How does the altar's construction in Exodus 27:4 foreshadow Christ's sacrificial role? Scripture Focus “Construct for it a grate of bronze mesh, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the mesh.” – Exodus 27:4 The Bronze Mesh: Judgment Fully Absorbed • Bronze in Scripture often pictures divine judgment (Numbers 21:8-9; Revelation 1:15). • The mesh sat directly in the flames, catching the sacrifice so the fire could consume it without restraint. • At Calvary, Christ stood where judgment fell most fiercely, “made…to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). • Like unyielding bronze, He endured the heat of God’s wrath yet was not destroyed (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27). The Elevated Grate: Christ Lifted Up • The grate suspended the offering above the wood, allowing air and flame to circulate freely. • Jesus foretold, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14), fulfilled on the cross (John 12:32-33). • Elevation made the sacrifice visible to all Israel; Golgotha’s hill made the crucified Savior visible to the world. Four Bronze Rings: Redemption Available to All • Four is the biblical number of the earth’s extremities (Isaiah 11:12; Revelation 7:1). • Rings at each corner enabled the altar to travel with Israel; salvation’s message now moves to “every tribe and tongue” (Revelation 5:9). • Christ’s once-for-all offering (Hebrews 10:10) reaches Jew and Gentile alike (Ephesians 2:13-16). Portability in the Wilderness: A Present, Approachable Savior • Poles slipped through the rings meant the altar went wherever the people went (Exodus 27:7). • So Christ accompanies His church through every wilderness journey (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5-6). • No believer ever lacks a place of atonement; the cross is always within reach (Hebrews 4:16). Total Consumption: Perfect, Willing Obedience • On the grate the burnt offering was consumed entirely—nothing held back (Leviticus 1:9). • Jesus offered Himself in unreserved obedience: “I have come to do Your will” (Hebrews 10:7). • The fragrant aroma ascending from the altar foreshadows the Father’s satisfaction in Christ’s self-giving love (Ephesians 5:2). Takeaway Exodus 27:4’s bronze grate with four rings is more than craftsmanship; it anticipates the cross. In the unrelenting fire, unmovable bronze, universal reach, and total consumption we glimpse the Savior who bore judgment, was lifted up, offers salvation to the ends of the earth, and surrendered Himself wholly for us. |
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