What role does the altar play in the sacrificial process in Leviticus 4:18? Setting the Scene Leviticus 4 outlines the sin offering—God’s gracious provision when His covenant people fall short. Verse 18 zooms in on what the priest must do with the blood of the bull: apply it to the horns of the incense altar, then pour the rest at the base of the burnt-offering altar. The altars are not incidental furniture; they are essential actors in the drama of atonement. The Two Altars in View • Inner incense altar (inside the Tent of Meeting, before the curtain) • Outer burnt-offering altar (in the courtyard, before the entrance) Step-by-Step in Leviticus 4:18 1. “He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting.” 2. “And the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.” Why Blood on the Horns? • The horns represent power, authority, and appeal for mercy (1 Kings 1:50). • Blood applied here ceremonially reaches “before the LORD,” signaling that the sin has been presented for divine consideration (Exodus 30:10). • It purifies the sanctuary’s most intimate furnishings, guarding the holy space from contamination (Leviticus 16:16). Why Blood at the Base? • Pouring out the remaining blood dedicates the entire altar, foundation to summit, for its atoning purpose (Leviticus 8:15). • It visibly removes guilt from the worshiper, depositing it where God ordained substitutionary judgment to fall (Leviticus 17:11). • The flowing blood testifies that life has been given in place of the sinner—an unmistakable, public sign. The Altar as God’s Point of Contact • Meeting place: where heaven’s holiness and earth’s sin converge. • Transfer station: guilt moves from the sinner to the sacrifice, then symbolically to the altar. • Legal platform: the altar “bears the evidence” that the required death has occurred, satisfying God’s justice (Hebrews 9:22). Echoes in the Rest of Scripture • Exodus 29:12; 30:10 – Blood on horns for consecration and yearly atonement. • Hebrews 13:10–12 – A better altar, outside the camp, fulfilled in Christ’s cross. • Revelation 6:9 – Souls under the heavenly altar, reminding us of sacrifice and vindication. What It Means Today • Though the Levitical altars no longer stand, their role points directly to the cross, where the ultimate sin offering was made once for all (Hebrews 10:10). • The physical altars underscore God’s unwavering demand for a blood substitute and His equally unwavering willingness to provide it. • Every detail of Leviticus 4:18 affirms that forgiveness is costly, precise, and anchored in the place God chooses—ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). |
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