Ex. 27:1 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.

Ex. 27:2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

Ex. 27:3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.

Ex. 27:4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.

Ex. 27:5 And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.

Ex. 27:6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.

Ex. 27:7 And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.

Ex. 27:8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

1) The altar was to be made of shittim wood overlaid with brass; it was to be square in shape.

2) It was to have horns overlaid with brass at the four corners.

3) All the utensils to be used at the altar were to be made of brass.

4) The altar was to sit upon a grating of brass with four rings at each corner.

5) Poles made of shittim wood overlaid with brass were to go through the rings for use when moving the altar.

6) The altar was to be hollow—not solid.

7) Again, it was to be made according to the pattern shown Moses on the mount.

8) (3/10) The altar is the place of sacrifice. We have to die to self and accept Jesus as Lord. As my pastor has said, “The altar is where we are altered.”

Ex. 27:9 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:

Ex. 27:10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.

Ex. 27:11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

Ex. 27:12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.

Ex. 27:13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.

Ex. 27:14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

Ex. 27:15 And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

Ex. 27:16 And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.

Ex. 27:17 All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.

Ex. 27:18 The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.

1) The courtyard was to be surrounded by curtains of fine linen.

2) They were to hang from 20 pillars from brass sockets on the north and south sides.

3) They were to hang from hooks of silver.

4) The west side was to use 10 pillars.

5) The east was to serve as the entrance and would have curtains on each side of the entrance. Each side would utilize three pillars and bases.

6) The entry curtain was to be made of purple, blue and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen using four pillars and bases.

7) All the pillars in the courtyard were to have silver bands and hooks and brass bases.

8) There was one entrance into the tabernacle. There is one way to enter God’s presence now—through Jesus Christ.

9) Entry was a choice, an individual’s personal decision. (11/05)

10) It came to my mind that the entrance was from the east. I know Jesus will return from the east of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. It was the east side of the Garden of Eden that was guarded by the cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life. I’m still not sure why all the emphasis on east.

Ex. 27:19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

All other articles used in the service of the tabernacle—even the tent pegs—were to be brass.

Ex. 27:20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

Ex. 27:21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

1) The Israelites are commanded to bring pure/clear oil from beaten olives to keep the lamp burning.

2) The lamp is to be placed outside the curtain in front of the Testimony (right outside the Holy of Holies).

3) The priests are to keep the lamps burning from evening to morning for future generations.

Several things came to mind—

1) The lamp obviously provides light. Jesus is the light of the world. We are to be lights in the world.

2) The oil was to pure/clear. This makes me think of how we should strive to be sinless.

3) The oil was from beaten olives. Christ had to be beaten for our sins in order to become our Savior and the source of our ability to shed any light in this world.

4) The oil represents the fuel, the power for the lamps. The oil is representative of the Holy Spirit who provides the fuel/power for our lives.

5) The Holy of Holies represents the presence of God. No one can approach God’s presence except through the light and power of the Lord Jesus.

6) The priests were to keep the lamps burning in the dark hours. The Holy Spirit is available to us continually—especially in the dark. We are to let our lights shine continually in the darkness of this world (sin makes it dark continually).

7) This direction was to be continued for generations to come. We are to provide the teaching of God’s Word to our children so that the light of God’s truth can reach future generations.

8) God was very specific in sharing what was pleasing to Him and what was His will for the people. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

9) We are every bit as chosen as the Israelites. He will be just as clear in revealing His will for our lives.

Sometimes God mapped out expectations for the Israelites regarding His plans/directives, and other times He just asked for obedience without question. In that regard, one was just to obey what he knew to be right before God and trust that God would reveal the next step when necessary. Lord, help me to be obedient to your Word and wait for you to work out your plan for my life.