How does the tabernacle's construction in Exodus 27:8 foreshadow Christ's role as mediator? Setting the Scene Exodus 27:8: “Construct the altar with boards so that it is hollow. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.” • Moses is commanded to build a hollow, portable altar—part of the larger tabernacle complex. • Every detail follows the heavenly pattern God revealed (Hebrews 8:5; Exodus 25:9). • This altar sits between sinful Israel and God’s presence in the Most Holy Place, a physical symbol of mediation. Hollow Yet Holy: Key Details in Exodus 27:8 • Hollow construction – The altar could be carried through the wilderness, continually positioned between the people and God. – Its emptiness would later be filled with substitutionary sacrifices. • “As you were shown on the mountain” – God, not Moses, sets the terms for approaching Him. – The earthly replica points to a greater, unseen reality (Hebrews 9:23-24). Foreshadowing Christ’s Mediation • Mobility → Incarnation – The movable altar anticipates the Word who “became flesh and tabernacled among us” (John 1:14). – Jesus leaves heaven, enters the camp of humanity, and meets us where we are. • Hollow → Self-emptying – Like the altar’s interior space waiting to receive sacrifice, Christ “emptied Himself” (Philippians 2:7), taking on humanity so He could bear our sin offering. • God-given pattern → God-appointed Mediator – Just as no Israelite could redesign the altar, no human can devise another way to God. – “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). • Sacrifice on the altar → Sacrifice of Himself – Animal blood temporarily covered sin; Christ’s blood removes it forever (Hebrews 9:12). – The altar’s continual use pointed to a once-for-all offering (Hebrews 10:10). • Position at the entrance → Access through Christ – Worshipers passed the altar before moving closer to God; today we “enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19-20). – No bypassing the altar then; no bypassing the cross now. Practical Takeaways for Today • Confidence: The meticulous pattern assures us God planned redemption, not as an afterthought but from eternity. • Gratitude: Every sacrifice at the hollow altar whispers, “Christ did this for me—once, perfectly.” • Dependence: Just as Israel relied on the God-designed altar, we rely solely on the God-given Mediator, never on personal merit. • Worship: Seeing Christ in Exodus invites wholehearted praise—Old Covenant shadows find substance in Him. |
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