How does the altar's size reflect God's majesty and holiness? Setting the Scene “Then he made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.” (2 Chronicles 4:1) Sizing It Up • 20 × 20 cubits—about 30 × 30 feet (9 × 9 m) • 10 cubits high—around 15 feet (4.5 m) • Over sixteen times the footprint of the tabernacle’s altar (Exodus 27:1) and over five times the height Majesty Displayed in Sheer Scale • A courtyard-dominating structure that shouts, “The LORD is great and greatly to be praised” (Psalm 96:4). • By surpassing every earlier altar in size, it visually matches the grandeur of the temple itself (1 Kings 6). • The imposing bulk announces to worshipers that they approach the King of kings, not a provincial deity. Holiness Proclaimed Through Elevation • Its 15-foot height lifts every sacrifice above normal human activity, separating common from sacred (Leviticus 6:25–26). • Exodus 20:26 forbade steps to the altar, so priests used a ramp—further emphasizing that ascent to God’s holiness is deliberate and orderly. • The great height also kept contaminating touch at a minimum, protecting the altar’s “most holy” status (Exodus 29:37). Capacity for Corporate Atonement • Bigger altar = larger surface for offerings; Solomon’s dedication required “so many… that the bronze altar… could not contain them” (2 Chronicles 7:7). • Israel’s countless worshipers see room for their sacrifices, reinforcing that God’s provision for sin is abundant and sufficient (Leviticus 17:11). • The scale points forward to the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ, able to cover the sins of the whole world (Hebrews 10:10–14). Continuity and Intensification • God’s pattern remains: bronze altar first, then inner worship—holiness begins with atonement (Exodus 40:29). • Yet the temple altar’s expansion signals intensified revelation. The same holy God who met Moses now manifests even more of His glory in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:10–11). • Isaiah foresees this crescendo: “The whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). Takeaway The altar’s massive dimensions were not ornamental. They were a concrete, daily reminder that the God who invites sinners to draw near is immeasurably majestic and uncompromisingly holy—yet gracious enough to provide a place, and ultimately a Person, where sin is covered and fellowship restored. |
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