the church would be adorned with the heavenly beauty of spiritual graces. It is because the externals of the temple and tabernacle were foreshadows of the church under the reign of Christ that it is not necessary to have such images adorning our worship places today. To reach back into the Old Testament and to re-establish the adornments of Israel’s worship would deny the fulfillment of those externals in the dispensation of Christ. This is not to mean that the principles of Israel’s worship do not apply. As we stated, these adornments show us the nature of the church. Our focus, therefore, should not be on what we look like, but on what we are inside, on the beauty that comes from within, born of a renewed heart in Christ.

The curtains of the tabernacle were to be richly covered by durable materials (goat hair and badger skin) to protect the riches of the tabernacle from the weather. The curtains hanging near the sanctuary were to be particularly beautiful, signifying how we are to approach God—in holiness and righteousness. Christians today can approach God without the covering of the curtains because we have access to the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus Christ. While this privilege was reserved for only a few in Israel, it now extends outward as the Gospel is preached to all the earth (Isa. 54:2).

There are many warnings in Scripture for us not to attach ourselves to the externals of religion, but to approach God with humble, contrite, and pure hearts. This week, as you go to public worship, examine your heart, confess your sin, and prepare yourself by meditating on God’s Word before you worship Him.

The Bread and the Lamp (Exodus 25:23-40)

“And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always. You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold …” (Ex. 25:30, 31).

Two prominent objects in the tabernacle, other than the ark, were the table with the showbread, and the golden lampstand. The table always was to be spread and furnished with the “bread of faces”—twelve loaves, one for each tribe, set in two rows of six (Lev. 24:5). In any royal house, there is a royal table. This ornate table would be the table of the Lord, and would signify Israel’s dependence on the Lord, for He alone was the one who supplied their daily bread.

The bread was designed to be a thankful acknowledgement of God’s goodness to Israel both in the wilderness, where He supplied them manna, and in Canaan, where He gave them the “corn of the land.” It was also a token of their communion with God. This bread on God’s table, being made of the same corn as the bread on their own tables, was eaten together as a pledge of friendship and fellowship.

This table served as a type of the spiritual provision that is made in the church by the Gospel of Christ. Though only the priests ate the showbread in the tabernacle, all Christians, as priests unto the Lord, partake of the bread of life, which is the body of Christ. All who attend the table of the Lord, where they are spiritually nourished, will be satisfied with the goodness of it. Christ has a table in His kingdom at which all believers will eat and drink with Him forever (Luke 22:30).

The next thing ordered was a rich candlestick or lampstand, made of pure, solid gold. The tabernacle had no windows by which to let in the light of day, and thus symbolized the comparative darkness of that dispensation; the “Sun of Righteousness” had not yet risen, nor had the “Day Star from on High” yet visited His church. Yet, God did not leave Himself without a witness, or them without instruction. The Law was a lamp and a light, and the prophets were branches from that lamp, which gave light to the Old Testament church. The Word of God itself was the candlestick, a light shining in a dark place. The Spirit is compared with the seven lamps that burn before the throne, and the churches are golden candlesticks, the lights of the world. The treasure of this light is now put into earthen vessels, and the branches spread out as the Gospel goes into the world. This light is not to be hidden, but is to shine from a hill so that all may hear the Gospel.

God warned Moses in the midst of these instructions not to deviate from His rules. When it came to the worship of God, little was left to Israel’s imagination. Has this changed for the church today? How do we discern what aspects of worship can change? Pray that you will worship in spirit and in truth.