How does Exodus 27:1 connect to New Testament teachings on sacrifice? Setting the Old Testament Scene Exodus 27:1 — “You are to construct the altar of acacia wood; it shall be five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar is to be square—and three cubits high.” • Israel’s worship revolved around this bronze altar. • Every morning and evening a lamb was offered (Exodus 29:38-42), teaching that blood was the only acceptable payment for sin. Key Features of the Bronze Altar • Built of durable acacia wood overlaid with bronze—strength covered by judgment. • Perfectly square—symbolizing completeness and balance in God’s provision. • Positioned just inside the courtyard gate—no one approached God without first passing the place of sacrifice. How the Altar Foreshadows Christ • Material: Wood pictures humanity; bronze speaks of judgment. Jesus, fully man, bore divine judgment (John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 5:21). • Location: Visible and unavoidable, just as the cross stands at the entrance to reconciliation with God (John 14:6). • Perpetual fire (Leviticus 6:12-13) anticipates the once-for-all, never-to-be-repeated offering of Christ (Hebrews 10:12-14). New Testament Fulfillment of Sacrifice • Christ the final Lamb – John 1:29 — “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” – 1 Peter 1:18-19 — “a lamb without blemish or spot.” • Christ the altar as well as the offering – Hebrews 13:10 — “We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.” • Complete atonement accomplished – Ephesians 5:2 — “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” – Hebrews 9:11-12 — “by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.” Our Response: Living Sacrifices • Romans 12:1 — “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—your spiritual service of worship.” • 1 Peter 2:5 — “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” • Hebrews 13:15-16 — praise, good works, and sharing are sacrifices God now desires. Summary Connections • The bronze altar in Exodus 27:1 establishes the necessity of substitutionary bloodshed. • Every specification foreshadows Jesus’ perfect, once-for-all sacrifice. • New Testament writers declare that, because the true altar and Lamb have come, believers now offer themselves—body, praise, and service—in grateful response to finished grace. |
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